


Uchiha of Ravenclaw

by Hebisama



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: Close to Canon, F/F, Humor, OC - can't stress it enough, Ravenclaw rocks!, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2018-12-19 21:24:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 149
Words: 411,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11906499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hebisama/pseuds/Hebisama
Summary: This is a story of the normal students in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or as normal as you can be with a kunoichi in your midst. An Uchiha fOC student at Hogwarts. Saeko is older than HP so Harry will be in the picture from her fourth year up. Mainly OCs, a bit of humor, bit of adventure, bit of romance (Femslash so just you know).





	1. 1- 01 Unusual Request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Already posted on fanfiction.net in full but I'm adding it here as well - it's long so that might take a while...

_**Headmaster's office, Hogwarts, GB** _

  
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk looking through the window, enjoying the summer breeze so common in the Scottish highlands during the season, while patiently waiting for his guests to arrive. Stroking his beard he looked back inside, his gaze skimming over the shelf of various silver instruments, lingering on two in particular. With a slight smile the headmaster opened the letter he had been fanning himself with – the letter that was the cause for today's meeting.

  
There was a slight noise from down below signaling the arrival of his guests. Dumbledore hummed to himself and put the paper on the desk in front of him and straightened himself in his high chair.

  
Just before he expected a knock he made a casual-looking wave with his hand and said in with a strong voice “Enter.”

  
The door opened and revealed a strict looking older woman who pursed her lips in slight annoyance. She was followed by three strangers who inclined their heads in greeting. Two of the strangers were dressed in what was certainly a uniform held back half a step, allowing the third guest to speak. The leader of the group was a huge man well over six feet with a mane of spiky white hair and red markings under his eyes. Dressed in green and vibrant red he stood out of the trio.

  
“Good afternoon! As professor McGonagall surely told you I am the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Welcome to Hogwarts” he greeted the group with a twinkle in his eyes.

  
The oldest of the trio grinned “Good afternoon. Indeed she did Dumbledore-dono. I'm Jiraiya of the Sannin, the ambassador from Konohagakure no Sato. My companions are the Clan Head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Itachi, jounin of Konoha and Uchiha Saeko, chuunin of Konoha.”

  
The headmaster's gaze turned to the youngest visitor and the only woman. Girl more accurately. She was tall for her age which Dumbledore knew to be 11 and serious looking. Dressed in a dark blue uniform with a light green vest she calmly returned his gaze. Her youthful face was marred by a long scar that started an inch up her eyebrow and extended to the middle of her cheek, thankfully skipping her eye. A long braid of charcoal black hair brushed her waist while her bangs were held at bay by a piece of metal on a long black cloth. The girl held many similarities with the last member of the group which he presumed to be her brother.

  
The Lord Uchiha had smoother hair than his sister, tied in a small low ponytail and a sharper and more angular face. He was dressed identically to Saeko only with his uniform's vest being a darker shade of green.

  
“Nice to meet you both” the headmaster said with his usual twinkle, “So this is the young lady that wishes to enter Hogwarts? How do you like the castle?”

  
Saeko arched her eyebrow but answered promptly “It is quite beautiful, it reminds me of our Daimyo's palace. It is certainly a different than usual style, western I guess. But I'm obviously more interested in the education the castle might offer. Oh, and the library!” At the last sentence the young girl abandoned her stoic attitude and looked positively giddy.

  
The headmaster smiled and professor McGonagall relaxed, taking on a softer look. Meanwhile Jiraiya rolled his eyes, grinned and said “Nerd!” Itachi remained stoic but finally a corner of his mouth jerked upwards a little.

  
Dumbledore chucked “Well, who are we to deny a young student's education. But you must understand our curiosity as to why. Why Hogwarts, why even come to the British Isles at all – it is well known that eastern wizards tends to isolate themselves. This goes twice for you ninjas. I know you already talked to the Ministry about it but as you are well aware, school's admissions are entirely my jurisdiction.”

  
Jiraiya nodded “Of course. Well the first question is for Saeko-san to answer. Saeko-san here asked permission from Hokage-sama to apply to Hogwarts, she is a bit of a knowledge hound and since she finished her education in Konoha he agreed. If Saeko-san has the ability to do magic it would be a shame not to learn it. She would be more of an asset for Konoha with this added ability.”

  
The headmaster frowned at the explanation, as did McGonagall but before they could say something Lord Uchiha spoke for the first time “My sister has a dream, an ambition and that is to become Hokage, the leader of Konoha. She already mastered shinobi…. magic and made a name for herself. Mastering your kind of magic would be quite a feat and it might be what would tip the scales in her favor when the time for the new Hokage comes. That aside I would wish for her to enter for a simpler reason – Saeko is hailed as a prodigy back home, a genius. Our father pushed us to succeed at every cost so she graduated from the academy at 7, made chuunin at 10, far sooner than normal. You know what our work entails, I would wish for Saeko to have a more normal childhood, one more appropriate for her age while also enabling her to achieve her dream.”

  
All the eyes in the room were turned to Itachi who once didn't lose his stoic attitude and stone face. The Brits were surprised but could see where the elder Uchiha was coming from.

  
The girl smiled slightly “My childhood was and is just fine but I could use come calm and less missions every now and then.” Turning back to the bearded professor she said “But the rest was correct. Back home we have this legend about the originator of magic, the Rikudou Sannin, the Sage of the Six Paths. According to the story his sons inherited only parts of his vast magic, being the forefathers of different branches of the art. The biggest split was between the East and Western magic. The Uchiha were said to direct descendants of the second born son. Maybe it's just an illusion of grandeur but I would like the opportunity to emulate the Sannin and learn magic outside my circle. It would be quite fascinating experiment!”

  
Jiraiya gulped at that and face palmed. Itachi actually sighed. Saeko looked around and saw the disturbed expressions “What? I know people with weirder hobbies, look at Maito Gai for example.” At that both shinobi nodded sagely.

  
“Who?” asked the bewildered Scottish professor.

  
“Don't ask!” the ninja trio said in unison, looking horrified.

  
“Alright then,” Dumbledore said clearly amused, “you are clearly interested in the education we provide.”

  
“But,” interjected the transfiguration teacher, “we are still concerned about you being a shinobi. You are in fact a trained soldier and letting you in the student population concerns us.”

  
The Gama sannin just shrugged “That should not be a handicap, we are perfectly capable of controlling ourselves. The only difference would be that Saeko-san here is considered an adult in our country. You could look at it as additional protection. I heard your current Dark Lord is still alive…”

  
The Hogwarts professors sharpened up at his statement. Jiraiya continued without pausing “That actually is one of the reasons your minister allowed our and especially Saeko's presence here – looking at your country's history and your tendency of producing dark lords on a regular basis, minister Fudge was quite happy to form a friendship with our shinobi force.”

  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes “So if a new dark lord, or old for that matter, arises, Great Britain could count on Konoha's support?”

  
“If we are paid. We are shinobi after all. But it would be a first for us to get ourselves involved outside the Elemental Nations, especially with something this big” Jiraiya trail out.

  
The Scottish woman frowned but nodded. Dumbledore smiled instead in acknowledgement. “If such situation arises I assume Saeko here would be the liaison between us?”

  
The old ninja chuckled “A general more like it. Or if Saeko-san should succeed, even our Hokage. Chuunin Uchiha certainly has skill to command our forces and quell a civil war.” Saeko, who returned to the stoic Uchiha self still couldn't help to grin.

  
Dumbledore looked appraisingly at the young kunoichi “Hm, I see. I'm more than sure the Ministry would appreciate any help in these matters as we have no professional soldiers, only the auror corps and hit wizards.”

  
Before the headmaster could continue Jiraiya interjected “I hear that you yourself were a great player in the last two uprising and quite the hero and commander. As such it would only be appropriate to put you on Konoha's potential client list here in the West. The Hokage would gladly accept any mission request on your part. Oh, and we are quite famous for our client's confidentiality” he finished with a cheeky smile.

  
The old headmaster repeated “I see. Well, as I said before who are we to deny a young student's education.” At this the Scottish woman in the room looked sharply at her boss and friend but at the sight of his slight smile she relented. Dumbledore continued “The last issue to be settled is the magic. I am sure you are quite proficient in your kind of magic but ours is clearly different. The question is – can you do spell as well as you do your…. eh, jutsu?”

  
Jiraiya smirked “Been reading up on us, eh? Smart. We did too. Saeko?”

  
The chuunin nodded “I obviously don't have a wand but I read about wandless magic. The scroll I read that from was written by the Rikudou Sennin himself. It had listed some spells and explanations on the mechanics but not enough - I like to know the background and working of every jutsu I learn. I think I can do the simple light charm without any magic conduit but if you let me borrow a wand and show me a simple spell say twice I….“

  
“That is impossible. It is not possible to learn a spell just by seeing it twice” McGonagall said sternly.

  
“They say that about jutsu too, but Saeko-san, Itachi-dono too for that matter, are not considered geniuses for nothing. And chuunin Uchiha said that she already knows the light charm somewhat” Jiraiya waved his hand.

  
The scot went to reply but was interrupted by the headmaster “Minerva, if Saeko says she can then why not. Would you mind letting her borrow your wand? The incantation is lumos and such is the wand movement.”

  
Saeko subtly hid her eyes with a small genjutsu and activated her Uchiha birthright, closely observing the headmaster's spellwork with her fully matured sharingan. Without looking at the transfiguration professor she took her wand and thanked her.

  
Dumbledore repeated the charm again. “Once more?”

  
“If you would Dombledore-dono, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself after that introduction” Saeko smiled politely. McGonagall huffed as the headmaster obliged.

  
“Well, here we go” said Saeko and weighted her borrowed wand, finally grasping it lightly she cleared her voice and intoned “Lumos” The tip of the wand responded and indeed lighted up.

  
“Well, it seems everything is in order and your spell work just fine. Welcome to Hogwarts” Dumbledore said with a grandfatherly smile.

  
Jiraiya grinned while the Uchiha sibling bowed slightly and thanked him.

  
“Usually we send the acceptance letter by owl post as well as the list of school supplies but since you are already here” said McGonagall and handed Saeko two pieces of parchment.

  
“Thank you” replied the brunette and quickly surveyed them.

  
“Usually we send a teacher along for those that are new to our magical society and take them to Diagon Alley – the shopping district - but I assume the Minister arranged that for you already” said Dumbledore.

  
“Yep, we've got an escort. An armed one, lucky us” Jiraiya grinned.

  
The elder Uchiha spoke up “As the Lord Uchiha I formally thank you for accepting Saeko into your school. Konoha is grateful as well.”

  
“Oh, yeah” said Jiraiya and scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed grin.

 

Dumbledore smiled in response “We are glad to have miss Uchiha here coming september.”

  
“If I may interrupt our goodbyes I would have a request. No, a favour for which I would be most grateful” said Saeko who folded her letter, looking positively distraught.

  
All the people in the room looked at her with question in their eyes. Saeko knelt on one knee and bowed “I would ask to be given the option to wear the man's Hogwarts uniform. As a shinobi just cannot war a skirt” The last words were said with a whine.

  
Dumbledore's eyes dimed a little. “I'm afraid I cannot allow that” he begun but Saeko looked at him pleadingly and knelt completely.

  
Itachi seeing his sister's plight bowed deeply “I would consider it a great favour for the Uchiha clan, the founding clan of Konohagakure no Sato.”

  
Jiraiya added his two cents “Ninjas always wear pants. Even the women. Every kunoichi would look at it as you are looking into diminishing her achievements. I would go as far as diminishing her honor. Surely it is not such a major request…”

* * *

 

**AN: So, this is the first chapter. What do you think? I know OCs are always a gamble but give Saeko a chance (or me a chance to improve her). Thanks**

**AN2 - or more like a WARNING or a tag: Saeko can be described as OP, she is after all a clan ninja attending a school full of mostly sedentary magicals. She is an Uchiha, which means she's rather arrogant and not used to failing. All this can make her stink of Mary-Sue but I tried to keep it logical and canon-compliant (look at Haku for example, he/she, I don't know, kicked major ass in Wave. It was because he had the skills and training.) That said, Saeko will not butt in everything, she takes Hogwarts as a vacation and an opportunity to grow and get stronger. This story is light, so no angsting and heavy drama. The story evolves and the characters grow older but it is marked humor/adventure and it will be more or less kept that way.**

**I hope I didn't deter you. Try the first few chapters at least ;-)**


	2. 1- 02 Diagon Alley

**Diagon Alley, London, GB**

“Well, that's fancy” Jiraiya winked at their silent escort as they exited the Leaky Cauldron into an alley that was full of trash. The two aurors said nothing while the young Ministry employee that was supposed to show them around jumped uncomfortably and stuttered “This is just the entrance.”

The sage hummed and looked interestedly as the young paper-pusher drew his wand and lightly tapped a nearby wall. The Uchiha siblings observed in silence as the Diagon Alley unfolded before their eyes.

The street was full of people, some shopping some just strolling. The ice-cream parlor was particularly full seeing the hot summer day it was. Some vendors stood outside their shops loudly advertising their goods, those shouts were intermingled with the hoot of owls and the general noise of the shoppers. The sannin smirked in approval and asked “Any chance you have bathhouses around here?”

Before the young wizard could answer he was interrupted by a reproachful “Jiraiya-sama”, courtesy of the two Uchiha ninja. Jiraiya just shrugged and smiled “Sooo we need cash?”

Mr. Salisbury nodded and pointed to the building that dominated the street, all white marble “The Gringotts bank, goblin management. I would advise against any hostile actions against them and their gold, they can be very... vicious.”

When the group arrived at the entrance the shinobi trio read the golden inscription above the door. “I like it” Jiraiya smirked. “Dangerous, honor and gold-oriented, I think we will go along just fine.”

The aurors frowned in disgust while Salisbury just jumped nervously even more.

* * *

**Later**

“Well, that was fun. Salisbury-san where to first?” Jiraiya asked. He was grinning and looking around like a kid in a candy store while his compatriots were silent as usual.

“We could start with the books on the list…” Mr. Salisbury started but Itachi interjected with a firm “No, the bookstore comes last.”

Saeko visibly deflated but nodded “Ok, more time for the books that way. What about those potion ingredients? They are not listed, do they have some kind of package for students?”

The young Brit was startled at their voices since the Uchiha were silent the entire trip “They do indeed. The apothecary is this way. Ask for a high quality kit, the potions master at the Castle is very strict and precise.”

When they came inside the ingredients shop their senses were invaded by a multitude of smells. Saeko let Salisbury deal with the owner and only interrupted to say “I would like the double amount if it's not much trouble.”  At three raised eyebrows, courtesy of the natives she winked “I like to play at home.”

When they were done in the apothecary Salisbury suggested they split up. The aurors protested mildly but eventually agreed. Saeko and an auror went to Madam Malkin's for her uniform while the rest went for the other items on the list.

When the young kunoichi entered the store she cheerfully greeted “Good afternoon!” The dark-haired auror dropped his frown and looked in surprise and suspicion at her sudden change in attitude.

The older woman who greeted back smiled “Hello, dear. What can I do for you and your father?”

Saeko laughed melodically while the auror looked incredulous “I'm going to Hogwarts in September so I'm here for the uniform. We live outside the country and I'll not be able to come here before autumn.”

“Of course dear. If you would come this way” Madam Malkin motioned.

Before the owner could pick up a uniform from a stack Saeko hurried to tell her “I will need a man's uniform. I have a special permission from the Headmaster to wear pants.” She showed the piece of parchment for proof.

The woman was bewildered but after checking Dumbledore's signature she nodded and went to fetch a different uniform. “How come?” she asked while tailoring the back cloth to fit Saeko.

“Tradition and puppy-dog eyes,” Saeko smiled, “As I said, I'm not from around here. Hogwarts is a big opportunity. Can you tell me about the Houses? It sounds like an interesting system.”

Madam Malkin smiled “There are four of them: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. They are named after the Hogwarts founders. I used to be in Hufflepuff in my days. The puffs value loyalty and hard-work. And they have a great quidditch team. Gryffindor takes the brave and stubborn. Ravenclaws value knowledge and intelligence and Slytherin ambitious and cunning. Which one you think you'll go into?”

“Depends on how we are sorted...” Saeko smirked.

The woman chuckled “I would peg you for Slytherin for that,” she winked, “It's more fun when it's a surprise. But no worries, it's not a test or anything.”

Saeko smiled “Had to try. All Houses are the same then? No specialties, no special focus or things like that?”

Madam Malkin took the pins from her mouth “Essentially yes. When you join a House this crest over here phases into the House one and the tie get colored too.”

“Nice magic,” Saeko flattered and Malkin beamed, “If I may ask more questions, I get to be in London just today and I'm coming back just for Hogwarts…”

* * *

**Ollivander's**

The whole group was tired and annoyed with the exception for the stoic Itachi and the starry-eyed Saeko. Mr. Salisbury sighed “Well, this is the wand shop, our last stop.”

“Thanks Kami!” Jiraiya exclaimed, “I thought I was gonna die in that bookshop! I knew you liked books but that was… man!”

“Knowledge is power Jiraiya-sama. And this magic is so new to me and rather fascinating!” Saeko defended herself, not looking guilty at all.

“Ya, Ya, Ya I get it. Just go get your wand and let's get out from here” the sage waved his hand. Saeko just smirked and nodded.

Inside the shop all the shinobi tensed, sensing something odd in the air. As soon as Mr. Ollivander appeared from the shadows the ninja moved. Saeko whipped up a kunai and Itachi grabbed the man by his vest and was looking into his eyes with his sharingan. Jiraiya had his hand on both siblings' shoulders and yanked them back.

“H, He, llo?”  the old wand maker stuttered.

“Sorry about that, we tend to be cautious about people jumping out of shadows without making noise” Jiraiya smiled in apology. “Really sorry” he said when he turned to the aurors who didn't even had time to draw their wands.

“No matter,” said Mr. Ollivander, “So who is in need of a wand? The young lady?”

“Indeed” Saeko smiled.

“Which is your wand arm?” the eerie man asked and drew a meter.

Saeko frowned “I'm ambidextrous.” Mr. Ollivander hummed in deep thought.

“You like to wield your tantō in your left so you could combine it with the wand in your right” Itachi mused.

Saeko frowned in thought “Yeah, but my fan in my right. But I only use that for fire jutsus… My right then, Ollivander-san.”

The strange man nodded and headed deeper into the shop. In the meantime the meter measured Saeko's arm on its own. Just as it was measuring her waist for some obscure reason Mr. Ollivander returned with a long and thin box. “Try this one. Fir, 10 inches and griffin's feather. Nice ad flexible, good for transfiguration.”

Saeko took the wand and examined it carefully. Finally she grasped it in her right hand and swung it. All the eyes were trained on the wand but it did nothing. Saeko was disappointed and returned the wand.

“Oak, 8,5 inches and a hair of a cerberus. Quite vicious, good for fire charms” Mr. Ollivander handed her a new wand. Saeko tried it, quite confident in the natural Uchiha fire affinity. When the young chuunin swung the wand a huge flame erupted from the wand and set the curtains on fire.

Saeko grinned like a madman but was disappointed when the wand-maker took the wand from her hand and shook his head. “What?!” Saeko protested.

“No control. But now I know where to look…. Hmm, try this one. Alder wood, 9 inches, dragon heartstring, good for elemental magic. I'm quite confident…”

Saeko obediently took the offered wand and swung it. True to the wand seller's word crimson sparks appeared and a light breeze circled the room. “This one” Saeko smirked, twirling the piece of wood between her fingers.

“This one indeed” Mr. Ollivander smiled and proceeded to pack the wand.

“Where the wizards usually keep their wands?” Itachi suddenly asked one of the aurors.

“Depends. The Auror Corps have a mandatory wrist holster” he answered.

“Sounds good. I'd like one too. I'm definitely not keeping it in my pocket” chimed in Saeko. Mr Ollivander nodded and pointed to a nearby shelf.

“That's it then?” Salisbury asked, a bit too giddy for everyone's tastes.

“Eager to get rid of us?” Jiraiya smirked, “Can't really blame ya. Yeah, that's it, for today…”


	3. 1- 03 Hokage's Orders

**Hokage's Office**

The Uchiha siblings stood before the village leader while Jiraiya was leaning on the window frame. After the customary greetings the aged Hokage spoke “Report?”

The male nins looked at the sole girl, she was the originator of the idea after all, “Jiraiya sama's intel was spot on, the British minister feels insecure in his seat and jumped at the idea of possible ninja support. Dumbledore is definitely more intelligent, cautious too, a big player. Jiraiya-sama played them well, they both approved, no further stipulations.”

Sarutobi looked at his student “Good work Jiraiya-kun.” Setting his gaze back at the young chuunin “Are you sure you wish to proceed Saeko-kun?”

The brunette nodded curtly “Yes, I already talked the worth of my idea. Extensively.”

The Hokage chuckled “True. And I already approved, just checking. If you are sure then I will sanction a year-long trial at Hogwarts. It shall be an A-rank mission but we have to keep it confidential lest other villages get any ideas. You can tell your friends and family you are on a long-term mission, no details, the only ones in the know will be me, Itachi-kun, Jiraiya-kun and the ANBU commander.”

Saeko gave a sharp nod in understanding. Sarutobi smiled “I look forward to the knowledge you will bring to the village. We will talk again before your departure. Dismissed.”

x

Saeko let the sound of excited shouts guide her to training ground 9 where two green blurs in the middle of the field made her smile. “Oi, Hyuuga prodigy!” she shouted at the long-haired boy with white eyes.

Neji stood up from beside his only female teammate, bowing slightly, snarked back “Uchiha prodigy.”

“Tenten, Lee, Guy-sensei” the scarred chuunin greeted the rest of the occupants.

The blurs slowed down into two nearly identical ninja complete with spandex suit “Ahhh, young Saeko! Here to spar with my youthful genin?” the jounin-sensei grinned in a slightly maniacal way.

“Not today Guy-sensei. I will be going on a long-term solo mission in a month so I'd like to inform my friends” Saeko shrugged.

The two spandex-clad ninja were ecstatic and the chuunin tuned out their typical shouts of youth and motioned to Neji to join her. Tenten just congratulated the Uchiha and murmured “Still can't believe Neji has friends.”

After the Hyuuga genin excused himself to his team and sensei the two prodigies made their way deeper into the training ground to talk in private. Sitting down on a log Neji inquired “Long-term and a solo one to boot, congratulations. What rank?”

“A-rank, can't say more, I estimate the duration for a year or so with possible repeat” Saeko rubbed her eyes warily.

The shinobi nodded “I understand. I will miss sparring with you though.”

“Oh, shush, don't ruin your rep. I hope I won't miss the Chuunin exams though, niisan told me they will be held in Konoha this time around, I guess that's why you are not promoted yet, you will make a good show” the brunette mused.

Neji snorted “I guess. I'm tired of being held back – first because of Hinata-sama and now to entertain. I envy you so for being encouraged to advance as quickly as you can.”

“I know. I hate Fugaku deeply for what he did but making me graduate early is the one thing I'm grateful for. That and fathering me, naturally” Saeko tried to lighten up her friend.

“Naturally. Not that I would want to imitate you and your brother in relation to your family but I believe the Hyuuga are in dire need of a wakeup call” Neji lowered his voice.

Saeko mock-glared “I think one clan massacre was enough, thank you very much. We got lucky that the Hokage and Konoha accept the Uchiha after our … cleanup.”

Both ninja stayed silent for a little while, both pondering past events. “Moving on,” said the brunette with a forced grin, “What's new? Hinata is graduating huh?”

“About time” Neji spat out.

“She's good, not our level, but not bad at all,” said Saeko, pausing for a moment, “We are in a league of our own after all. I'm still far better though.”

“You wish,” Neji said challengingly but with a smile, “You might have more experience but I can win.”

“No fate speech? Although thanks, it really irks me” the scarred chuunin replied.

“I accepted your fate is becoming Hokage as mine is to serve the Hyuuga. Still, it doesn't mean I won't be the best I can be” the pearl-eyed ninja said with finality.

Saeko shrugged, not really wanting to get into it “So, spar?”

Neji stood up gracefully and smirked. His friend mimicked the gesture and leapt up from her seat.

x

Saeko stood before the entrance to the Academy, waiting for her generation of shinobi-to-be to come out. She chuckled at her actions, never really befriending the students she actually studied with – their opinion of her was colored by the 'Uchiha female prodigy' act her father and sometimes even herself, liked to flaunt.

This year's graduating class was different – composed by clan children, the majority of them heirs of their respective clans - were not so easily impressed or deterred. But the bottom line was that she found them interesting and even amusing… “Oi Uchiha!” a bright voice resounded.

Saeko pushed herself from the wall with a small smile “Uzumaki, third time the charm for graduation?”

The blond scoffed “Please, even with my two fails I will still beat you to the Hokage Hat. What are you doing here, oh mighty chuunin?”

“I got a long-term mission and I wanted to speak to Shika. Oh and maybe say goodbye to y'all” the girl smirked.

Before the orphan could reply other students came towards them. Saeko smiled genuinely at them as they engaged in conversation. With their final exam imminent they were quite insistent with questions about the life beyond graduation. Kiba was boasting loudly along with Naruto, Ino berating everyone while the others laughed at their antics. Saeko spaced out for a bit, thinking if being at Hogwarts will be similar. While she loved Konoha and her missions she missed this playful attitude.

As always the meeting with the heirs ended with Saeko at the Nara compound playing shougi with Shikamaru.

“So, new mission?” the Nara genius drawled lazily.

“Yup. I'll have to miss your graduation and team assignments, that actually sucks” Saeko smiled.

The pineapple-haired student sighed “My placement will be no surprise.”

“A new version of Ino-Shika-Chou you reckon?” the brunette mused.

“Indeed. Our fathers have been planning that since we entered the academy. I hope Ino can calm down a little” the Nara heir sighed once more.

Saeko grinned “She's not too bad and you know it, maybe she will serve to motivate you a little bit.”

“Troublesome” the Nara gave his trademark answer.

“Pity you can't have Guy-sensei as your jounin instructor - that would've been hilarious. I can even picture you in green spandex in my mind” Saeko roared in laughter at the image.

Shikamaru's head shot up, eyes wide as he gulped “Don't even joke about that!”

x

“You wanted to see me Nii-sama?” Saeko said after knocking and entering Itachi's office.

“Indeed” said the older sibling, “We need to discuss your time before the beginning of your mission.”

The kunoichi poured herself a cup of tea and sat down “Of course. I talked to some friends about me leaving, my old genin teammates are all on a mission. And I talked to Kaori-sensei. Now I'm all yours.”

Itachi nodded “Yes, I'm glad you found friends despite our father, I never managed.”

“I admit the initial idea was to befriend the clan heirs but I like them now. You could try it. And you have ANBU buddies” the girl shrugged.

The Uchiha lord just hummed in response “While on your mission you will be learning about magic and its ways and jutsu. Naturally you will have to keep up with your ninja training. While I fully trust you will manage your regime I took the liberty of getting some scrolls for you, things you can practice even in secret and confined in their Castle – chakra control for medic nins, elemental control for every element, genjutsu. You are free to copy any jutsu scrolls from the Clan library but keep in mind those have to be kept secret from the Castle students and professors alike.”

Saeko nodded, having anticipated her brother's thought process “Of course, thank you brother. What about my time before departure, I have no missions. Will you be training me?”

Itachi gave a rare smile “I hardly think I have more to teach you, you are more than a capable shinobi in your own right. But yes actually. I plan to spar with you and I was thinking we could go on a mission together. We never did before.”

“Both Uchiha siblings at once? It better be an S-rank, otherwise it's an overkill” the girl grinned, “But you are right. I will be able to train but my mission record will be going on hiatus, maybe it's not a bad idea to boost my record before going to… on my mission. A Hokage can't slack off after all!”

The jounin let himself smile once more “I will have to mention your departure to the clan council. I will miss your support on it.”

“Sorry to bail on you. Ok, not really, they are fucking boring, even now. Can't imagine the council during Fugaku's reign” the kunoichi mused.

“Also I expect you to study the new books we brought back. When the Ministry will not be so careful around us we will make another trip in _henge_ to collect more books, get the older and rarer tomes” Itachi reminded his sister.

Saeko almost hopped with enthusiasm “I can't wait for that! Oh and I was going to ask Jiraiya-sama to make me a seal tattoo for my wand. Oh, about the wand – I was thinking while in _henge_ I could get a spare one, just in case.”

“That would be prudent”

* * *

Saeko sat at her desk in her room, buried in books they brought from London, excitedly jotting down notes on a thick legal pad when Itachi came knocking.

“How are things?” he asked.

The kunoichi looked up and her face lit up in a smile “Good, good. It is fascinating, really different, but good. I read through the curriculum for the first year, it will be no trouble and some of the stuff is really good. Potions is too much like cooking but I will excel as always.”

“Of course. I can see you like your new research project, I am glad. How about you put that aside for a minute, you leave so soon. I acquired a new jutsu on my last mission to Lightening Country – interested?” Itachi asked.

Saeko closed the book she was studying “Lightening is my weakest element, I'm far better with fire. I plan to remedy that at … during my mission.”

“Yes, you should train all elements, it will make the sharingan even more useful a tool,” the elder Uchiha nodded, “So, let's do some sibling bonding over large area destruction.”

Saeko grinned “See you have a sense of humor. I love that you only show that side of you around me but that is not healthy at all. I want nephews and nieces. And a sister-in-law!”

Itachi took a step back “Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself? I'm only eighteen!”

“And you don't date at all. It's not like in the Academy, not all girls are fangirls. What about… what's her codename, oh Owl. Can't say I have seen her without a mask but she has pretty hair and an awesome body” Saeko smirked.

“If I am young, it goes double for you!” Itachi shook his head in alarm.

“Ninjas grow up fast, but no worries I was merely playing matchmaker. So, Owl?” the younger sibling smirked again.

“So, _Raiton:_ _Jūrokuchū Shibari_! Let's go!” Itachi blushed slightly and disappeared into the yard.


	4. 1- 04 A Long Day

**Platform 9¾, London, England**

“I don't understand why we can't just poof there just like we did here” Saeko complained to her two companions.

Jiraiya shrugged while Itachi showed no outward reaction. Finally he spoke “This portkey seal brought us here, I would assume riding the train is a tradition or a mean to get to know some of your future classmates outside class.”

The sage, who was getting a lot of attention thanks to his attire, nodded “That's not stupid actually.”

“Actually after the ride we will be divided into 4 subgroups, so why bother when I don't know where I go or who I meet. I think I'll be reading” mused the brunette.

“Loosen up young Uchiha,” Jiraiya sing-songed while eyeing the moms and young female students, “You might get lucky. And remember what the Sarutobi-sensei said – relax, make friends and allies.”

Itachi agreed “It can prove beneficial. Go and mingle. Jiraiya-sama and I will be going. We are getting far too much attention, at least you are more appropriately dressed.”

Saeko glanced at herself, glad she didn't stand out as much as the toad sage – tight dark blue pants and a typical Uchiha shirt in a lighter shade complete with a small crest on the collar. She refused to part with her old tantō and her customary thin black gloves with metal plates, one bore the Uchiha crest the other the Konoha Leaf. The only thing that really screamed foreigner was a massive sealing scroll on her back since Saeko refused to drag around an ugly trunk.

“Hey, it works for me! The ladies dig it” Jiraiya reacted indignantly.

Totally ignoring the oldest of the group Saeko hugged her brother “I'll miss you brother. I promise to do my best and do you and Konoha proud. Oh, and be happy and merry as per your orders.” Saeko smirked at the last part.

“I'll miss you too little sister. Remember what we talked about. I love you” Itachi gave Saeko a rare smile.

Jiraiya was gobsmacked at the display of emotion and affection but recuperated quickly “Ok girl. We'll return now. You have your directives. And if it turns out to be just a waste of time you are authorized to return to Konoha. Enjoy your stay!”

“I'm no girl, I'm a chuunin of Konoha” Saeko glared and waved goodbye at the ninja duo.

The young Uchiha walked towards the bright red train with her hands in her pockets. When she looked over her shoulder she found her superiors missing. She sighed and resumed walking meanwhile enjoying the pained expressions of students who were struggling with their heavy luggage.

X

Saeko sat in an empty compartment reading a scroll from the Uchiha library concerning the sharingan, jotting notes to its relation and reaction to magic while fiddling with her own wand. Her musing was interrupted by a polite knock on the door frame.

“May I join you? You seem not that prone to conversation and the compartments I just passed were getting awfully crowdy and loud” said the intruder.

The kunoichi looked up from her work to look at the girl that spoke. She was an obvious first year like Saeko despite being fairly tall. Her long dirty blond hair was left unbound and she was already in her school robes. With her stormy grey eyes she was a quite an aristocratic beauty.

“Sure” Saeko smiled and returned to her work. She could see the newcomer was not much interested in conversation either.

The blonde smiled slightly in return ad sat down by the window, opposite Saeko and opened the book she was holding – Arithmancy theory.

Both girl sat in a comfortable silence reading their respective material for quite a while but were interrupted by another knock on the door, this time a more vigorous one.

“Hey, can we sit here?” said one of the girls at the door with a blinding smile.

Both Saeko and the blonde sighed in unison and looked at the duo, hoping they get the hint. The second girl didn't even wait for an answer and dragged her luggage inside “You are first years too right? I'm Heidi Bright!”

 “And I am Myra Allen. You?” said the girl with pigtails.

Saeko motioned to the blonde to go first if she so wished and begun packing the scrolls, not wishing to be questioned on them.

While the newcomers were storing their trunks the reader responded with a mild frown “My name is Helena Grey.”

“And I'm Uchiha Saeko” replied the kunoichi. Since her previous reading materials were safely stored within a sealing scroll she unsealed one of the Hogwarts books.

“Whoa, that was cool Uchiha, what kind of spell was that? And what name is Uchiha, where are you from?” Myra asked when she finally sat down. Helena smirked and returned to her book but listening nonetheless.

“Uchiha is the name of my clan, Saeko is my name. And the spell is a Konoha secret – my home” Saeko lifted her eyebrows at the nosiness.

“Where is Konoha? And why you said your name like that?” Heidi asked.

Before Saeko could answer Helena surprisingly spoke “I would assume somewhere around Japan. As far as I know most of the Asian cultures say their surname first, name second. You said clan – like nobility?”

Saeko looked at the blonde in surprise “You are right, somewhere around Japan. The second part is also correct.”

Heidi looked awed “So you are a pureblood I read about? I'm new to all this.”

“Back home we don't have such distinction, what matters is rank and clan status” the brunette replied airily.

“Hm, interesting” said Helena and returned to her book. Saeko did too, not really wishing to delve into the matter further.

“I'm a half blood, my mother's a witch and papa is a wizard…” Myra begun but Saeko tuned her out. Myra and Heidi merrily chatted away not really noticing.

When another girl joined them Saeko just gave her name and not interacted further. They were deemed 'hopeless Ravenclaws' and were left alone for the rest of the ride until an older woman with a trolley offered food and candy.

The girls immediately went for their orders except for Helena who shook her head and Saeko “Hey, Helena. Any suggestions? I never had wizarding candy.”

The blonde actually closed her book, keeping a finger inside as bookmark. “Well I guess it's not that different from what you have in Japan, it just varies in name. Chocolate, licorice is international I would guess,” Helena shrugged. But then she smirked almost evilly “Be adventurous. Though I would discourage you from buying the Every Flavour Beans, they can be quite nasty.”

“Licorice, I like licorice. Thanks” Saeko smiled and went to the cart.

X

_“We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to school separately.”_

The trio of chatting girls who changed into their school robes hurried out excitedly. Helena waited for them to be gone and then took a tiny box out of her pocket. Waving her wand over it with a muttered incantation the box enlarged itself into a normal sized trunk.

“Nifty” said Saeko.

Helena curtsied with a smile “You must have something nifty as well since I don't see your trunk. Oh, and you really should be wearing the uniform.”

Saeko smirked and pointed to the large sealing scroll “No worries, I've got the uniform covered. Let's go?” The blonde just shrugged and left the compartment, Saeko hot on her tail.

When they left the train a booming voice was heard from a giant of a man “Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!”

The two girls joined the large group of young students that was gathering before the man. Saeko inconspicuously channeled chakra into her ANBU tattoo that changed her clothes into the uniform. When Helena glanced back at Saeko she noticed the change but only raised an eyebrow.

“C'mon follow mew – any more first's years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!”

The large group of students took off with the giant, stumbling in the dark until they reached the waterfront. “Only four in a boat!” the man shouted the instructions.

Helena joined Saeko in a boat along with two other girls who quickly introduced themselves. The ride was uneventful till they could see the actual castle. It was a magnificent sight. Hogwarts stood proudly in the moonlight and the water reflected the clear sky and the shining stars.

When the students disembarked they were led up a trail to the castle entrance. The giant knocked and the huge gate opened revealing a stern looking witch “Thank you Hagrid, I will take it from here.”

The witch in emerald robes led them further until they reached a plain room “Welcome to Hogwarts, I'm professor McGonagall.” She then proceeded to brief them on the Houses and other technical matters.

When they were left alone nervous chatter ensued. Saeko glanced at Helena “Nervous?”

“Not really. You just wear a hat in front of hundreds of people. Piece of cake” the blonde shrugged.

Saeko smirked “I hope no one pukes from stage fright.” Helena chuckled.

Professor McGonagall returned and led the firsties into the Great Hall. All the older students were already there, sitting around four long tables. The old witch kept walking until they reached the table where the professors sat. There was a small stool onto where the professor put and old pointed hat.  After a moment of silence the Hat started singing of all things.

After the students endured the song McGonagall spoke “When I call your name sit on the stool and wear the Hat. After you are sorted you may join the table of your new House. Allen Myra!”

The girl Saeko shared the train compartment with shakily went towards the Sorting Hat. Myra put the hat on and it went over her eyes. Few moments passed and finally it shouted “Gryffindor!”

The table on the far left erupted in applause as Myra joined them. Professor McGonagall called out another name and the process was repeated. Saeko zoned out knowing her name will be called among the last, only resurfacing for Helena's name. “Ravenclaw!” was shouted after long deliberation.

When only a quartet of new students remained Saeko finally heard her name “Uchiha Saeko!”

The young chuunin confidently strode towards the stool not minding the stares in the slightest. She put the hat on and leisurely crossed her legs.

_“Hmm, interesting. A ninja, unprecedented… By the very nature of your profession I should put you in Slytherin. Brave but not spontaneously, loyal but only to your comrades. Your most prominent character features are knowledge seeking and ambition. Ambitious indeed”_

“I would prefer Ravenclaw from what I've read. I'm ambitious yes, but my ambition lies elsewhere, as far as another continent. I am here solely for knowledge” Saeko thought.

_“Hm. If you just want to study in peace then your place is indeed in_ RAVENCLAW!” the Hat shouted the last part for all to hear.

Saeko took the Hat off and headed to the applauding table. She plopped down on the far end of the table where Helena was seated among other first-years. They nodded to each other with a slight smile. Ultimately they were joined by all three remaining newbies.

When the Sorting ceremony was complete Dumbledore made a speech to welcome the new students as well as the old. Saeko wished to be it over soon since she was famished. The bearded headmaster finished the speech with non-sense words and the food appeared.

“Finally” the girl beside Saeko breathed out and scooped some green beans onto her plate. Saeko smirked and imitated her.

When the first wave of hunger passed first conversations started. The brunette next to Saeko apparently thought so too “I'm Ashley, Ashley Weir. How's it going.”

Saeko liked Ashley and her attitude “I'm Uchiha Saeko. And now that I'm fed it's actually going fairly well.”

Ashley smirked “I see what you mean.”

“I guess it would be better if we could have something else than this atrocious tea” Helena joined the conversation. When the two brunettes turned to her she added “I'm Helena Grey.”

“Hm. Grey and you like tea. That's practically a joke in the making” Ashley smiled.

“The joke would be on you since I'm indeed one of the Grey. THE Grey” Helena smirked imperiously.

Saeko finally got the point of the dialogue “As in Earl Grey?”

The blonde bowed her head “Our family has been in the tea business for generations.”

“Cool I guess” said Ashley, “My folks are archeologists, in the muggle world actually, despite dad being a wizard.”

Saeko perked up “History is rather fascinating. I'm quite interested in your country's history and legends!”

“From your name I would guess Japan?” Ashley speculated.

When the kunoichi nodded Ashley continued “Fascinating history right there. You will have to tell me something about your home!”

Saeko sighed “Actually I can't. All I'm allowed to say is that I am from Konohagakure no Sato. We are very secretive, no offence.”

Both girls were taken aback. Ashley didn't relent “Ookay. That's it? For example what your folks do, you know ours. A bit of a quid pro quo?”

“All my clan and I are… we call ourselves shinobi, so soldiers? Yeah, I guess that's it” Saeko obliged.

“Oh. Hey, wait! You said you too?” Ashley asked. Saeko nodded so the shorter brunette continued “You are 11, you can't be a soldier!”

“I'll be 12 in two months actually. But your argument is invalid – most shinobi children graduate and become genin, the lowest rank, at this age. Being of a prestigious clan and fairly… talented I graduated at 8, same as my brother. I actually achieved the middle rank, chuunin, already” Saeko finished, clearly proud of herself.

Both girls looked incredulous at first but then both their eyes zeroed on Saeko's scar, making them wonder. Helena eyed her warily “A tradition I assume then. But you said graduate, that means you've been in your kind of school then.”

“Yeah, I was already taught our kind of magic - the basics in the Shinobi Academy, then apprenticeship to a jounin shinobi and ultimately my promotion to chuunin. I'm here to learn your kind of magic. Very different and quite fascinating” Saeko explained.

“So,” Ashley begun but the Uchiha interjected, “And that's exactly why I can't tell you not much of anything - it's classified, a Konoha or Clan secret.”

Helena nodded, a bit apprehensively “Then it's best not to discuss it here. I admit that I'm curious, perhaps another time?” Ashley nodded eagerly.

“Perhaps” smiled Saeko, seeing the girls didn't fear her. It was a bit of a risk on her part but she refused to pretend to be something else than herself for seven years.

After that they engaged in a less important conversation till Dumbledore gave his goodnight speech. His last request shocked most of the new students. Saeko frowned deeply “I refuse to sing, no way in hell, especially this lyrics.”

Helena nodded in assent “I believe you could use my singing as a weapon back home.” Saeko chuckled at that while Ashley took great pleasure in singing with her rather melodical voice that contrasted with the rock tune she chose.

After the torture was over an older boy and girl approached the firsties. The girl addressed them first “Hello new Ravens, I'm Vanessa Flanery and this is Geoffrey Mitchell, we are the Ravenclaw prefects. When this mayhem dies out we will be showing you to the dorms.”

The firsties seated themselves once again and patiently waited for the Great Hall to clear up. When only few students remained Geoffrey stood up and said “If you would come with us.”

X

The horde stopped in front of a beautifully carved winged knocker in the center of a grand fresco on the wall. Vanessa let the firsties admire the view for a while but then she spoke “This is the entrance to the Ravenclaw Tower. You have to knock and the door guardian will ask you a question or a riddle which you will have to answer to gain entrance. If you don't know the answer wait for another student or try our Head of House – his office is just down the hall.”

Geoffrey proceeded to give them a demonstration and after giving the right answer the guardian let them pass.

The new Ravenclaws entered their new common room, already populated by some of the older students who looked at the rookies with mild interest. The room itself was spacious and airy. It had many arched windows overlooking the surrounding mountains, framed by deep blue curtains that swayed gently in the breeze. Where the walls lacked windows they held tall bookcases with clearly second-hand books which many firsties eyed avidly. The ceiling was painted blue with stylized stars shimmering in the light. The floor was wooden and the same dark color as the furniture. Stone replaced wood around three massive fireplaces.

The room was filled with fat and cushy armchairs that looked quite comfortable to just sit in and read as well as some tables with classroom chairs for group study. The circular shape of the room clearly indicated that they are indeed in one of the many castle towers. Two stairways led to the upper levels and the dorms. Next to the entrance a larger-than-life statue of Helena Ravenclaw stood proudly, complete with the fabled diadem.

“Impressive” and “Wow” were the most popular reactions to their new residence.

The prefects nodded and Geoffrey called for attention “We Ravens are famed for our knowledge and wit – as you can see that fact is reflected by our common room and dorms. As such you will be sharing a room with only one classmate whereas other houses share with many. Your rooms are basic but you are welcome to improve them.”

“We pride ourselves with our studies so try not to disrupt your housemates that are studying, especially the 5 and 7 years,” Vanessa said sternly, “You are also encouraged to form study groups and help each other thus helping Ravenclaw as a whole. Pay special attention to potions – professor Snape enjoys to ridicule and take points.”

“Any questions?” Geoffrey asked.

“When are we getting our timetables?” Helena asked confidently.

The prefect nodded in acknowledgment “Tomorrow at breakfast. That reminds me – tomorrow morning our Head of House, professor Flitwick, will be addressing you. At 7.30, don't be late! Anything else?”

The firsties stayed silent so the Geoffrey led the boys up one set of stairs while Vanessa took the girls up the second.

Finally Saeko found herself in front of a plain door which held her name and one other. “Seems you are my roommate” said Ashley with a smile.

Saeko reciprocated the action and opened the door. Then with a wink and a bow she let Ashley walk in first.


	5. 1- 05 Day One

Saeko woke up in a new, strange room with a start. It took her a few moments to realize she was in her bedroom in Ravenclaw tower. Her roommate was sleeping still so the kunoichi looked at her alarm clock. Seeing it was still early she decided to unpack the rest of her things silently as not to wake Ashley than was still asleep even after Saeko returned from her bathroom routine.

The Uchiha took her scroll she leaned against the wall last night, too tired to organize her stuff then. When she was done with her clothes she moved to her books, a much greater challenge. Finally she decided to put her English books into her appointed bookshelf with the exception of those they had bought outside Diagon Alley. Her Konoha scrolls and the less savory books were kept in their appropriate sealing scrolls, locked by her blood and chakra.

With another glance at the clock she changed into her school uniform, admiring the new blue and bronze crest. She donned her black gloves, both for familiarity and to carry the Konoha symbol as well as the clan one. Both her wands were kept at her wrist by the holster she had bought at Ollivanders. She marveled at the invisibility feature for a while and then she put her wide sleeves over them.

The last decision was about her shinobi weapons. It was clear if she were to be caught with them she would go straight to Dumbledore's office, definitely not good for the relations with Konoha. Her tantō was kept in the sealing tattoo she usually reserved for her battle fan. Finally she tucked a throwing knife into her boot and foregoing anything else.

When everything was in place she looked at her image in a full-length mirror that she brought it with her from Konoha. Uchiha are many things, vain is among them.

“Mornin'” said Ashley with a yawn.

“Ohayo,” Saeko replied with a smile, “Slept well?”

The shorter brunette rubbed her eyes “It was ok. It is a strange feeling not waking up in my bedroom back home though. Been awake long?”

“I'm an early riser” her roommate said with a smile. As Ashley went on with her morning routine Saeko went downstairs to the common room.

The common room was already crowded, many students connecting after the holidays. Some first-years that were early risers too or were just too nervous to sleep were sitting on the plush chairs near the entrance awaiting their Head of House. Helena was among them, talking quietly with the female prefect from yesterday.

Saeko approached the blonde just as Vanessa excused herself “Ohayo Helena, how was your night?”

“Oh, good morning Saeko. It was dreadful. My roommate is clearly a very, very enthusiastic muggleborn who could not sleep from excitement. So tossing and turning all night, unpacking her whole trunk and shuffling of pages of the potion book. But I am willing to excuse her since it's the first day here. You?” Helena replied with a sigh.

“Ouch. Mine was ok. Who's your roommate?” Saeko asked with interest.

Helena turned inconspicuously and pointed at a very nervous looking petite black girl with a mass of dark curls “That's her. Michelle something, Farrow or Ferrow, something like that.”

Saeko hummed as she surveyed the small first year and sat down. Crossing her legs, she proceeded to point at various students and speculating about them with Helena, all in good fun.

Half an hour later they were joined by Ashley “Wotcher ninja, tea heiress.”

The Uchiha was amused by the greeting, her companion not so much “Don't start dirt digger. Ninja?”

“Just being merry in the morning” Ashley waved dismissively „Ninja because she's a soldier in Japan. And samurai won't cut it with her figure.” Saeko smirked.

Before they could go any further the Tower entrance opened and a diminutive old wizard made his way in. All the older student greeted him with a chorus of “Good morning professor Flitwick!” and went on with their business.

Geoffrey, the prefect from the day before called for attention “Ok, firsties, listen up!”

The small wizard smiled at the gathered students “Good morning young ravens. As you may have guessed I am Filius Flitwick, the charms professor and your Head of House, welcome to Hogwarts. Most of the information was given to you yesterday by professor McGonagall or the prefects, never hesitate to ask of you have further questions. Each House has 6 prefects, they are recognizable by the badge, they will be escorting you to classes the first few times - the castle is quite large and one can get easily lost. You may also go to me with your problems.”

Flitwick paused to let the information sink in and smiled warmly at his new charges “I hope you will enjoy the life in the castle and your studies. Always strive to do your best both with your studies and outside of them. I hope you will not be greedy with your knowledge and help your friends and classmates.”

The professor then clapped his hands “Well, maybe with your help we could finally win the Cup! Well I shall see you in my class. I will not keep you from breakfast any longer.”

When the small man left an older student, a prefect, gathered the firsties and lead them to the Great Hall.

X

“Cut it out you two! So breakfast was not up to your standards, deal with it” Ashley exclaimed in irritation as they claimed their places in the classroom dedicated to History of Magic.

Helena rolled her eyes “I'm just saying I need to find a way to brew my own tea. I am a connoisseur and this just doesn't cut it.”

Saeko unsealed a notebook for the lesson and the sharpest of her quills – she refused to carry a bag if fuinjutsu was a better option “And I merely pointed out that having greasy food and beans and the rest of your so called breakfast is illogical for our type of activity. I would understand if we were cutting down trees in the morning, not sitting on our butts writing. I myself prefer Japanese style morning meal, much more balanced.”

Ashley didn't react, just took her stuff out of the bag and crossed her arms in wait for the professor to arrive. Helena smirked at the surrender.

The Gryffindors with whom the Ravens shared the class arrived in small groups just minutes before the bell. The general consensus was that they had to find the classroom by themselves.

When the bell finally rung their professor arrived… through the blackboard. The new students were startled but eventually shook it off.

The History class turned out to be quite a disappointment. Professor Binns failed at capturing not even a sliver of the student's attention. Gryffindors gave up in the first ten minutes while the Ravens held out much longer, some even till the end of the lecture. The rest of the Ravenclaws took out the History book and read the material there instead.

When the prefects came to collect their charges to lead them to Defense against the Dark Arts one of them asked with a knowing smile “So? How was it?”

The first-years merely glared in response, most of them silently praying for the next class to be more... anything.

During the transit to DADA Ashley was sputtering in outrage at her favorite subject of all, absolutely furious about Binns. Helena and Saeko took great pleasure in repeating all her previous comments like 'Suck it up' and similar.

Arriving at a classroom on the third floor finally managed to shut down the history discussion. Annoyance towards Binns was replaced by anticipation for the next lesson.

The Hufflepuffs were already seated, taking over the right side of the classroom. Saeko sped slightly pulling her friends along and managed to procure the front seats.

“Hello” greeted a calm voice from the doorway. A tall, well-built man entered and headed for the teacher's desk “I am professor Littlefied and I will be teaching you how to defend yourselves against dark arts and creatures. Today I will be going over the curriculum for this year and later we will delve into the theory of the subject. I shall tackle the big questions such as what are the dark arts, the dark creature classification and other things. I expect precise note-taking during this lesson as it is the core for this class for the next seven years. We begin now.”

X

“Much better” Helena commented.

Saeko nodded in assent “True, it was most enlightening. But I look forward to more practical lessons. The spells he talked about were quite fascinating. Didn't know your people were so vicious, I mean the entrails-vomiting curse? We are ninja back home but this is too much. It's disgusting and frankly, why bother.”

“Well, I can tell you for sure that we will not be learning that one” Ashley crinkled her nose.

“Nothing is more appropriate before lunch as talk of entrails” Helena glared at the two brunettes.

Ashley perked up immediately “Right, lunch! Hope it's something good, I'm starving!”

X

“I would guess you are not in the mood to listen to my ranting about English food, right?” Saeko joked putting her fork down.

“Yep” and “Indeed” were the reactions.

“Thought so. Well it's a free period now before charms, I was thinking I would go for a run and work off lunch, maybe explore the castle and grounds a bit” the Uchiha laid down her intentions.

Helena used a napkin and said “Well, good luck with that. I think I will be writing to my family and do something with my room.”

“Hey, that's a good idea” Ashley waved her knife.

Saeko lunged across the table and took it from her hand “Disgusting. Well it's your choice lazy-asses. And Ashley, try not to destroy our room. See ya at Charms.”

X

“ _Kuchiose no Jutsu!”_ Saeko called for her summons.

A slightly larger-than-life albino raven answered her call. “Hey, Saa – eko!” he sing-songed.

“Hey Lykke, how are things back home?” Saeko smiled, pleased to see her favorite messenger.

The raven landed on a low branch near his summoner “You know you left Konoha not even two full days ago, right? I would say everything is just fine. So, this is England heh? The forest looks like the one in Training Ground 44.”

“It's Scotland actually. And this forest is supposedly out of bounds, but I like it here” Saeko shrugged.

“Figures” Lykke made a sound that was supposed to be a snort, “Well, why am I here, not that I'm not happy to see you.”

“Get a message to Itachi – I would give my initial report in five days in the summoner's realm if he could meet me there” the ninja instructed.

“Sure. Anything else?” the albino queried.

“If he could bring me some premium green tea, I know someone who would greatly appreciate” Saeko smirked predatorily.

“Oke-dokey, see ya Saturday” Lykke said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

X

“Our room still intact?” said Saeko lightly tapping her roommate on her shoulder.

Ashley jumped in fright and turned around “Goddamn! Saeko! You really are a ninja. Please never sneak up to me again.”

“No promises” the braided brunette smirked.

“Well you are just in time, we were about to enter” Helena chuckled at Ashley's discomfort.

The Charms classroom was big and circular, built as an amphitheatre. It looked like the House separation would continue in this class as well – Slytherins took the left side of the seats while Ravenclaws sat on the right. Saeko defiantly took a border sat next to a beautiful redhead wearing green ad silver.

Helena arched an eyebrow but sat next to her. Ashley chose a seat the row beneath the girls with a Ravenclaw boy she obviously knew “Saeko, Helena this is Peter Hill a friend of mine.” The boy waved in greeting. Helena greeted him in return while Saeko merely nodded and smiled.

Peter and Ashley talked animatedly in their seats while the Helena took out her things. “How was your run?” she asked with closed eyes when she was finished.

“Meh, the lake is quite beautiful. I haven't gotten that far but overall typical Scotland countryside from what I've seen and read” Saeko looked out a classroom window.

“Welcome to Charms everybody!” said the cheerful professor Flitwick as he climbed a small pedestal before his desk, “I will be taking attendance now.”

When he was done he proceeded to give an introductory speech and then spoke about proper wand-holding. When only half an hour remained till the bell Flitwick finally showed them their first spell – _Tempus_.

“Nothing fancy but at least it's something” Peter whispered to Ashley one row beneath them.

Saeko silently agreed but took what was offered, at least the spell was useful. From now on she could lose the watch and know time and date by a simple flick of wand.

X

Saeko entered her room and immediately spotted Ashley's improvements – several muggle music posters adorned the walls of her side. The biggest one, the one above the bed, was of Guns N' Roses if the script were to be believed. Also a big encased papyrus hung near the entrance depicting some kind of ceremony.

Her stuff was also unpacked complete with several knick-knacks such as photo-frames. The kunoichi took time to look at a smiling trio on some ancient ruin. Ashley was looking very much like her mum especially in her Lara Croft gear. Saeko smiled at the picture.

Seeing that her side was bare with the exception of the bookshelves and the mirror Saeko decided that a bit of redecoration was in order.

Hanging up a banner with the Uchiha crest was a given as well as a few photos with Itachi and some of her Konoha friends. Afterwards she unsealed some blank hanging scrolls used for calligraphy, deciding to fill them when inspiration strikes.

Moving to her table she unsealed her brushes and ink and two big scrolls. One she labeled 'Mahoujutsu' in kana, meant to be filled with spells and curses useful for shinobi and the second 'Miscellaneous spells' for those she found less adaptable. Opening the second one she dotted the specification of the single spell she had learned so far. She resealed them when she was finished.

Dipping the brush in the ink once more she began writing her report for the Hokage.

X

There was a knock on the door and Ashley came in “We are heading to dinner.”

Saeko nodded in thanks and blew on the ink to dry it faster. Rolling it up, she stood and pocketed the scroll. While waiting Ashley was looking at the new room adjustments “I approve, my posters are better though. What's that?”

“My clan's crest” Saeko explained proudly. Ashley made a give me more motion. “It's a Japanese fan, the fan increases the flame, makes it stronger and hotter. Let's say we Uchiha like our fire.” She finished with a slightly insane glint in her eye.

“Pyromaniac” Ashley muttered exiting the room. Saeko chuckled and went after her to get dinner.

X

“Much better, I think Hogwarts kitchens are learning” Saeko stretched.

Ashley looked at her friend in disbelief “You ate only rice. White rice, and some of the meat without the sauce.”

“Much better, as I was saying. Asian, remember?” the brunette patted her belly in satisfaction.

Helena shrugged “I had written home for some tea and a kettle, maybe I can solve my dissatisfaction as well. I only need a heat source.”

Ashley rolled her eyes “Uchiha here is a pyromaniac, maybe she can help.”

“Or Helena could always use the fire in the common room…” Saeko glared.

“Oh” the shorter brunette smiled sheepishly.

The blonde actually laughed as she knocked on the Tower's entrance and gave an answer after some deliberation. “Any plans for the evening?” Helena asked.

Ashley shrugged “Bonding with classmates? I don't know half the names of Ravenclaw first-years.”

“Do we have to” Helena sighed half-heartedly.

The shorter brunette rolled her eyes “Not very social are you?”

“I would prefer going into the Library, father said it is enormous, books on any magical subject” the pureblood grinned.

Saeko pulled her into a one-armed hug “Nah, I'll be good for you. Maybe we could play a game.”

Helena's eyes actually lit up “Game? Oh, I absolutely love poker! Have you spare cash?”

Ashley sat down on an armchair near a window “Great, a pyromaniac and a gambler. I guess we could play, father taught me when he played with his buddies. Our classmates could join us if interested.”

“I'll get the cards!” the blonde exclaimed and ran up the stairs.

Saeko sat next to Ashley “Didn't see her that excited since her talk about white tea this morning.”

“Well, I asked for social” the Brit shrugged. She spotted Peter and two his friends “Hey, Pete, fancy some poker?”

The three boys looked at each other and approached the duo. They sat down as Helena returned with several decks still in their wrappings. “I'll be the dealer” she grinned when she sat down and unwrapped one pack and shuffled the cards expertly.

Peter looked at the dealers hand in admiration “This is Graham and Patrick.”

“Hi”, “Call me Paddy” the boys introduced themselves.

The talkative brunette pointed at herself and the girls “Ashley, Saeko, and the card magician here is Helena.”

“Less chatting, more playing” Helena said sternly and proceeded to explain the rules. She dealt each player two cards and warned them “Oh and so you know we are playing for money. Entry is five knuts, you can raise up to ten. Since I would guess you don't have your copper with you I'll be recording the bets into my notebook.”

Graham gulped glancing once at the grinning Helena. Paddy, Peter and the girls looked excited.

The excitement lasted only three games which the Grey heiress won with her stony facade. Laying down her fourth winning hand she licked her pencil and wrote down the sum while cackling evilly.

“Ok, now I'm getting scared too” Peter joked half-heartedly.

As the games progressed the poker group begun attracting quite a bit of attention, especially Ashley's shouts of triumph and the weird dance Patrick performed upon his victory. Even some of the older students abandoned their books and formed an audience. By this time the game welcomed two more firsties – an Irish girl, Caitlin, and a bespectacled boy, Daniel.

“And this is how we kick ass back home!” Saeko exclaimed having won with her diamonds flush. Polite clapping ensued with some chuckles interspersed among them.

Helena snorted “Rejoice now while you can, I will show you the proper British way. Your arse is mine!”

“Are you propositioning me?” Saeko smirked. The group snickered. One of the prefects actually bent in two laughing. Helena turned bright red when she got the joke.

Ashley was grinning widely “You really don't fight fair Saeko. A ninja indeed.” Saeko bowed her head at the praise.

“Moving on,” Paddy smirked, “I think I'm getting the hang of it. Come on Helena, deal the cards.”

The still blushing blonde obliged and the game was resumed. That is until the seventh year female prefect clapped her hands “It's approaching midnight and we should be heading to bed. Especially you, first-years. Tomorrow is a long day and only the second of the week. Do yourselves a favour and go get some rest.”

The older students shrugged, most of them climbing the stairs that headed to the dorms. Ashley yawned “I guess we should.”

Helena nodded and begun packing her cards. The boys waved them goodbye and retired too “Goodnight!”


	6. 1- 06 More lessons

Saeko and her two friends were sitting in the second row of the transfiguration classroom waiting for the bell to ring. The ninja was humming in anticipation – this subject was the most foreign to her, no jutsu had such transformative abilities.

The Gryffindors were chatting loudly, also anxious to begin. The only thing out of place in the classroom was a tabby cat sitting on the teacher's desk. “Professor McGonagall is a cat lady?” Ashley whispered.

The bell rung and the cat jumped, transforming in mid leap into their transfiguration professor.

“Cat lady indeed” Saeko whispered back with a smirk.

McGonagall surveyed them sternly and gave the obligatory speech about her subject. She finished with a stern warning. To prove her point she unsheathed her wand and transformed her desk into a pig and back again among the “ooohs” of the students.

Saeko cursed herself for not having the sharingan active. That was some piece of magic, one she would gladly learn. She imagined Orochimaru loitering around as a pig with an evil smile.

The first-years had to write down a huge amount of instructions and then all students received a match and were told to transfigure it into a needle.

“Could you show us?” Saeko asked.

The Gryffindor's Head of House raised an eyebrow so Saeko continued “Instructions are fine but seeing the actual spell is another matter altogether.” Several Ravens nodded.

The kunoichi activated her three tomoe sharingan and closely observed the process. When the show was over, the students tried to replicate the feat.

Saeko flicked her hand to draw her wand and looked at the match in challenge. Modulating her chakra, her magic to mimic McGonagall's magic flow she repeated the wand movements and words.

Her Uchiha birthright had come true. “Excellent, miss Uchiha,” the professor exclaimed in surprise “Ten points for Ravenclaw. Try it again.”

Most of the students stopped their efforts and watched the ninja concentrating again. The transfiguration was quicker this time, much to Saeko's satisfaction. She resolved to practice to make the effect near instantaneous.

“Very good, miss Uchiha. Was it your first try?” McGonagall asked. At Saeko's nod she continued “Remarkable. Practice the spell to speed it up. The next step would be multiple matches all at once. Keep at it” she finished with a rare smile.

Helena mock-glared at the ninja, having only managed to change the matches' colour to silver. Saeko smirked in challenge and transfigured another match from the packet she received from the teacher.

“Challenge accepted” Helena whispered.

When the class was over most of the Ravenclaws managed various degrees of change. Along with Saeko Helena, Daniel and a Gryffindor girl managed the complete change. Despite the success they all have been given homework.

“I'll definitely get it next time” Ashley proclaimed. Helena and Saeko smirked at her determined face.

“Free period now, any plans? We could play again” Helena asked.

Saeko merely put her hand in her pockets “I'm low on cash. How about we check out the library?”

“We could. And do the homework while we are there, I hate to study in the evenings” the short brunette yawned.

“And brush up on potions, we've got double feature in the afternoon. Father told me to keep my head down and hope I know all the answers” Helena told them and asked the prefect that was supposed to escort them around for directions.

X

“Your dad gives the best advice” Ashley said tiredly when they left the class in the dungeons.

“Indeed. We were pretty lucky, we lost points only once, unfair as it was. Far luckier than the Puffs” Saeko said in annoyance.

Helena bowed her head “I'll pass that along.”

“Oh, how's your roomie? Snape was a dick to her” Saeko turned looked over her shoulder at the blonde.

The heiress shrugged “Don't know, I guess I'll find out in the evening. I don't like her much either to be honest though.”

 The two British girls decided to return to the Tower while Saeko decided to train - her position in Konoha forces required always being in her peak physical condition. Changing clothes, courtesy of fuinjutsu, she activated her weights and headed outside.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“You missed dinner” Helena said nonchalantly while drinking a cup of tea.

“Yeah, you missed the huge delivery from Grey household. That poor owl must've carried a full set of china” Ashley snorted.

Saeko arched an eyebrow at that sitting down beside the blonde which replied at the jab “It was mainly tea leaves. Want a cuppa?”

“Yes actually, thanks” the ninja smiled, “I'll take it upstairs, I have some more stuff to go over.”

Helena was brewing the tea while humming happily. Ashley shrugged and went to see what Peter was doing.

Taking the hot beverage Saeko retired into her room. Once there she decided against the potions essay in favour for transfiguration. Unsealing several branches and her knife she made an armful of big splinters. Drawing her wand she began her little experiment – transforming splinters into senbon.

An hour later or so there was a knock on the door and Ashley came in. Saeko looked up from her work “Not feeling social anymore?”

“Not really, bit homesick. Would you mind a little music?” the younger brunette asked tiredly.

The chuunin was intrigued “Not in the slightest.” She looked as her roommate reached into her closet and took a beautiful guitar from it.

Ashley sat herself on the bed and begun playing a slow sad song. Saeko smiled at the music but then she got an idea. Reaching into her closet in turn, she unsealed four strips of paper with numerous kanji on them. Slapping each one in the corners of the room she channelled chakra into them and with a satisfied smile she returned at her desk.

“What was that?” the Brit asked eyeing the seal near her head not stopping her tune.

“A version of Konoha wards, privacy wards to be exact. We could party here and no one would be none the wiser,” Saeko explained, “Don't touch them, please.”

“Oh, okay. So you sure I won't disturb anyone?” Ashley asked. At the confirmation she continued “Very cool.”

Saeko was mildly concerned about her roommate studying shinobi seals so she decided to prevent their replication “You could not be able to activate them, it's a Konoha secret. And if you actually managed to make a viable replica they would probably blow up in your face. I'm not kidding, _never_ , _ever_ , play with fuinjutsu!”

Ok, I got it. Do not worry, jeez!” Ashley said and resumed playing.

x

Wednesday morning was uneventful, composed by Charms and History. After lunch it was Herbology's turn. Helena was adamant with her disgust with the subject. Her rant went on and on during their classes' descend to the greenhouses “It's filthy. I really don't understand why Herbology is not an elective. I have no intention in frolicking in dirt…”

Tuning her out, they joined up with the Slytherin's in front of greenhouse 3. A motherly looking witch opened the doors “Good afternoon everybody, my name is Pomona Sprout. Come on in, come in. Pair up in front of the pots, do not dawdle.”

The mass of students dutifully entered. Peter got hold of Ashley to pair up with. Helena turned to Saeko who waved her hands before her “No way darling, not after that speech.” With a cheeky smile Saeko escaped the pouting blonde and she looked around for a capable-looking partner.

Finally she spotted the red-head from her first charms lesson, “Hi, would you mind pairing up with me?” she shot her a dazzling smile.

The girl looked her up and down again “Sure, but you are doing your share of work.”

“That goes both ways. Uchiha Saeko” she extended her hand.

“Lauren Lewis” the red-head introduced herself.

The ninja moved to stand beside her in front of a pot as instructed “Nice alliteration.”

Lauren smirked and bowed her head. Both girls begun paying attention as professor Sprout begun her lecture.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Come on, you have a whole stash of leaves, make me some tea. Pretty please?” Saeko smiled charmingly.

“Nope, I'm not parting with my 'precious stash' for you. Think of it as payback for herbology” Helena crossed her arms.

Ashley giggled and stretched on her bed. The trio decided to forgo being in the common room in favour for hanging out in Saeko and Ashley's room.

The ninja sighed in defeat and slumped into her chair. Looking at the smug blonde in the opposite chair she turned and grabbed a brush, getting inspiration for one of the hanging scrolls. Taking one of the blanks down, she began drawing grand kanji.

Helena looked intrigued but stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt. Ashley yawned and picked a book from her nightstand. Saeko finished with flourish “Done, and just for you Helena, as an apology. One kindness is the price of another.”

Ashley called from her bed “Meaning?”

“A Konoha proverb. And it means what it means. It looks pretty though, right?” the Uchiha admired her work.

The blonde heiress looked the scroll over “Indeed. I try calligraphy myself, Chinese though. I'm not nearly as proficient.”

“Well, it's Saeko's mother tongue. Wait, you speak Chinese?” Ashley asked.

Helena shrugged “I study, but it is quite hard. I'm also learning Hindi. The major languages of tea traders - father insisted I learned if I were to take over his business one day.”

“Cool” Ashley sat up on her bed.

The trio proceeded to talk about the two Brit's families and homes. Ashley's stories in particular were most interesting, tales of ancient ruins all over the world, myths and traditions of various people.

When Ashley finished an amusing story about a dig in Guatemala she turned to the ninja “Saeko, it's your turn now.”

Saeko frowned “You know I can't tell you anything. Military secret. I wasn't joking about that.”

“Come on, you can tell us something. Like if you have siblings, about your clan, something” Ashley prodded.

Helena nodded “Quid pro quo after all.”

“You should've been a Slytherin” Saeko said grumpily.

Helena actually grinned “Yeah, the Hat considered it, but I have absolutely no interest in pureblood propaganda and the permanent pissing contest that goes on in that House.”

“Oh, he considered that for me too” the kunoichi tried to divert from the previous topic.

“I can see that. But you are not getting out of it” Helena smirked at thwarting her friend's plan.

Ashley slapped Saeko's shoulder “I see what you did! Come on, throw us a bone.”

 The Uchiha sighed “Ok, I will share bits and pieces in good will. I hope you will not betray my trust, it would be most unfortunate. For you that is.” To reinforce the threat she activated her sharingan which she spun for maximum effect.

“Woah!” Ashley exclaimed, “What was that!” Helena looked a bit scared but nodded.

Saeko shrugged “A minor Uchiha spell, nice effect, don't you think.”

The Brits nodded. Saeko deactivated her bloodline and cleared her throat.

“I can't tell you the location but I am from Konohagakure no Sato – it means the village hidden in the leaves. The village's leader – the Hokage, is our military commander and along with the shinobi and civilian council governs our village with only minor outside influence. We are an independent entity. The shinobi council is composed by the noble clans, 8 in total.”

Helena interjected before her friend could go on “You said you are a noble right?”

Saeko nodded “Yes. The Uchiha are the founding clan along with the Senju. Then on the council we have the Akimichi, Aburame, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Nara and Yamanaka. There are some other prestigious clans but without a seat – like Kurama, Hatake or Sarutobi.”

Ashley made a go on motion. Saeko resumed “Konoha is a military village so most of the population is shinobi. We have three main ranks – genin, chuunin and jounin – low, mid and high level. You gain rank through experience, your ability to do magic and leadership skills. That's about it.”

The British brunette smiled “Cool. Give us some stories, like tell us about your family.”

Saeko crinkled her nose “No stories, they are mainly classified. And I wish not to implicate any of my colleagues and friends. Maybe later if I think of some harmless moments. About my family, well, I have a brother. Itachi is both my niisan and my Clan Head and Lord.”

“What about your parents?” Ashley asked.

Saeko looked her directly in the eyes “Dead, both of them.”

Helena gasped “Oh my god! What happened?”

Without batting an eye Saeko answered “Oh, father slipped in the bathroom one day and stabbed himself twenty-two times when he fell. It was quite tragic.”

The duo blinked in confusion. Finally Helena recovered “Oh, I get it. Very funny.”

The ninja shrugged “Suffice to say he died, mother too. It was a while ago.”

Ashley didn't know what to say so she settled with “Fair enough.”

Helena stood up “Well, it's late so I'm gonna head to bed. I'm really sorry about your parents. Truly.”

Saeko shrugged “Me too. Oh well. Goodnight.”

* * *

**Summoner** **'s realm**

“I'm happy to see you all again. And thank you for allowing these meetings to take place with your strength and chakra” greeted Saeko with a genuine smile.

“Nah, all you need milady,” said one of the older ravens, “Styrke, take her to the crows.”

A big midnight black raven flapped his wings. Saeko bowed slightly in thanks and mounted her summon.

The flight was not long but full of aerial tricks, Styrke was obviously enjoying himself. Saeko let out a hoot and bouts of happy laughter.

Itachi was already in position when the duo landed. “Nii-sama” Saeko grinned.

“Little sister, good to see you alive and well. And happy as I can see, didn't hear your laughter in a long time” Itachi said with his stony face but his eyes shone.

“I'm actually enjoying my holiday. And Styrke is always a riot” the girl smiled.

“I'm glad. What do you have to report? It is what you thought it would?” the ninja queried.

The girl took out a scroll “Here is my report for the Hokage. Otherwise yes, my mission will prove useful. Potions and Herbology could be learned from books only and will be highly useful especially if taught to medics. Astronomy is useless. History is very interesting but of little matter to us. Which brings me to the wand trio – Charms, Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts. Those are perfect.”

“I'm only a week in and I learned to produce as many senbon as you want, they last relatively long. Also a spell that knocks an opponent back and several others. The classes are going slow but the library is a treasure. Hey, did you know that they have a spell that mimics Yamanaka jutsu. And some very nasty ones like the torture curse. Spells for tracking, stealth, battle, healing they do have it all” Saeko finished, quite giddy.

Itachi frowned instead “Could they be a threat?”

“Not really, they rely only on spells and nothing more. A decent ninja could kill them in a blink of an eye. Or destroy the wand and they are harmless. And anticipating your next question: no, only we can use it as we are descendants of the Rikudou. The Senju could as well I guess. Magic is indeed a separate energy from chakra so even if Iwa nin were to travel to London they could do nothing to replicate their magic,” Saeko paused in thought for a second, “I guess they could breed magicals but we control the passageway, the risk is roughly the same like in the Hyuuga incident.”

The Uchiha lord nodded “I see. I shall give your report to Hokage-sama“. Itachi pocketed the scroll and poked Saeko's forehead, “Now that the business is done how about a little spar. You know the Hogwarts mission is dependent on you still being a capable ANBU of Konoha.”

“Sure,” Saeko grinned “I was thinking the same. And worry not, I keep myself in shape. The ravens were gracious enough to reverse summon me here for my jutsu and more destructive training. But Shadow Clones are not good enough opponents.”

Both siblings looked into each other's eyes.

Several small crows and ravens were sitting on a high branch. One of the smaller ones asked Lykke “What are they doing? They are standing still, it's been more than ten minutes.”

“They are Uchiha. They started with a genjutsu battle” the albino replied.

Finally Saeko threw a shuriken at her brother “Damn, you are good. A true master of illusions.”

Itachi reacted with his own projectiles. The younger Uchiha had them sped up by fuuton chakra and Itachi was forced to evade. Soon it delved into a taijutsu fight, that is until Saeko smirked and took a deep breath. She would show her brother why she was called fire prodigy.

X

“Where have you been?” asked Ashley from behind her book on the disappearance of the Toltects.

“And why do you smell like ash. And what's with the clothes?” Helena chimed in.

Saeko released her hair from their tie and begun unbraiding them “This is a standard Konoha uniform. I was training, it got a little out of hand. I'm gonna take a shower.”

The kunoichi returned to the common room a hour later with soggy air, carrying a game board under her arm “Anyone fancy a game of shougi?”

Ashley lowered her book again “That's Japanese chess right? No thanks, I hate thinking in the evenings.”

Helena too lowered her book to take a look at the board “I don't know the rules but why not, I love chess.”

“Sweet! I'll explain, no worries” the kunoichi set the board down and set up the pieces. The blonde closed her book and observed carefully.

The game was in full swing when Ashley got bored “Training what exactly?”

Saeko looked up from the board and waved her hand dismissively “You know. Running, some punches and kicks, a bit of magic, waving pointy objects around, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh” replied Ashley without much interest and with her face in her hand she looked at the game. The kunoichi returned her attention back. Minutes later Ashley exclaimed “Boooored! Come on Uchiha, say something funny.”

Helena shot her friend a glare and decisively moved a lance piece. Saeko scratched her forehead and moved her piece accordingly. Finishing her move she stared blankly at the smaller brunette and said “Why does an Iwa ninja stare at the can of frozen orange juice? Because it said 'concentrate'”

Both Brits pursed their lips. “That was horrible Uchiha” Helena finally said.

Saeko shrugged.


	7. 1- 07 A Month In

**Flitwick's office**

Saeko stood in front of her Head of House's office and knocked politely. A 'come in' order resounded from within. The girl entered confidently and bowed slightly “Flitwick-sensei, O'Shea-san said you wanted to see me?”

The diminutive wizard smiled and nodded “Indeed miss Uchiha, I'm happy you could join me. Please sit down. Tea?”

“No thank you professor” Saeko replied and sat down in front of the big desk and crossed her legs at the ankles, the very picture of a British lady even if she was not.

Flitwick poured himself a cup and sat back down “I'm sure you're wondering what this is about, as were all your peers,” he began, “This is merely a way for me to get to know the new Ravens and connect with them – I find it helps with teaching and helps build a bond of trust between my Ravens and I.”

Saeko nodded in understanding, making a vague parallel to the genin introductions. Flitwick smiled “So, what are your thoughts of Hogwarts now that you've had a month to settle in? The headmaster told me you are from Japan and new to our magic, so how are you coping?”

The ninja took a moment to think “Well, the castle is beautiful, very different to what I'm used to. I hate your food though” Saeko smiled as did the charms professor. “Otherwise I like it here, your library the best. I find the lessons a bit slow though.”

Flitwick nodded “Yes, your performance in both Minerva's class and my own is quite remarkable, managing every spell on your very first try. I think I could write you a list of some more advanced books so you could progress at your own pace if you are interested.”

“That would be lovely” Saeko smiled, genuinely grateful to her teacher.

“How about your dorm situation, any problems?” he continued.

The kunoichi smiled “No, miss Weir is a great roommate and a friend.”

“Excellent. Any other matters that I should know about?” asked the wizard.

“No, sensei”

The wizard nodded “I'm glad to hear that. But if you need anything you are always welcome here“.”Saeko thanked him and stood up. “If you could call here Mr. Wallace.”

“I shall, good day Flitwick-sensei” Saeko bowed.

“Same to you Miss Uchiha” the small man smiled.

X

Helena and Ashley were sitting in the common room when Saeko came through the passageway. Catching their eye the ninja went to them “Hey, do you know who Wallace is? He's the next in line for Flitwick's.”

The blonde shook her head uninterestedly. Ashley looked around the room and pointed out a boy sitting at a nearby desk, writing. Saeko thanked her and approached her classmate to inform him about his meeting.

Having done her duty she sat on the floor near her friends. Helena looked from her book down at the Uchiha “So how was it?”

“I would guess pretty much the same as yours. I like Flitwick though, good teacher and seems like a good Head of House” Saeko mused.

Helena hummed in agreement. Ashley closed her eyes “I guess I'll find out soon, I am the last to go. Let me tell you, being at the end of the alphabet sucks.”

Her friends didn't react at the exclamation so Ashley sighed in dismay. Before she could say anything they were approached by Caitlin O'Shea, a short-haired brunette “Hey girls, have you heard? We've got flying lessons tomorrow!”

The blonde sighed again, “Hallelujah,” she said sarcastically.

Ashley lit up as did Saeko. Caitlin grinned “You're not excited?”

“Not really, I like being firmly on the ground, thank you very much Helena crossed her arms.

The Irish girl shrugged “Too bad. What about you guys?”

“I like it, I'm not very good on a broom but I like the view and the feeling of flight. Pity first-years are forbidden to bring brooms” Ashley replied.

Saeko grinned “I'm looking forward to it, I have never flown on a broom before.”

Caitlin looked aghast and begun talking about brooms and flying to Saeko who absorbed the information like a sponge. Ashley soon joined in as Helena opened her book again after rolling her eyes at the three girls.

* * *

**Transfiguration Classroom**

“This is getting boring” Ashley sighed as she performed a flawless transfiguration. Saeko was reading the book for the lesson so she just nodded.

Helena was twirling her wand, trying to think up some variations for the spell “Indeed, we have been at this three lessons already. The Gryffindors are sure slow, our House is all done.

“Just read ahead” Saeko told her.

“They normally take less than this, my guess they are too distracted by the upcoming quidditch match. They are playing Slytherin” Ashley mused.

“Mendokse” Saeko sighed. The Brits looked at her in question. “It means 'what a drag'”. Both girls nodded. Ashley opened her book while Helena resumed her musings.

Finally Caitlin got fed up and raised her voice “Professor? Could you throw us a bone here? We are all done.”

McGonagall glared at the girl “You can start the homework I planned to give you today.”

“Swell” Peter murmured.

The Gryffindor who didn't manage a complete transformation yet glared at the ravens, Caitlin in particular. Work resumed and the Ravenclaws begun copying their assignment from the board.

“Well, at least we can take some comfort that we are upholding the 'smart and witty' tradition of our House as we are steamrolling others in classes” Paddy whispered loud enough for his housemates to hear. Chuckles ensued. The Lions glared at them again, some muttering.

“Yeah, it particularly shows in House points – we are ahead, only the Slytherins are close” Michelle said proudly.

Peter shook his head “But that will only last till the weekend.” Seeing her puzzled expression he elaborated “Quidditch. That's a boost in points like you wouldn't believe.”

Most Ravens frowned but nodded. Another muggleborn voiced their collective discontent “I find it hardly fair that a sport counts more than schoolwork. In a school.”

“Not necessarily, it really depends on the difference in the score – it can be ten or a hundred points” Daniel explained.

Caitlin shrugged “We'll see what this season will bring. I heard we have a new beater and two chasers.”

McGonagall glared at the ravens to make them shut up. The students obliged and went back to work till the bell rang.

X

_“Welcome to the first quidditch match of the season – the awaited duel between the House of Lions and the House of Snakes”_ announced the commentator – a boy from Hufflepuff. The thunderous applause increased even more.

_“As usual we have our own Madam Hooch refereeing”_ another bout of applause ensued.

_“And now please welcome the teams! Flying in scarlet we have Wood, Harewood, Weber, Powers, Hansley, Cox aaand Anderson!”_ more cheers with interspersed boos from the Slytherins.

_“And their green-wearing opponents West, Flint, Daugherty, Duke, Gillen, Monk aaand Archer_!” cheers and boos again.

As the majority of the noise died out Madam Hooch released the snitch and the bludgers. The witch finally took hold of the red ball.

_“Aaand the quaffle is released and the game starts ladies and gentlemen! Slytherin in possession, great maneuver by Daugherty. Quick passes between the chasers, quaffle to, but no! Pass interjected by the House of the Brave, excellent work Harewood!”_

The match went on. “Cool” said Saeko who had never seen a quidditch match before, “Hey Caitlin!”

The Irish girl sat one row down between her friends “Yeah?”

“You promised to explain me the rules now that I see the game live” the ninja smiled avidly.

“Oh, yes, of course!” Caitlin's eyes shone.

X

“Well, it seems your friend Peter was right, with this win Slytherin took our place in the lead for the House Cup” Helena said as they entered their common room.

Saeko frowned, her competitive side showing “Yeah, thank you very much Lions, they got quite a beating.”

The light brunette frowned too “Yeah, their seeker sucks. I hope our own team can even the odds slightly.”

The ninja slumped down on a sofa “Caitlin says our team tends not to be the greatest. The history speaks for itself. But with the new players… we'll see.”

“That aside how did you like quidditch?”Ashley asked. Before the Uchiha could answer Ashley got a thought “Which sports do you have in Konoha by the way?”

Helena looked mildly interested as well. The raven-haired girl changed positions and sat on the sofa sideways “The life in Konoha is exciting enough and active enough to add sport in the equation. In our spare time we usually train or just hang around. Every shinobi has an outlet for outside missions - a friend of mine plays shougi and loves cloud-watching for example. Or there is a ninja who reads porn in public or another one who loves to exercise and issues challenges to nearly anyone in shouting distance. No sports though.”

The British girls looked surprised at the sharing, always curious to learn more about such a foreign environment. Helena arched her eyebrows “Well, that's… singular. What do you do, I haven't seen you doing something like that.”

Saeko was thinking for a second “Ensuring I become the next Hokage. So research on our clan's history, making myself known, training, researching and making spells. Every famous ninja has one technique, spell – we call it jutsu, as a signature.”

Ashley looked flabbergasted “That's quite something. But not really a hobby, it's politics.” Helena nodded.

“I know, that's what niisan says. Sarutobi-sama as well. That is one of the reasons I am here, this is akin to a holiday to me as well as a research opportunity. Brother was quite worried I would burn out as many child prodigies. So my hobby now is learning western magic I guess. I was actually thinking I would try out for the Ravenclaw quidditch team next year, it could be fun” Saeko mused.

“Oh, that could be cool. What position were you thinking? And who is Sarutobi-sama?” Ashley asked.

“I'm just thinking it, not sure yet. Sarutobi-sama is our current Hokage, the Sandaime” the ninja explained.

Helena looked intrigued “You know your leader in person and he is concerned about you? That would bode well for your ambition, no?”

Saeko smiled “It does. He actually acknowledged my candidature, not that I am the only one. He is quite old and he retired once already so he is already contemplating his successors.”

Wow” the Brits said in unison. The blonde continued “That's quite something. You are actually considered to become the leader of your nation! For real?”

“Yes. I do have a long way to go, it is just a dream in this stage. But I do have my name going for me and my mission record is near to spotless” Saeko said to cool down the excitement.

“Do you have much competition?” Ashley asked curious, still coming to terms with the whole thing – her friend was supposedly a soldier, possibly the next in line to be a de facto general.

The nin sighed “Oh, yes. And that is provided I don't fuck up like never and don't die on the job. There are several excellent shinobi who would be candidates but they don't want the position much though. My brother is one but he would outright refuse, he already hates being Clan Head. The guy who reads porn is another – Hatake Kakashi. Then there are the students of Sarutobi but neither would take if not forced. And many others, a sneaky elder councilman among them, he's very dangerous. Those would take precedence if something happened right now but it looks like I have time to catch up. I have one rival that concerns me, Uzumaki Naruto. He has a big handicap but I think he should be able to turn the tables. He too has been ranting for ages about wanting to be Godaime. He has the will, a good pedigree, charisma, he's a grandson figure to Sarutobi-sama and if he applies himself he will have the necessary power. But I think I am ahead in this race.” Towards the end Saeko was more talking to herself than to them.

“How so?” Helena asked even more intrigued.

“We are equal in name status but his heritage is not common knowledge yet. I already led several teams as opposite to Naruto, and I have the respect of the populace. Sarutobi-sama has a better relationship with Naruto but he is more than capable to being impartial. I have far more pull on the Council as I already attended few meeting in niisan's stead. Power-wise I am indubitably ahead for the moment. And I have a far, far better reputation. Also I am a chuunin already whilst he is but a genin. But he is known to be the Konoha's number one surprising ninja” Saeko mused.

The blond tried to analyze the situation “Hm. What I fail to understand is what are you doing here then? Appeasing your brother and the Hokage that are concerned about your over-focus?”

“Part of it. Your kind of magic is very different to ours and my mastering it even partially gives me advantage over others. It makes me unique. And Hogwarts is a safe environment to grow” the Uchiha said.

Helena narrowed her eyes, knowing there was more to it but unwilling to delve into it. Ashley got the hint as well, she grinned “Well, we still need to find you a proper hobby.”

Saeko smiled in response.

* * *

**Great Hall**

“What got you so hyped up?” Saeko asked her roommate.

Ashley looked at the ninja incredulously “It's Halloween!”

The blonde who was playing with her oatmeal eyed the smaller brunette “You mean Samhain, right? The most magical night of the year.”

“Hm, sure. But Halloween! I love the muggle holiday. Candy, costumes, spooking people! It's awesome!” Ashley practically jumping on her seat.

“Hold the exclamation marks! Calm down” Saeko chuckled, “I doubt we get to do that stuff here.”

“Fortunately” the blonde stage-whispered.

Ashley deflated a bit “I know. But I always liked it and I'm not going to stop now, am I. At least we get candy and chocolate. And the decorations sure will be there. And I heard that sometimes the ghosts put on a show!”

“Sounds great” the Uchiha smiled, finished with her breakfast.

The historian's smile widened “You get Halloween in Konoha?”

“Nope. We have two major festivals. One was the tenth of this month – the Kyuubi festival. We get booths with games, food and trinkets. Oh and booze. And you know, being generally merry” Saeko shrugged.

Their talk was interrupted by the usual entry of owls. This time there was an owl-sized crow among the parliament. Saeko practically lit up, not expecting to receive mail as the other students since she talked with her brother every other week. She just hoped the bird would not talk - it would raise too many questions.

The crow spotted the Uchiha and landed on her shoulder. Saeko smiled at the messenger and took the scroll from it. The bird cawed and took off. The Brits eyed the Uchiha, waiting for a comment. Saeko explained “My brother's messenger, we don't do owls.”

The kunoichi opened the scroll, finding a classical storage seal. Channeling chakra into the scroll a bunch of other scrolls appeared. “Letters from Konoha” Saeko breathed out.

Helena gave the brunette a rare smile “A long voyage indeed.”

Saeko grinned and opened the first letter. Ashley looked over her shoulder and said, outraged “Hey, there are only few lines there!”

The ninja laughed “That's Shika for you. He's lazy as hell, even worse than his father. I should feel flattered her even bothered to take up a brush.”

Ashley nodded and left her friend alone to read.

X

**Summoner's realm**

“Did you like my present?” Itachi asked when his sister landed.

Saeko positively beamed „Yes, thank you. It was nice hearing from them all. The manner they arrived was a great surprise, thank you!”

The younger of the siblings hugged her brother to show the sentiment. Itachi poked her forehead as he always did “Did you write them back?“

Saeko took a scroll from her pocket and gave it to the jounin “How could I not, here. By the way what did you tell them? Hogwarts is classified.”

“That you are away on a long-term mission, undercover somewhere – the same as you said them before,” Itachi answered, “Naruto was a bit put out by that – both that his rival is away and the fact that you are on a high-level mission and he's stuck with D-ranks.”

The girl chuckled “Sounds like him. Well, I'll be back for the Christmas break. I will right, or do you have orders that say otherwise?”

“No, the Hokage anxiously awaits your return, the report left him hoping. I think he will make you fight somebody to see the magical application for himself, so be prepared” Itachi warned her.

Saeko nodded in understanding “It seems logical, I will be prepared. I miss Konoha to be honest. And you of course.”

Itachi smiled “Me too little sister. Another thing I have a mission so we need to postpone our next meeting. I will miss your birthday too so here.”

The brunette took the offered package. “Happy birthday” Itachi smiled.


	8. 1- 08 11月

“I see you have made an addition to the furniture” Ashley eyed the wall over Saeko's desk. It held strangely shaped twin swords hanging horizontally one above the other.

Saeko smiled at the weapons “They are the Twin Tiger Hook swords, Itachi-niisan gave them to me for my birthday.”

“Birthday!!” the Brit nearly shrieked, “You should've told me! Man! Was it yesterday? Do I have the time to give you a gift?”

The ninja chuckled “November 3rd. I'm turning twelve November 3rd. I appreciate the sentiment, but you really don't have to give me anything.”

Ashley stopped listening after the first sentence and continued her freak out. Before Saeko could say more or inquire about her sanity, the smaller brunette stormed out.

Saeko shrugged and opened a scroll she took from the Uchiha library before coming to Scotland. She hadn't managed to read much out of it when she heard gentle knocking on the door. “Come in” she called.

Helena entered “Good morning.”

“Ohayo, what's up?” Saeko greeted back.

“Ashley practically ran into my room, took me by my robes and begun yelling something about not knowing what to give you and swords. What was that about, it sounded creepy” Helena smirked.

The ninja began chuckling which then delved into full blown laughter “I can imagine! Was Michelle there? That would be hilarious.”

The blonde chuckled too “She wasn't, too bad. You didn't answer the question.”

“Oh, right. The day after tomorrow is my birthday. Ashley saw my brother's gift – those swords over there” the chuunin pointed at the wall.

“Oh. That makes more sense. Nice swords, never seen anything like them. Which brings me to what do I give you?” the blond sat down on the second bed.

Saeko shrugged “Surprise me. I'm sure you won't be helping me with your birthday. When is it by the way?”

“December 12th. I'll be going then, I need to find you a present” Helena waved goodbye and left.

The brunette went back to her reading for a few minutes but she finally gave up and closed it. “And now I have to hunt for a present, as Shika would say: mendokse” she said to herself with a sigh.

* * *

**DADA Class**

“ _Incendio_!” Saeko intoned again with much gusto.

“Perfect work as ever, miss Uchiha, 20 points for Ravenclaw. I would say your wand must have some affinity to fire, the spell is more potent than usual. Good work” said professor Littlefield with a nod of respect.

Saeko grinned with much delight at the destruction she caused “Mr. Ollivander did say so.”

The teacher moved onto other students. Saeko repeated the spell laughing under her breath. Her blonde friend elbowed her “You weren't joking when you said your clan liked fire.”

“Pyromaniac” Ashley muttered while producing streams of smoke from her wand.

The ninja chuckled again “This is FUN!”

The Hufflepuff students that were sitting behind Saeko eyed the brunette wearily. Noticing, the Uchiha flashed them a wide grin over her shoulder. That combined with the scar made quite a scary image. “Stop scaring them Saeko” Ashley reproached her.

“Spoilsport” the brunette mock-glared.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Ashley crept up to her roommate's sleeping form, intent to surprise her. Finally she leapt while shouting “Wakey, wa..hey!”

Saeko was startled by the noise and the movement so she reacted in the way she was trained to her entire life – straddling the brunette and holding a kunai to her throat.

One moment nobody moved as Saeko slowly blinked into awareness. “Gomen, gomen! I'm so sorry!” Saeko said hastily climbing off her friend.

The Brit pulled herself into a sitting position, her hands on her neck, “Oh my god! What was that!”

“I said I'm sorry! But you never ever startle a shinobi. I never wanted you to see this part of me” Saeko sighed and sat back on her bed.

Ashley smiled shakily “No, it is I who should be sorry. I guess I haven't realized what it meant when you said you were a soldier.”

“Are we good?” Saeko inquired shyly, surprising herself with caring about her friend's opinion.

The young witch smiled again, this time more surely “Of course. I really am sorry. Well I wanted to surprise you to give you this, happy birthday.”

Now Saeko felt even worse “Ar, thank you.”

The kunoichi began unwrapping the package while Ashley was rambling “I really didn't know what to get you. I even asked mum but she doesn't know you so I thought, you know…”

Saeko smiled, finding her friend's rambling adorable. She unwrapped the book “Magiks of the Aztec Shamans?”

“Is it ok? Aztecs were quite battle-oriented so I thought you might enjoy that. It's more history than actual spells but...” Ashley began.

Saeko stopped her “Ashley! It's alright. I love it!”

“Really?” the shorter brunette said hopefully. Saeko hugged her in reply.

X

“So, you like it?” Helena asked her friend.

Saeko shuffled the pages of her newest book “Il Principe by Machiavelli?”

The blonde nodded “Yep. You said you wish to become Hokage so what better book for you. It's the most famous book on politics and leadership.”

“Very thoughtful. I'll give it a shot” the Uchiha smiled in thanks.

“My book is far better,” said Ashley when she joined the duo, “So off to Charms?”

“You wish, my present was splendid” Helena said haughtily picking her bag off the floor.

“Phe” Ashley snorted while Saeko laughed at their silly antics.

The trio went on their way to the Charms classroom in comfortable silence when Helena had a thought “Pity we can't apparate in class, I don't like the walking.”

“You are such a lazy ass” Saeko sighed.

“Yep, and even if _apparating_ was possible in the castle it would be illegal. And annoying. And you know it's really hard to manage” Ashley added her two cents.

Helena shrugged “It was just hypothetical.”

“Sure. And by the way you know that Charms is actually the closest classroom to the dorms, right?” Saeko smirked, already knowing shunshin worked even in Hogwarts.

The blonde sighed “It was just a thought, sheesh.”

Entering the classroom they took their customary seats. Saeko nodded at Lauren who was already sitting on the 'Slytherin side'.

“Good morning everybody! Today I have a new spell for you, an exciting one I would hope. Today we make things fly” professor Flitwick smiled at his students.

When the excited mutterings died down Flitwick explained them the mechanics of the spell and promptly levitated few books from the desks.

Saeko's Uchiha bloodline came through once more when she was first to get the spell down. “Marvelous, miss Uchiha, take 15 points. Just like her, swish and flick. And remember to pronounce properly” the diminutive wizard complimented.

The redhead next to Saeko sighed “I was never good at charms.”

“Maybe but you are owning everybody at herbology,” the kunoichi smiled, “Want some help?”

“If you know a way” Lauren smiled in reply.

By the end of class there were several feathers floating about, Lauren's included “Thank you Saeko, I really appreciate your help.”

“Well, I leech from you at Herbology so glad I could help” the raven-haired girl smirked.

“Not really. If you didn't pull your weight I would ditch you without hesitation” Lauren smirked back.

“Good to know,” Saeko collected her things, “I need to ask Flitwick something so see ya at the greenhouse. Take care.”

The red-head waved in goodbye as did Saeko's Ravenclaw friends. The ninja approached her Head of House “Excuse me sensei, may I have a moment?”

The wizard looked up at her and smiled “Of course miss Uchiha. Would you care to join me at my office?”

Saeko bowed her head and followed suit. When they arrived the wizard opened the door for her “Ladies first.”

“Thank you. The very picture of a English gentleman, how refreshing” said Saeko as she took the chair in front of the desk.

“So, what is the matter?” asked the wizard.

“Oh, nothing is wrong, I just had a question about today's lesson,” the ninja assured the teacher, “The charm we learned today is more floating then flying, right?”

Flitwick nodded “Indeed. Excellent work as always by the way.”

“Thank you sir. So I was wandering if flight is achievable by the _wingardium leviosa_ charm or if it is a different spell altogether. What I'm seeking is to basically accelerate the object. Shoot it out more than letting it float” Saeko explained her query gesturing wildly.

The professor hummed “I see. Well the effect you seek is indeed possible to achieve by the _wingardium_ but it requires quite a bit of work. But there is a spell specifically for this – the _sagitta_ spell.”

Saeko's eyes sparkled at the thought of another battle-ready spell for her arsenal “Would it be too much of an inconvenience to ask you to teach me sensei?”

“Not at all. I will teach you but you must promise to be careful, using it wrongly could be dangerous” the teacher stressed his words.

“I understand. I assume no one would like me shooting around pointy objects” Saeko said with her best poker face on.

Flitwick smiled “Yes, I'm glad you understand. The incantation is _sagitta_ and the wand movement is a wave and a jab.” The teacher proceeded to demonstrate the spell as Saeko's red eyes studied the spell carefully.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Don't you feel like you are betraying our House?” Ashley said with mild disgust looking at Helena.

The blonde didn't even look up and continued counting the money “I know no allegiance when it comes to betting. I won, I regret nothing.”

“How much did you win? No offence but I would've preferred a Raven victory, I'm beginning to like quidditch” Saeko stretched on her bed, book in hand.

Helena just smirked and pocketed the coins. Ashley humphed and mock-glared again. Redirecting her stare to the kunoichi she asked “New book? What is it this time? I saw you the other day reading through 4th year charms, isn't that a bit much?”

Saeko looked at the bright cover of her book of choice “It's a factionary book written by a lesser muggle noble. It's kinda crazy but in a good sense, very funny and enlightening. And I was only looking through charms because I was searching for a shield charm.”

The blonde cocked her head to the side “And have you found it? It's a great spell to know but really difficult, right?”

“Yep. I conned a prefect into showing it to me and made some research. I'm actually spending most of my free time on in, if you're not hogging it that is” Saeko grinned.

Ashley punched her friend's shoulder “I was wandering what you do when you vanish! Nerd”, she finished with a smile.

The Gray heiress smirked „In our country for three months and already charming our wizards.“

Saeko gave them her best shit-eating grin “Who says it was a boy? We've got plenty female prefects. Beauty and brain, the whole package.”

The lighter brunette was taken aback “What? For real?”

The ninja shrugged, smile still in place “It was Geoffrey, he's a sucker for the 'studious Ravenclaw, stranger in the country, trying to prove herself'.”

Helena laughed. Ashley frowned “That really worked?”

“Yep,” Saeko repeated, “I played the part of the unappreciated genius.”

Both Brits snorted and rolled their eyes.


	9. 1- 09 Home for Xmas

 

Saeko swayed and nearly fell when she appeared via portkey into the secret Sharingan chamber in her clan's compound.

“Careful there sister, one may wonder if the mission made you unsteady on your feet” Itachi greeted his sister with a slight smile.

The girl glared at her brother and straightened her uniform “Funny. So what now, Hokage Tower?”

“Yes. Shall we?” Itachi asked.

“Hey, what about welcome home, I love you sis and so on” Saeko said in mild outrage.

Itachi just smiled and poked his sister's forehead. Dropping his smile he put his hand on Saeko's shoulder and shunshined them both in front of the Hokage's office. The kunoichi glared again at her brother and knocked.

Sarutobi's voice ushered them in and activated the privacy seals. After some small talk Saeko gave her report on her first four months at Hogwarts. She also presented her scroll on the Herbology and Potions combo. “Good, I will have an ANBU medic look it over. I will give it to the Hospital when there is more.”

Quickly skimming the scroll Sarutobi made a pleased sound “Hm. It looks promising. It looks like this mission will be fruitions indeed. Now about the offensive triad – since it can only be used by Uchiha and Senju I shall leave those subjects to you but I would very much like to see them in action.”

Saeko bowed slightly “I would presume you arranged an opponent for me.”

“Indeed, and a private training ground. In this spar I would like to see you implementing what you have learned in Scotland but not limit yourself to that. I would expect that four months did not leave you with many spells meant for battle, the English are quite peaceful after all” said the elder leader.

All ninjas nodded sagely.

X

The Hokage and the two Uchiha stood at the entrance of an ANBU training ground, hidden deep within the corps facility. Their quiet chatter was interrupted by the ANBU Commander, easily identifiable by his silver mask and another operative with a ferret mask.

With just a nod the younger Uchiha moved to the center of the open space as did Ferret. Both looked at their leader for further instructions. The Hokage cleared his throat “After some deliberation I decided to divide this spar into two portions – in the first one Ferret will be fighting chuunin level but you are authorized to increase the difficulty if necessary. Saeko-san, you will be using mainly your new arsenal. After I see its uses in battle we shall move to the second part where you are may go all out. Itachi-dono made a point that you could be considered for promotions soon so we will see about that. Understood?”

Both Ferret and Saeko spoke clearly “Hai!”

“Hajime!”

The ANBU operative drew his ninjatō and immediately charged. Saeko decided to hold off activating her sharingan until the second part of her test. Instead she brushed the sealing tattoo that drew her wand. It was a practiced movement that took only a fraction of a second. Darting to the side and forward she pointed the wand at her opponent who was approaching her at high speed. The Uchiha feinted a block while letting out a jet of light that hit Ferret as he was trying to evade. The _expelliarmus_ spell took the sword and made it clang loudly at the Hokage's feet.

Not even pausing the masked shinobi attacked with his fist rather that his weapon. Saeko evaded and soon the ninja were engaged in a heated taijutsu match.

The Hokage and his two subordinates were observing the match with great interest even if it was not apparent from the outside – Sarutobi was hidden behind his hat and pipe, the Black Ops Commander behind his mask and the Uchiha lord used his stoic face. It was the aged leader who broke the silence “What do you think?”

The silver mask never wavered from the combatants “Intriguing to say the least. The Mahoujutsu is usable and some of the techniques are so surprising. It is a highly unpredictable style, Uchiha uses it well.”

The Hokage chuckled as Ferret's mask was transfigured into a wooden plank, causing the operative to discard it in haste, but not before receiving a vicious kick combination.

“That one was dangerous. It is a good thing these techniques can be only used by our village” the Commander tensed.

Itachi reacted at the subtle question “Indeed. Mahoujutsu is a bloodline limit as any other. Pity there are no more Senju to try their hand at it.”

The three men fell into silence once more as the fighters upped the ante. They were impressed as Saeko blocked several water bullets with her much trained _Protego_. When the assault was over she retaliated with a jutsu of her own - the Uchiha trademark fireball, even if a bit overcharged thus of the size of a decent horse. Ferret evaded with ease, clearly puzzled by the clumsy attempt. Her wand in hand once more, the girl murmured “ _Ventulus_ ” and the fireball, bigger and hotter than before, came crashing down onto the shinobi once more.

Ferret rolled out of the fire's trajectory, his face sweaty because of the heat. He started making seals but the sequence was disrupted once more by the technique. Ferret quickly jumped out of the way as another attack threatened his life – a barrage of senbons, courtesy of Saeko's second wand.

Abandoning the chuunin level limit for good Ferret blurred through the seals that trapped the offending fireball in an earth dome. Saeko pressed her advantage and initiated her favorite technique “ _Katon: Kaen no Arashi_ (Fire Storm Technique).”

The ANBU used doton once more, this time to hide himself in the ground. Not wanting to be cooked alive he emerged quickly on the other side of the field when he was met by a well-timed _Diffindo_. The spell was wasted on a _kawarimi_. Saeko cursed under her breath, berating herself for turning off her sharingan she used to predict where his opponent would emerge.

Activating her eyes once more she quickly ducked under a mighty swipe of Ferret's ninjatō which he managed to retrieve.

“Stop” the Hokage shouted. The combatants stood down immediately and faced their leader. Sarutobi surveyed them as they subtly tried to control their heavy breathing. First part is over, I have seen enough, the mahoujutsu proved its worth. Now onto the second part. Hajime!”

The fighter sprung anew, Saeko activating her bloodline trying to gain a quick advantage, weaving a genjutsu around his opponent. Ferret quickly shook it off and the fight heated up once more.

X

Saeko and Itachi walked through Konoha towards their compound, casually nodding to the villagers that greeted them along their path. The younger Uchiha was smiling widely, quite content with her performance.

“So?” she sought her brother's opinion and approval.

“You did well little sister” Itachi said with a barely perceptible hint of pride.

Saeko turned to face her lord and brother “That's it? Come on, stroke my ego a bit.””

“You did _very_ well little sister” the older sibling replied.

Saeko huffed, for once clearly acting her age. Itachi was pleased by that fact, having often hoped she be less serious all the time.

“You clearly proved your point about mahoujutsu and the school – if you can do that only after four months we can expect great things of you. Not that you needed that, though this can be your ace in the hole. Your performance was overall impressive and I am sure you will be considered for promotions soon” Itachi elaborated to his sister's delight.

“See, you can do it” she smiled even more broadly. Then in a flash her smile was gone “You really think so? You think I am ready to be a jounin?”

The tall Uchiha glanced at his sister “Yes, you are ready, both in skill and leadership. You could use more experience but who doesn't. Your Hogwarts year will be a high-ranked long-term mission and those look good in your file. I would expect that when you will return in the summer you will be promoted.”

Saeko nodded, her cocky attitude returning. “Sooo, I could eat. We could put the scroll in the vault and unpack my things and then we could go for a bite. What do you say?” Itachi just nodded.

They proceeded in silence, Saeko enjoying the feel of her hometown after a long time. As the siblings turned a corner they saw three genin painting a fence while their sensei smoked nearby.

Saeko smirked, glad she didn't have to do such missions anymore. “Hola Shika, Ino, Chouji!” she hollered.

“Mendokse” Shikamaru sighed lowering his brush back in the can of paint. Chouji waved enthusiastically and mimicked his friend.

Ino turned scarlet “Why did you not warn us about those goddamned D-ranks!! Look at my nails!”

Saeko nearly bent over with laughter, this was typical Ino, “What? No welcome back, how long are you staying and stuff like that?”

“Hey no stalling my genin, they need to finish this so we can move onto clearing that lady's attic,” smirked the bearded jounin sensei as the genin groaned, “Hey Uchiha-san, Uchiha-sama.”

“Asuma-san” the siblings chorused. Saeko continued “How are things Asuma-san?”

The jounin flicked the butt of his finished cigarette on the ground “Wonderful actually. I got my very own team and that means my very own entertainment.” The students he mentioned all glared at him causing the bearded man to grin.

Chouji opened a bag of chips and offered some to the starving kunoichi “How about all of us get together for dinner? Team seven is out of Konoha but Team eight is here.”

Saeko beamed “That would be cool, I want to know all the new gossip. By the way how are you divided in teams?”

Ino whose eyes gleamed at the word gossip answered her friend “We are team 10. Hinata, Kiba and Shino are a tracker team, designation 8. Team seven in Naruto-baka, Forehead and Sai.”

“Senseis?” the brunette inquired further.

Asuma answered that question “Team 7 got Kakashi and they actually passed, believe it or not. And Team 8's got Kurenai.”

“Oh, right, she said she wanted a team. Good for her! By the way, do you know if Guy's team is around?” Saeko asked.

“No shouts about youth lately. I think they are on a mission” Asuma shrugged.

The scarred kunoichi nodded “Oh, well. How about we meet at that new barbecue I saw on the main street near the hospital?”

“I know which one” Chouji smiled, ignoring Ino's “Of course you know.”

“Great, see ya at seven. Seven's good right?” Saeko asked.

Taking Shikamaru's 'mendokse' as a yes, she bid them goodbye and nudged her brother to do the same.

When they finally reached the compound Saeko went directly to her room, more specifically the adjoining bath. “Home sweet home” she mumbled as the tub was being filled.

* * *

**Uchiha Compound**

Itachi knocked on his sister's door and entered. Saeko was surrounded by brightly colored paper and her expression was stormy to say the least. “What are you doing little sister?”

The brunette looked up and gritted her teeth “I'm trying to wrap up few gifts for my friends back at Hogwarts. It's their custom and as such I'm stuck with this Kami-forsaken, aaargh!” The sound of frustration was caused by the paper that tore up again.

“Give me that,” said the Uchiha lord while stifling a small chuckle, “One of the best shinobi around and you are useless at this.”

Saeko shrugged and threw the shougi board at the jounin. Itachi deftly caught it and selected a nice blue paper “I'm glad you are involved in your school life. What have you bought them?”

“I bought some of our traditional sweets for most of my classmates since I'm not that close to them. I told you about my two friends though – Helena gets the shougi board you are wrapping and Ashley gets that book over there. She likes history and music so I thought she could like it. Maybe take up one of the instruments” Saeko looked at her own decorative koto.

“So you want her to serenade you” Itachi smirked at his joke.

“Well, she plays a guitar so she could manage the shamisen or koto. I just really didn't know what to get her” the girl said while watching her brother taking the boxed sweets to wrap them.

Not pausing his work Itachi asked “So you like it there? Are you happy?”

Saeko looked up startled “Well, I miss Konoha but yes, I like it. I'm enjoying the science, the different culture and the calm. I get restless but training and sparring with you makes it better. I was thinking of joining a sports team. It gets brutal sometimes and it's a competition…”

“Sounds like fun. Well here you go, all done” Itachi smiled and threw the last, beautifully wrapped package into Saeko's lap. Standing up he said “I came to tell you I had been drafted for a mission. Details are classified. I'm leaving in an hour.”

The brunette frowned “Really? You must be the most active Clan Head. Ah, well, pity. When the new semester starts I will still be seeing you in the summoner's realm right?”

“Yes. There is another thing – there is both a council meeting and the clan one, I need you to in my stead” the shinobi asked.

Saeko looked aghast “What?! Please tell me you didn't take the mission to avoid the meetings!”

Itachi shook his head “I admit it is a bonus but no. It's really important - Sarutobi-sama even drafted Kakashi-senpai.”

The girl whistled “It's big then. Good luck. And yes I shall go instead of you. With me gone most of the time I need to show my face around some more.”

Itachi nodded and waved to his sibling.

X

Saeko was browsing the Uchiha jutsu library, seeking scrolls she could take with herself to Hogwarts. She paused at the kenjutsu section, thinking she could find something for the tiger hook swords, making them more than a decoration. “Excuse me Saeko-sama” a tall Uchiha clansman approached her.

“Yes?” the brunette arched her eyebrow.

The man launched into a long monologue which basically consisted of him wanting to assert her influence as acting clan head to clean up some of his son's mishaps in the academy.

_“Damn you Itachi”_ thought the girl, “ _It's the third one today. If nii-san told you no, why shouldn’t I?”_ Naturally that was not what she ultimately said out loud but it was the gist of it. As another man approached her she seriously began to reconsider her dream to be the next Hokage. She sighed and put on her best stoic Uchiha mask, the one both her father and brother used to deal with politics and the like.

* * *

**Hokage’s Office**

“So are you ready Saeko-kun?” Sarutobi asked his young subordinate.

The brunette nodded “I am, though I hate the cold that is now in Scotland. By the way when is the Chuunin Exam? Nii-sama told me it will be hosted here. Any chance I can be here at the time?”

Puffing from his pipe the Fire Shadow said “The plan is June, I think you will be back in time to see the tournament.”

Saeko grinned “Perfect! Please tell bye to nii-sama for me.”

As soon as the Hokage nodded with a smile Saeko grabbed the portkey and disappeared from the office.


	10. 1- 10 Back in Winter Wonderland

Dumbledore's chuckle interrupted a stream of muttered curses “Good evening, miss Uchiha. Still not enjoying portkey travel?”

Saeko briefly glared at the wizard. Clearing her throat she replied “Indeed, this method of travel is…  uncomfortable, to say the least. But I think I'm getting the hang of it.”

“Practice makes perfect I believe is the popular saying. Did you have a nice holiday?” the man asked warmly.

“Oh yes. I missed my brother. Did you Headmaster?” Saeko replied politely.

The professor smiled again “Yes, quite. Although my gifts were a bit disappointing. All I ever get are books.”

The scarred brunette arched her eyebrow “Hoo? And what did you write Santa for?”

The headmaster laughed “Socks. I wanted a pair of wool, fluffy socks.”

Saeko laughed too “Well, I wish you the best of luck for next year. Have a nice evening Headmaster.”

“Same to you miss Uchiha” the elder smiled and picked up his cup of tea.

The kunoichi bowed and exited the office. As the guardian gargoyle closed the passage behind him Saeko began her solitary journey to Ravenclaw Tower. Halfway up she begun shivering. “Man, it's worse than Tetsu no Kuni!” she exclaimed out loud.

Few steps later she paused and she addressed an empty suit of armour “Well not really, but it comes close.”

As the suit of armor provided no reply Saeko just sighed, rubbed her arms and continued on her way.

When Saeko entered the Common Room she sighed contentedly at the warmth it provided. Looking around she spotted the first years lounging around one of the fireplaces. The ninja approached them and loudly greeted “Konbanwa folks!”

Most of her classmates raised their heads and greeted back. Ashley who was sitting on a cushion near the fire talking with Peter shot up and hugged her.

“Glad to see you too Ash” the Uchiha laughed.

Ashley sat back down and patted the spot near her. Saeko frowned at first but then she winked at her friend and walked towards the plush chair that held Helena who was reading as always. With a smirk Saeko plopped down in her fellow Ravenclaw's lap.

Helena shrieked in surprise as the students laughed. Saeko grinned “Missed me darling?”

The blonde tried to calm her breathing “Of course. Now get off!”

Saeko mock pouted and obliged. High-fiving with Ashley and Caitlin she sat down next to the fire.

* * *

**History of Magic Classroom**

As the Ravens started their first lesson of the new semester most classmates were munching on the sweets Saeko bought them as presents, having said she could not send or be sent any gifts while at home. Binns didn't mind in the slightest as he droned on about goblin rebellions.

The Gryffindors were abuzz with quiet chatter, catching up with their friends they hadn't seen this past two weeks. Their Ravenclaw counterparts were mostly silent but they too were paying minimal attention. The general consensus in the House of the Witted was to read ahead in their spare time or during the lesson as Binns was deemed useless the first month in.

Saeko was reading the book she received from Ashley as her present. It was a book on quidditch, mainly its positions. The brunette had already entertained the idea of trying out for a place in the team next year.

“Do you really want to join in that foolishness?” Helena whispered at the chuunin.

“Yeah, actually. I am quite competitive after all and it looks like fun. And you could make money on our victory. It would be a surprise so the odds will be great” Saeko said back.

The blonde arched her eyebrow “Really now? You think you alone can make up for the rest of the team?”

“Hey they are not bad. The chasers are quite good but the beaters suck so they can't really maneuver. Sykes is a decent seeker, not a great captain but he'll be gone next year anyway. My money is on McPherson or Todd as the new captain” the Uchiha mused.

“McPherson is the keeper right, the broody one? And Todd?” Helena asked.

Saeko chuckled “Yeah, that's him. Todd is the female chaser. I was thinking about the beater position. I am strong, stronger than I appear and my aim is impeccable. And I can be vicious.” She smirked at the last part.

Helena just nodded. Before she could say anything Ashley tapped her on her shoulder, grinning “My my Gray, are you talking about quidditch? Have you finally acknowledged it's awesome?”

The blonde scoffed “Hardly. Just talking about our aspirant beater for next season.”

Ashley looked at Saeko who smiled and waved the book at her.

X

**Charm Classroom**

Professor Flitwick clapped loudly to gain the classes attention. As the student settled down he said loudly “Good afternoon. Since you have only just returned from your holidays we will be going over what you learned last semester. Let's start with _Lumos_.”

Most of the room lit up as the vast majority of the students with the exception of two stragglers managed the spell. “Excellent!” Flitwick squealed out.

The class continued in this fashion for the whole hour and half. When the bell rang Saeko excused herself to her friends and approached her Slytherin friend “Hey Lauren, got a sec?”

The redhead turned from her companions in slight surprise “Sure. I'll see you later Alexia, Isolde.”

Saeko smiled and the duo walked out of the room “I wanted to give you this. Merry Christmas.”

Lauren took the small package and arched her eyebrow “Thank you. I actually had a small present for you too but my owl wouldn't accept it.”

The brunette smiled sheepishly “Oh yeah. My home is secretive and is allowed no visitors. Not even owls. That's why I'm giving it to you now.” Then she winked “I could not forget about my Herbology partner after all.”

“Intriguing” Lauren trailed out. Saeko could practically hear the gears turning and storing the information for further use.

“Indeed. Well, enjoy your present. I hope you had a nice holiday, see ya!” Saeko smirked and jogged away.

When she was halfway down the corridor she heard a shout “Oi Uchiha!” The scarred brunette turned and cocked her head to the side. “Thanks. I'll give you my present too, I don't like owing people!”

Saeko nodded in understanding and turned the corner.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“Blasted cold!” Helena cursed as the trio walked around the lake.

Ashley just smiled and took a deep breath “True, but it's wonderful here. And the air. And the SNOW! I love winter!”

“I'm not a fan myself, back in Konoha we don't have snow. But these are helping” Saeko smiled and waved her gloved hands before her. The gloves and the scarf she was wearing were in fact gifted by the blonde.

The pureblood just burrowed her face further in her own scarf “Glad to see my Yule present is useful. How about we head back to the common room? I'll make us a nice tea.”

Before Helena could plead any further her friends got distracted by loud shouts that erupted not far from them. Deciding to take a look they headed towards the noise.

It was a big snow fight among the younger years of the Gryffindor House with some Hufflepuff in the mix. The vast majority of them were drenched but laughing happily. Ashley's eyes practically lit up and she hurried to make a snow projectile of her own. Armed with two she ran into the mayhem.

“Is she expecting we will go after her?” Helena genuinely asked. The tone held a distinctive _is she mad?_ inflection.

“I think so. Hm. I think I'll pass” the brunette replied.

Her friend nodded resolutely. As they were watching the fight in silence they had to duck under some of the stray snowballs.

“I bet you a sickle that that band of third year Gryffs is planning to team up and dominate the battle” said Helena in her poker voice.

Saeko studied the marks “No deal. They actually intend the plan to start… Oh, yes deal. I'll take your sickle. I bet the Hufflepuff will be victorious.”

The blonde arched her eyebrow and studied the Puffs in turn. Looking back at her friend she nodded in acceptance of the challenge.

The fight was culminating. Some of the students gave up and were sitting in the snow, trying to draw deep breaths while still laughing. Suddenly the yellow scarfed boys let out a loud roar and it was a whole new fight.

“Pay up” Saeko smirked at her friend.

Helena looked at her in disbelief “How did you know?”

“You speculated first as you placed your money on the Gryffs. I just did the same. Look! Ashley is getting annihilated!”

The blonde looked at the snowy meadow and let out a laugh. Then another, “Well, at least she went down valiantly. A good representative of our House.”

“Nope. A good representative would've won” Saeko winked.

“Well, you did say you were competitive” said Helena.

“Competitive, yes. Also not forgetful – you still owe me a sickle” the chuunin smirked at the good try.

Helena grumbled but headed out the silver coin. Pocketing it the duo made way to their friend who was laying in the snow trying to get her breathing under control now the fight has ended.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Hey Geoffrey!” Saeko called when she spotted the sixth year prefect. The boy turned around. “Hi. Ashley has a cold, she is quite ill. What do I do? Do I take her to the infirmary or is there a potion she could take or what?”

The prefect grew a bit concerned “The best would be to take her to Madame Pomfrey so we do not misdiagnose. Is she well enough to walk?”

Saeko pondered that for a second “I guess. I'll help her up but I still don't know where the infirmary is.”

“Oh. Ok then, I'll take her there, no worries. I don't have a class the first period” said Geoffrey.

“Me too. I was about to go to breakfast but that can wait. I'll take her. But if you could go with me so I don't get lost that would be kind of you” Saeko smiled at her fellow Ravenclaw. Geoffrey nodded with a kind smile.

As Saeko went up the stairs she encountered Helena and explained the matter at hand. The blonde just rolled her eyes “After her adoration of winter and snow I am not surprised. I'll go with you. I know where the infirmary is.”

“Oh. I didn't so I asked Geoffrey. He offered to take us there. Let him be all knightly and manly and help us out.” Helena just shrugged and went to fetch the smaller brunette from her room with Saeko.

After loud protests Ashley agreed to go to the infirmary. Seeing the common room almost empty she put on quite a primadonna act. Geoffrey was busy taking care of the small brunette to notice Helena and Saeko trying so very hard not to laugh.

When the group finally reached the door of the infirmary the girls thanked the prefect and entrusted their friend into Madame Pomfrey's care.

“That's a nasty cold miss Weir. Come on, sit down” said the school nurse.

As soon as Ashley was getting the care she needed the two girls that brought her there erupted in loud giggles. Not Saeko of course, Uchiha do not _giggle_ after all. Madame Pomfrey glared at them as she hurried to take a potion from a cabinet.

“Take it easy for an hour or so and you will be fine miss Weir,” said the woman, “We have plenty of beds so it would be best if you stayed here.”

Ashley begun to protest but Helena shut her up “That's what you get when you are frolicking in snow. Stay put, we have a free period anyway.”

The blonde situated herself on the chair beside the bed and took out the herbology book with mild disgust. Saeko put her gloved hands into her pockets and said „I'm gonna run in the Great Hall and get some breakfast. What do you guys want?“

“There is no need Miss Uchiha. I will call some elves to deliver some for you. I need breakfast for Mr. Thompson anyway” said Madame Pomfrey who was fluffing the pillows on the bed nearby.

The three girls looked behind the nurse to see a heavily bandaged boy. Not actually interested in the boy's affaires the scarred brunette asked “Elves?”

“Yes, House Elves, they work in the kitchen” the woman explained.

“Do they now? Very interesting” said Saeko slowly as her master plan for getting better breakfast or food in general began forming in her head.

* * *

The Potions classroom was cold, even colder than the rest of the castle despite the flames under the cauldrons. All the students were as close to the fire as possible without being ablaze themselves. Both the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs worked in silence, cutting and powdering ingredients.

Halfway into the lesson three Hufflepuff girls were holding up tears, Snape being more vicious than usual. Maybe the cold was affecting him too. Even the studious Ravens were rapidly losing points.

Finally the bell rang and the students let out a sigh of relief. Saeko poured her concoction into a phial and labeled it. Putting her work into the appropriate slot she couldn't help but imagine Snape being the target of her favorite techniques. “ _Raiton would look lovely. Or genjutsu. Yes that would be perfect. It would be sooo fun genjutsuing the shit out of him and humiliate him in front of everyone_ ” the ninja thought.

As she exited Helena asked the taller brunette “What are you smiling at? I can't think of anything humorous about potions today. Quite the opposite actually.”

Saeko gave her a grin that could be only categorized as creepy “Just fantasizing about all the horrible ends that could come to a person, especially if said person looked like a greasy bat.”

“Oh. Yes, that is quite a fulfilling mental exercise” the blonde grinned.

Ashley threw he arms around both girls and asked “What are you talking about?”

“All the wonderful ways Snape could die” Saeko replied. Eyeing the corridor that led to the Potions classroom she sighed “Pity I can't touch him, Dumbledore would suspect me immediately, even if it were an accident.”

The British girls looked at her in disbelief. The Uchiha just shrugged “What?”

“Nothing!” came from both her friends.

The trio walked towards the Great Hall to get dinner. They were nearly there when Helena asked “Out of curiosity, how would you do it?”

“Shocked by electricity would send a message. It could even keep him alive. But without getting caught? No way” the Leaf ninja asked after a second of deliberation. The Brits were silent, clearly waiting for more. Saeko sighed “Well it could be possible to stage it that way that a cauldron exploded into his face. Poison is always an option but it would have to be a fast acting one. Just a drop onto a needle and throw it near his heart or artery. Or he could just disappear.”

Ashley shivered dramatically “Creepy. I like the electric shocks though.”

“Just disappear huh? Now I know what to wish for my next birthday” Helena smiled with a bit of unease.

“What's for dinner I wonder?” Saeko smiled at the duo to change the subject and entered the Great Hall.


	11. 1- 11 Special Days

 

Ashley, Saeko and the reluctant Helena sat in the stands among other Ravenclaw quidditch fans. The House of the Wise was actually honoring its name as only a handful of blue-clad students decided to endure the February cold.

“I don't understand why we _had_ to come. It's not even our match! Who cares who wins!” exclaimed Helena who was shivering despite having on at least three layers of clothing.

The brunette duo shrugged. Finally Saeko took out her wand and did a complicated maneuver toward the blonde who sighed in relief “Marvelous! Some sort of a heating charm, yes?”

The chuunin smirked and repeated the movement for herself and Ashley “I asked a seventh year. He told me it's too difficult and so on and on. But he told me the name so I went to Flitwick. Nice twenty House points it was.”

By now the Uchiha was considered the best in their year, especially where the wand subjects were concerned but it was always a surprise when she managed a higher-level spell. Ashley let out a “Wow! When we are supposed to learn it?”

“Fourth year” Saeko replied little bit smugly. She always enjoyed the attention being the Uchiha prodigy got her and this was no different.

Helena shot the ninja a grateful smile and begun taking off the unnecessary layers “You must teach it to me, you know how I abhor winter and cold weather in general.”

The 'strip show' got the attention of other Ravenclaws. Some of the older ones smacked themselves for their stupidity and performed the charm as well. Those who were already warm nodded at the Uchiha for a job well done. The younger years begun begging the others and soon the whole Raven section was down to mere sweaters.

As the game kicked off the trio watched with mild interest as scarlet and yellow players battled for victory.

* * *

Saeko was immersed in her book when her British friends entered the Ravenclaw common room.

“Hey, ninja. I thought you were jogging, training or whatever” Ashley batted away the chuunin's feet from the second part of the love seat and sat down.

“I was but since it was so foggy outside I did just the basics. Besides Geoffrey borrowed me this book but he needs it back so I'm reading it fast” the ninja explained.

Helena who was laden with books excused herself and went into her room. Ashley took Saeko's book from her friend's unprotesting hands and skimmed the page “ _Veritaserum?_ ”

“Yep. _Very_ interesting. Naturally the school textbooks do not give the brewing instructions and neither does this one but it gives more insight” Saeko said.

“Hm, if you finish it fast I might take a look at it. But it is really creepy that a few drops of liquid can make you spill your innermost secrets” Ashley frowned. Saeko just hummed. Suddenly getting excited the smaller brunette said “Did you know that the Philistines had a similar potion, the recipe lost forever, that they abused greatly. Unfortunately an ingredient made the potion quite toxic when used repeatedly. Nearly one quarter of the population died because of it.”

Saeko smiled at the way Ashley's face lit up when sharing a historical fun fact “Actually yes, I just read it here,” Ashley pouted, “The book also speculates about possible repetition with today's _veritaserum_. Fortunately the potion is strictly regulated.”

“True. It's really dangerous” Ashley remained thoughtful.

The Uchiha nodded somberly, already plotting on how to gain the recepy for Konoha. She considered sneaking into the restricted section but thought better of it, guessing Dumbledore would have powerful barriers on the place or other measures, “Hey, Ash? The older years can gain access to the restricted section right?”

Ashley eyed her suspiciously “Yeah but you need permission from a teacher and you have to specify what book you want and why. The professors watch it very closely I am told. And they only grant it to the upper years – those who seek the mastery title after school.”

Having got the info she wanted Saeko sought to change the subject “Have you given any thoughts about what do you want to do after Hogwarts?”

Ashley got thoughtful “You know we are just in our first year right? I don't know. I guess what my parents do is great. I really like history and travelling. Hm, I also heard that the Gringott's cursebreakers get to work in awesome locations, seeking treasure. Or I could start a band.” After a small pause she winked she continued “Or maybe they will have fired Binns by the time I am qualified to teach.”

“Firing that dreadful ghost would be the sensible thing to do” said Helena who just joined her friends.

“What about you Helena?” the half-blooded brunette asked. Seeing the confusion in the blonde's face she elaborated “After school. Your dream career?”

The blonde sat on a nearby chair “Well, not much to tell. I'll be working alongside my father in the tea business and eventually succeed him in the company. He always took me alongside him on his trips and I found I like it, especially the haggling. And the parties I always hear about.”

“Great but no other dreams?” Ashley inquired.

Helena shrugged “Not really. At least not yet.”

“Plenty time for that” Saeko said dismissively.

“You'll go back home?” the smaller brunette asked.

“Indeed. But if you start that band I'll totally commute for concerts. And I will be expecting VIP tickets” Saeko smiled.

* * *

The trio was eating quietly in the Great Hall when Michelle joined them with a big smile “Did you know that Craig Hansley is dating the Head Girl, Cobb? Cool huh?”

“I don't really care” Saeko shrugged.

“Don't know them” Helena chimed in without taking her eyes from her breakfast.

Ashley, who was the most social out of them joined in on the gossip while the other two just rolled their eyes.

When Michelle joined another group, presumably to spread the news, Ashley reproached her friends “It's Valentine’s day, get in the mood!”

“Oh right. It's the fourteenth” the blonde said with disinterest.

Saeko shrugged again “Meh, as long as everyone will refrain from shoving pink confetti down my throat I'm good. Maybe I'll be excited this day when I'm dating somebody. But I don't really care who's with whom.”

Ashley sighed “You two are so depressing. And for your information Hansley is the Gryffindor chaser. The one that has half of the raven girls pining over him.” Seeing the blank faces of her friends she continued “The hot one? Windswept dark brown hair, seventh year?”

The ninja sounded bored “Oh that guy. Well, good for him.”

“Ok, I get it,” the smaller brunette shook her head, “What do you want to talk about?”

The blonde just continued eating like the distinguished lady she is while Saeko sipped water from her cup. Ashley rolled her eyes and looked down the table. Spotting Peter and his friends talking loudly she took her plate and joined them.

* * *

 “What's with all the candles? And what's the smell?” said Ashley once she entered their room and shut the door.

Saeko looked like she was meditating, sitting in front of the Uchiha banner, surrounded by tiny flames “It's incense.”

Ashley frowned “You missed first period herbology for sitting in an empty room, trying not to breathe?”

The ninja didn't even bother to open her eyes “Yes.”

“What about transfiguration?” the shorter brunette asked.

“Not going. I will see you tomorrow” was the curt answer.

Ashley looked at her friend in disbelief but sensing there was a reason for her behavior “So no lunch? Dinner, Astronomy? What am I to tell when the professors ask?”

Saeko opened her eyes at last, somehow comforted that she was missed. Turning so she could face the Brit she said softly “Tell them that I am mourning. It's the anniversary of my parent's deaths.”

“Dear Lord! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I, I… sorry” Ashley stammered.

The scarred chuunin looked back at the banner and closed her eyes once more “That's quite alright. I didn't really mean it to be known. I just felt that this day should be remembered.”

The small girl thought about saying something but ultimately she decided against “Well, I need to go or I'm going to be late. I will see you tomorrow then.”

When her roommate left a raven landed on Saeko's shoulder “The day your parents died? That's an understatement.”

“Well, I couldn't very well tell the truth” the nin replied.

“Itachi-dono sent word that he will meet you at the Nest just before dusk” said the raven. Ruffling his feather the bird continued “You know she was kinda right about the smoke and smell.”

“It's traditional. To honor my ancestors. Even those I killed myself” Saeko breathed out.

The summon made a complicated movement that could be considered a shrug “Suit yourself.”

Hours past and the young Uchiha sat unmoving until the sky began to darken. Channeling chakra into her ears to enhance her hearing she listened for any presences near her door. Sensing no one she stood up, stretching gently. With one last glance at the door she called “Tårer! Would you?”

The now named bird landed on Saeko's shoulder once more and with a poof the duo was reverse-summoned into the land of ravens. From there the journey was short. Finally Saeko saw the familiar silhouette of her brother.

“Niisan!” she exclaimed and flung herself into her brother's arms.

Itachi hugged her back, murmuring softly into her hair “Little sister.”

After a while the girl pulled back “So, five years ago today.”

“Indeed” the ninja smiled sadly, “I still wish it needn't be this way. Fugaku was a fool.”

Saeko nodded “Indeed he was. We lost half the clan, credibility and so much more. Family…” Choking down a sob she continued “We did what we had to do. For Konoha, for the clan, for us...”

Itachi looked somberly into the distance “So we have been told. It is what we tell ourselves. But those are all empty words. But yes, it needed to be done and the best solution was to do it by ourselves.”

“We are fortunate the fallout was not... as bad as it could've been” Saeko said softly.

Itachi shot her a look with mild contempt “You make it sound so political and cold. We murdered our clan. A massacre.”

“That's how I cope, brother. I was young but that night is etched into my memory, I dream of it so often. We cannot delete what we did but I try to… I don't really know how to explain it but my being Hokage… It's what the Uchiha rebels were after, right? We will carry our burden to the day we die – we even have the proof of our deed” Saeko let her cold mask fall.

“The mangekyou sharingan. The cursed eyes of the cursed clan. The bloodline born by hate” Itachi nodded.

“The eyes Fugaku killed our mother for. They are powerful, so powerful but it's an everyday reminder” the kunoichi sighed again.

The siblings sat a long time near each other, both remembering. Finally Saeko broke the silence “Enough gloom. I so am not the broody type. You brought something to drink right?”

“We can afford self-pity one day of the year. And yes I did. But you will drink only little, you are still far from the appropriate age” Itachi proved himself being the reliable older brother.

Saeko glared at her lord brother “The day I put on my hitai-ate I became an adult. Bring on all the drugs, sex and rockandroll! Just kidding. A bit of booze won't hurt me though, I have been on a post-mission party where Anko was involved, you know.”

The ninja sighed and pulled a small bottle of sake out of nowhere. He poured the clear liquid into two cups and raised his “To those who died.”

“To those who died” Saeko echoed his words.

 


	12. 1- 12 Getting Warmer

 

Ashley entered her room and threw her bag on the floor when she noticed her two friends sitting on Saeko's bed, waiting on her. The short brunette arched her eyebrow and sat on her bed “Oookey, what's this about?”

Saeko smirked, evidently amused by the situation while Helena said in a dead serious voice “This is an intervention.”

At this the ninja burst into laughter - Ashley’s face was just too precious “What?”

The blonde glared at her ninja friend but soon turned at Ashley “I should've known Saeko was up to something when she phrased it like that. Anyways, tomorrow is the first of April.”

The short brunette lit up “Yeah! It's April Fools, one of my favorite days!”

The Uchiha prodigy wiped her eyes “That’s precisely the point. We want you to leave us in peace tomorrow.”

Ashley let out a short laugh “Who do you take me for?”

“Please my dear, you and Peter are definitely plotting something,” Saeko smiled, “My fiend slash rival is known as the biggest prankster of Konoha. I got my fair share and that look you had today at dinner with young mister Hill is unmistakable. The entirety of the village dread that look and pity the target.”

Both British girls looked at each other, it was so rare to get some details of their friend’s life outside school. “Really, what kind of stuff does he do? Assuming he is a he” Helena tried to coax more information out of the brunette.

The chuunin leaned against her pillow “Yep, he is a short blond terror called Uzumaki Naruto. He really is a master of pranks. One of my favorites was when he dyed all the Hyuuga clan's underwear pink and hung it outside. That was epic! Nobody actually knows how he did it since the Hyuuga Compound is one of the best guarded areas in the village.”

The girls chuckled. Ashley then asked “Sounds cool. How did he prank you?”

“So not telling. But he got me alright but just once. He was tad bit pissed I won a spar against him, I might have humiliated him a little. He declared me his rival ever since, especially when he found out I'm going for Hokage” Saeko reminisced.

“He's the one you told us about? The one that has a shot for the top spot?” Ashley asked.

“That's him. But I am already a rank ahead of him and it's going to stay that way” Saeko said with determination, internally hoping for that jounin promotion soon.

Sensing that the sharing was over Helena stood up “Well, I'm going to my room, mum sent me a fantastic book. Good night.”

“Goodnight” said the roommates in unison. The blonde waved at them and opened the door when she was stopped by Ashley's voice “And don't worry, mine and Peter's work is always tasteful.”

Helena glared at her friend for a second and finally rolled her eyes and closed the door.

* * *

**Astronomy Tower**

The ninja was toying with her telescope absentmindedly, occasionally looking up at the clear night sky. Sighing she turned to Helena “I don't really get it.”

“What are you not getting” the blonde asked while still completing her assignment.

“This subject, Astronomy. What's it good for? It's used in rituals which I read are considered dark by the ministry ergo forbidden” Saeko elaborated.

Helena angled her telescope “And Arithmancy.”

“Yeah, a subject that is optional at Hogwarts” Saeko said disgustedly.

“It's not bad. The nights are getting warmer, nice clean air, we get to sleep in tomorrow” the blonde shrugged and bent down to her parchment to scribble something down.

The raven-haired chuunin wanted to say more but couldn't because professor Sinistra stalked behind their row. Saeko had to concede that the professor would've made a fine ninja, blending perfectly into the night, walking without a sound.

When the dark-skinned teacher moved on Saeko continued “We could be sleeping or doing something actually productive.”

“Stop whining. I like Astronomy just fine. And besides, on our last quiz you knew all the answers so it can't be that bad” Helena sighed.

“Of course I got the perfect score, I am Uchiha after all,” the girl snorted, “That doesn't mean I enjoyed studying for it. Or that I like staring upwards for an hour and half.”

The blonde shrugged and continued her work without a word. Saeko sighed and imitated her. When the class was almost over both Ravenclaws were finished. The ninja decided to bother her friend one more time “Hey, how old do you think Sinistra is? She must be the youngest of the staff right?”

The pure-blood hummed “I think so. But I won't hazard a guess, wizarding age is really hard to tell. Nor do I care for that matter.”

“You're no fun” Saeko sighed, looking for her second friend. She spotted Ashley doodling on the margin of her parchment few tables away. Since Caitlin was still working on her chart she let her mind wonder.

When the class was finally over the Ravens begun their journey to their tower through the silent castle. Most of the students decided to go straight to bed but some circled the fireplaces, trying to chase out the lingering chill.

Saeko made her best puppy-eyes impression to get Helena to make them a cup of her famous tea. As the blonde obliged Saeko and Ashley discussed the boredom that was and is astronomy.

* * *

Saeko locked her dorm room securely. In theory neither Ashley nor Helena should bother her since they were busy elsewhere. But one should be always careful.

The kunoichi unsealed the scroll on advanced raiton manipulation, noticing she was almost done with all the exercises. The brunette, as most ninja do, found those pseudo-meditational exercises boring but they needed to be done if she wished to excel.

Her fire manipulation was hands down master level – it was trained ruthlessly by her father since she activated her sharingan at a young age, thus becoming a _true_ Uchiha. Soon afterwards she was able to do the _Gōkakyū_ , her clan's rite of passage.

Fūton was her secondary element. As soon as she found out in the clan library that the great Uchiha Madara was the same she trained it relentlessly. Being it a rare element in the village she was certain she was the best in it, maybe tied with Sarutobi Asuma, despite using wind primarily to enhance her fire techniques. Saeko did use wind techniques when precision was required but fire was so pretty…

“Fuck it” the chuunin murmured and concentrating her raiton converted chakra into her right hand. A loud chirping noise erupted as the exercise mimicked Kakashi's fabled _Chidori_.

Lightening and water were her weakest elements but being Uchiha and a certified genius she managed to maintain the technique for quite a while. She grinned and went to look what was the last exercise in the scroll. She groaned since it could not be preformed indoors nor in the summoner's realm. Saeko looked out of the window and thought that she would have to wait till Konoha. Attracting lightening during a storm was too visible to do on Scottish soil.

The scarred chuunin decided to repeat the last exercise until her roommate came back, deciding to skip dinner. When the loud noise of the technique began anew she praised herself for the foresight of installing silencing seals around the room.

It was late when she heard steps outside, signalizing most of the Ravens were in the Tower. She sighed and packed up her things.

Just in time as Ashley came knocking “Hey. You weren't hungry or you didn't even notice it was time for supper?”

“Not hungry. But I was reading and couldn't bother to come down” Saeko smiled.

Ashley rolled her eyes “Naturally. Well, I was planning to do the herbology homework. Did you do it already?”

“I did it in History” the older brunette replied.

The half-blood hummed “Did you do it from the textbook only or other books in the library?”

“Library. I let Caitlin borrow it, she said she will be doing the work with Paddy and Daniel right about now” Saeko directed her friend.

“Cool. I'm going to join them then. You have plans?” Ashley asked.

Saeko shrugged “Not any more. I think I'll go for a jog, I have to maintain this awesome body after all.”

The smaller girl rolled her eyes and went to find her Ravenclaw classmates.

* * *

**Library**

The ninja was sitting in the library by herself, reading. She chose a table that concealed her the most from the watchful eye of the librarian.

 “My, my miss Uchiha, what would Madam Pince say?” a teasing voice said behind the kunoichi.

“Holy fuck!” Saeko exclaimed and hastily sat properly – ergo without her legs perched on the table, silently cursing herself for not paying attention to her surroundings other than Pince.

Lauren smirked “And what colorful language!”

“Well, I try” the brunette smiled and motioned to her herbology partner to sit.

The redhead obliged and peered at the title of the book Saeko was reading “House elves?”

“Very interesting reading. We don't have them back home so I was doing a little research” the chuunin explained.

Lauren frowned a bit “Well, most of the wealthy families have them. Very useful creatures. It's puzzling they actually like to serve.”

“You have one?” Saeko asked, quite curious.

The redhead brushed a strand of hair from her face “Well, yes of course. Several actually. Took care of me while I was a kid.”

“That doesn't sound right,” the scarred brunette frowned, “You pureblood? I know it's not really polite to ask but Slytherins tend to flaunt it…”

“Yes, I am. The noble House of Lewis, or what's left of it” Lauren waved her hand dismissively. The ninja did not relent and continued to stare at her companion. The Snake sighed “Parents died when I was small, raised by aunt and uncle.”

“That sucks. I'm the same if it helps. Raised by my brother though and I know I'm far better off that way. Hey, can you tell me about your House Elves? I'm sure it would be more insightful that a book” Saeko redirected, the conversation getting uncomfortable since they weren't _friends_ per se.

Lauren smiled, appreciating the gesture and obliged. The chuunin listened avidly, a plan for getting better food already being formulated.

“Ok, I have nothing more” said the Brit when she finished her mini-lecture. Saeko nodded and smiled gratefully. Lauren nodded in acknowledgement. “Hey, Uchiha why do you keep wearing gloves?” she asked when the thought came to her suddenly.

The kunoichi let out a short laugh “Yeah, people keep asking me that here. Well at home it's far from unusual. I'm a swordsman, gloves give me a better grip and protection from calluses.” The _'so I don't damage my hands during fire and lightening jutsus_ ' went unsaid. Thinking for a sec “And I'm just used to them. And I love them and they are cool, thank you very much.”

“Well if you think so,” Lauren said teasingly, “So swordsman, huh. Like for real? Why swords when you have magic?”

Saeko leaned back in her chair “And I am awesome in both disciplines. Most of my family wields a sword.”

The Slytherin eyed her skeptically, really not understanding a, in her mind, superfluous skill. But tradition was tradition, she could understand that “Suit yourself. But I did read that Japan is quite famous for their blades.”

“Yup” the ninja smiled, it was close enough after all.

* * *

Saeko rubbed her eyes tiredly. She sat on the floor of her and Ashley's room with a multitude of books opened around her with random pieces of parchment covered in notes strewn all over her bed.

The chuunin was frowning in concentration when her roommate entered, Helena tagging along with a book under her arm “Beginning to study for the exams? I was thinking to start on the weekend.”

“I don't think it will be hard for us but I wish to excel so this weekend sounds good” the blonde mused.

Saeko nodded “Not really. But weekend sounds good, we could make an overview together.” She was prompt with closing her reading materials, not really wanting to be confronted about them. She was studying various fire charms and curses and looking to create new jutsu with the knowledge.

The British girls eyed her suspiciously but learned early that such questions were rarely replied to. Ashley sat down on her bed “What do you think will be tested?”

Helena took the chair “Well, the wand subjects are usually both written and practical. I have no doubt that the history test will be on Goblin rebellions. No idea about the others.”

“We could ask Geoffrey or some other older-year, just to have an idea” Saeko proposed.

“Hm. I would bet that Flitwick will ask the animation charm we learned in March. I just have that feeling” Ashley said in a pseudo-mysterious voice.

The chuunin tapped her book absent-mindedly “Well, it was one of the harder things we did so it's plausible.”

Helena rolled her eyes “Whatever. We need to review all the work. How about we camp here in your room and start with transfiguration?”

“Really, here? Wouldn't it be better to do it in a bigger group, with Peter and the others?” Ashley frowned.

The blonde shrugged “It would be faster with just us, but I don't really care as long as I'm not hindered.”

“We could do a Ravenclaw study session, it would boost our reputation as the most intelligent and studious House. We do need to take over the ten top students spots” the kunoichi let her competitive side show.

“I'll ask them” Ashley volunteered being the most social and friendly among them.

* * *

About half of the Ravenclaw first-years were sat by the lake, chilling after their first two exams – them being charms and astronomy.

“So no one has anything to say? I told ya weeks ago we would have to do the animation charm!” Ashley said with a huge smug grin.

Everybody stayed silent, not wanting to boost the brunette's ego. Finally Peter broke “Yes, you were right. Any predictions for Transfiguration or better yet Potions?”

“No, nirvana has not come. I'm certain about the Goblin rebellions for history though” Ashley smiled at her joke.

“No shit Sherlock” Caitlin rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I think tomorrow's test will be no surprise,” Graham laughed, “Well the morning anyway. No idea about herbology though.”

The group sat there speculating as well as soaking up the sunshine, it was a very nice day after all. The idyll was broken by Patrick who held up his book and asked “So Herbology?”

“Herbology” the group chorused a bit morosely and opened their books and notebooks.

The Ravens continued with their study with relative calm, a huge difference from some other students, mainly the Gryffs and also the other half of their house classmates – Michelle and her friends had been freaking out for a month before the exams even started. It got to the point that Helena yelled at her roommate and once she actually slept in Saeko and Ashley's room.

It was getting quite late when Peter shut his book and stopped the debate on Devil's Snare “I think we are prepared! I'm tired and hungry, let's stop.”

Saeko closed her notes “I agree, I'm quite fed up as well. I think we got it.”

With a chorus of “'key” the group packed up their things. Rolling one of his parchment Daniel spoke up “Pity we don't get points for the exams too.”

“Too true!” Caitlin agreed, “I still can't stomach that the Snakes will take the cup. I'm all for quidditch but this sucks!”

“Maybe next year,” Ashley spoke up, “Everyone knows we would've won if we didn't end up in last place in quidditch. I hope the new captain will make things better.”

Still muttering about their misfortune the Ravens made their way back into the Castle for supper. They all agreed not to study at the last minute and actually sleep as their Head of House recommended – every year there was at least one nervous breakdown, 5th years with their OWLs were the most frequent victims.

“Yum, shepard's pie, my favorite!“ Graham exclaimed when they sat down at their table.

“Yeah, it figures they would give the heaviest dish I know just before another exam. It makes so much sense!” the Uchiha said, her voice laden with sarcasm. All the Brits rolled their eyes. Saeko muttered mutinously “No wonder some people puke before the test.”

“Oh, shush you” Ashley elbowed her friend and picked up her fork.

XXX

“Finally finished” Ashley sighed heavily when they were done with the last and the most uncomfortable test that year – potions.

“Yeah. But Snape is definitely a dick, he was literally looking over my shoulder when I was powdering the valerian sprigs, super weird” Saeko shivered in discomfort.

“Indeed. Pity it's not him who is leaving the post instead of professor Littlefield” Helena agreed.

X

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

The room was absolutely packed for the first time since they got into the Castle. All the students were holding their score letters which arrived by mail earlier today. Saeko was proudly holding her letter which sported straight Os and the number 1 in overall ranking.

After the exams each student's scores were tallied up and averaged out so the students could be ranked amongst their peers. It wasn't much of a surprise that most of the top ten consisted of Ravenclaw students with one lone Hufflepuff and two Slytherins.

The score-sheet was displayed not only outside the Great Hall but also in their common room for all to see.

The room hushed when Flitwick entered “Everyone has received their results, excellent!”, he squeaked with joy “For 7th to 2nd years you know the drill, for those uninformed you should know that the number one student of each year receives a special gift from me should they be in Ravenclaw.”

Someone from the back said cockily “When aren't they.” The room agreed with laughter.

Flitwick himself grinned “Quite true. Now I'm proud to say that all the years have a raven at the top. So come to collect your prize!”

Five students came into the center of the room – the 5th and 7th had OWLs and NEWTs and not the regular tests. Saeko stood tall among her upperclassmen and bowed slightly when her Head of House gave her a gift certificate for Flourish and Blotts with a kind smile. The room clapped politely.

“You've all earned some rest, so have fun for the rest of the evening until the feast tonight. Congratulations for passing. Have a nice feast and summer” Flitwick smiled.

When the professor left the room began buzzing anew. Saeko was congratulated by her fellow first-years and some of the prefects. Helena was mildly disappointed as she held the number 3 in the overall score, her great dislike in herbology was obvious in the grade. Ashley considered her 8th place a success, especially since she was placed first in the history test and heartily congratulated her friend. Saeko eyed the score-sheet once more and was pleased to note her Slytherin friend was number 12.

The rest of the evening they spent packing their stuff and talking, mainly about their plans for the summer. Ashley was ecstatic about her family's plans for Peru as well as a muggle concert she was planning to attend.

Saeko was a bit melancholic when they descended to the Great Hall for the feast. She was looking forward to return to Konoha but couldn't help thinking she will miss the calm of the Castle and her friends.

The feast was grandiose, the ninja even enjoyed her food. Hearing that Slytherin won the House Cup was disappointing but not surprising. Ravenclaw placed second but still…

One borderline condescending speech from Headmaster Dumbledore the students retired to their dorms and soon enough they all stood at the station in Hogsmeade.

The train ride was somehow far shorter than the one of arrival. Saeko's Raven friends spent it playing various card games – not for money despite Helena's loud and frequent protests.

The ninja endured several hugs and said goodbye to her company. One more wave later she grasped the portkey that professor McGonagall gave her prior to leaving the school and as the clock struck half past she poofed out.


	13. 1- 13 Konoha's Show

 

Saeko was unpacking her things, organizing her books and scrolls with love when her brother came knocking “Everything settled?”

“Almost, what do you need?” the girl asked.

Itachi sat down and eyed the chuunin seriously “The tournament of the Chuunin Exam is in four days. You need to be briefed.”

The young kunoichi nodded and listened in silence to the possible scenario for the third exam. When her lord was finished, she frowned “Orochimaru? This is bad. I will be ready though, don't worry.” After a contemplative silence “So you proctor the exam, nice.”

The shinobi shrugged “It was supposed to be Gekkou Hayate but he was killed.”

“Oh,” Saeko exhaled, “He was the sickly swordsman right?”

The Uchiha lord nodded “How was the report for the Hokage?”

“Long. It was a 10 months-long mission after all. Quite exhausting” the brunette rubbed her eyes.

“Well, it's late. How about a spar tomorrow? Your friends are competing in the exam anyways” Itachi proposed.

 “Getting ready for possible attack? Of course! I need to get back in the game!” Saeko nodded with a smile and cracked her knuckles.

* * *

**Konoha's Arena**

Saeko looked with pride at her brother as he explained the rules of the third exam. Most of the genin listened stoically eyeing their opponents.

Itachi called for the start of the first match „Hyuuga Neji of Konoha VS Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha. Contestants ready? Then hajime!“

The fight started. Saeko knew enough about Neji's abilities and style of fighting but Naruto was a mystery since she hadn't seen him in action since he became a genin. Kakashi certainly made a difference – the blonds’ taijutsu form was miles better, as was his weapon's prowess. Saeko was surprised to see Kage Bushin in Naruto's repertoire.

The first big action was when Naruto's jutsu multiplied his projectiles into a veritable rain of steel. Neji had no other way to escape used his ace in the hole, a technique that he wasn't supposed to know. _Kaiten_ drew gasps from all the Hyuuga spectators.

Fighting on Neji managed to control the match. Deciding to finish it he called for his prized technique, the _Hakke: Rokujuyoncho_. Naruto had no chance.

There came another surprise – the blond obviously begun to train with Kyuubi's chakra. The Foxes' power shook off all the effects of the technique and the fight begun anew. Finally both ninja devised bluffs and traps for each other.

When the smoke settled it was Naruto who stood victorious. It seemed the white-eyed ninja underestimated the blond's cunning and trap making skills. Saeko sighed as the Uzumaki was proclaimed the winner.

The next match was long and boring – both Shikamaru and the Kazekege's daughter were skilled strategists. The only really exciting moment was the very end – the Nara heir managed to catch his opponent in _kagemane_ but surrendered anyway.

The civilian spectators were frustrated but the Konoha ninja just muttered “Lazy Naras.”

The third match was a complete disappointment as Suna's Kankurou surrendered even before setting foot into the arena.

“Sabaku no Gaara of Sunagakure VS Sai of Konohagakure!” Itachi called the next contestants into the arena.

Saeko tensed when the Suna jinchuuriki shunshined down to face the pale boy with Konoha's hitai-ate. She subtly glanced around her, dreading Itachi's warning will ring true. But seeing she was in her assigned position she reasoned she couldn't do more.

The match begun and it was clear from the start it would be a brutal one. It was obvious both ninja were well above genin level. Gaara mainly defended, his sand keeping out various beasts made of ink, but soon enough got angry and his sand transformed into a formidable weapon.

Sai kept evading with high speed. Several times he used ink clones as diversions as well as a mist technique. Gaara grew livid as he couldn't catch his prey. When one of Sai's techniques struck true the Suna genin screamed.

The Leaf nin tried to capitalize on the moment but Gaara enveloped himself by a big dome. Sai tried to penetrate it but had no luck. Drawing several birds he used his animation jutsu and those birds took flight, each carrying three explosive notes.

A loud boom erupted from the middle of the arena but the dome was still very much in place. Thinking for a second Sai sat down and begun drawing once more.

The spectators were silent, anxiously anticipating the face-off. Finally the pale boy was finished. He murmured the technique and the ink seeped from his scroll into the floor of the arena. Suddenly another scream broke the silence and the dome cracked.

The Suna boy hidden inside was clearly not entirely human anymore.

Saeko nearly scoffed when she felt the familiar tendrils of a genjutsu trying to take hold of her senses, as if something like that could work on an Uchiha. Quickly dispelling it she looked around the stadium, trying to assess the situation.

An invasion. Her brother had warned that it could be possible so it wasn't such a shock. The attackers were wearing Oto and Suna headbands. Saeko knew who was the driving force behind Sound – Orochimaru. And where was that treacherous snake there were other snakes – summoned and very real.

Before she could do more two foreign ninja tried to take her out of the fight early. The young Uchiha dispatched them without as much as a glance. Biting on her thumb se went through the familiar motions that were the summoning jutsu “ _Kuchiose no Jutsu!”_

With a puff of smoke a big raven appeared hovering in mid-air. Saeko quickly hopped on and stood between the raven's wings, the hold perfected over the months she commuted in the summoner's realm “Unndra, I need your help.”

“So I see,” said a surprisingly feminine voice of the pitch-black bird, “High and above, observe and attack?”

“You know me so well” the chuunin said solemnly as they flew out of the battlefield that was the stadium.

Saeko took the situation in with a single glance all around her. It didn't look good but Konoha withstood many disasters and they will prevail once more. The Hokage booth was encased in a large purple barrier but seeing that outside of it were several ANBU and her brother she turned her gaze elsewhere. 

Finally she decided “We'll take down the snakes.”

Unndra adjusted their course and sped up considerably – she was known as being one of the most agile and fast ravens among her family “Righty ho then!”

The young kunoichi just nodded and unsealed her gunbai. She hadn't used her battle fan in a while but this occasion merited it. The summoned snakes were attacking the walls that guarded Konoha so she could use her favorite jutsus that would be just too destructive if used within the village.

Deciding to use one of her new inventions, one she developed while studying various fire spells in Hogwarts library, she did a set of hand seals and took a big breath. When se exhaled a huge cone of dark purple flames erupted from between her lips. The fire sped up and she swung her fan enhanced with wind chakra as did her ride with her wings.

A loud hissing ensued but quickly died out as the chuunin torched three offending snakes and another one catching fire. This momentary reprieve allowed a group of Leaf chuunin to escape and run inside the village.

“ _Katon: Karuudan no Jutsu_ ” was the witches' next technique of choice. The dragon, overcharged to the point the flames were nearly white, sped through the mass of summoned snakes, too hot to parry or evade.

“Good job!” said a loud but serious voice from Saeko's left. Turning to see who it was she had to smile as it was Jiraiya upon the famed Gamabunta, followed by other large toads.

The duo worked in tandem until all the invading animals perished or escaped into the summoner's realm. Despite this being an all out war Saeko was enjoying herself immensely as she could try out all the jutsus she worked so hard for but never really used since they caused too much damage.

“Return to the village, you have vintage point, we need that” said the white-haired man. The girl nodded and saw the toad jump towards the west wall where a big fight was going on.

“You heard the man, to the village. I'm planning on sniping the enemy, so as much speed as possible and full evasive maneuvers” the young Uchiha ordered.

Unndra obliged and soon they were speeding over the roofs of Konoha. Saeko sealed her fan back in her arm and drew her two wands. Spells were great for strike and dash.

“ _Desangueo_ ” was the first curse she murmured and a Suna nin collapsed bleeding before he could cut a badly injured Leaf chuunin.

Saeko and her raven tore through Konoha, killing anyone who was unfortunate enough to have the wrong uniform, flying between the buildings attacking and defending. “ _Reducto_. _Expelliarmus_. _Tarantallegra_ ” she fired the spell back to back.

Deciding to be bold she murmured “ _Deletrius_ ” towards an approaching jutsu. The vanishing charm worked splendidly and its caster stood there dumbfounded until another Konoha nin chopped his head off. The girl allowed herself a smile.

When the duo was nearing the Academy Saeko spotted a lone Nara chuunin holding several attackers in his shadow bind, clearly trying to figure out how to finish them off quickly. One ' _Bombarda_ ' later the dilemma was over.

Soon she was identified as one of the biggest threats and a volley of kunai and shuriken sought to take her from the sky. Seeing Unndra could not evade she casted a massive shield charm to protect them. The _Protego Aegis_ soon dissipated and the attackers found themselves caught in a powerful genjutsu, courtesy of her sharingan.

Her bloodline was helping her to deal with her summon's speed so that she didn't experience tunnel vision but her eyes were starting to tire having them active all the time. The brunette was not worried because her training would allow her to pull through without problems and the fact that the battle was winding down.

Saeko sighed in relief as she started to see more and more dead Suna and Oto ninja while her fellow Leaf remained alive.

Over at the training grounds the scarred brunette saw the Hyuuga lord deal with several attackers single-handedly. Flying on she disarmed an oddly shaped Sound ninja that was about to kill a heavily bleeding jounin. “ _Lacero_ ” she spat out as the enemy collapsed onto his intended victim.

As she and Unndra fought on and on Saeko was very pleased to notice that magic did not tire her as much as jutsu. While she heavily trained endurance she was aware that she would be collapsing by now of chakra strain. She was more than capable to fight as regular forces do, mainly taijutsu and weapons, jutsu only sparingly but she liked the possibilities magic provided her. Spells and jutsu tended to resolve the matters quickly albeit messily.

Finally her raven climbed higher to spot any more enemies. Saeko grinned as only few pocket of resistance were found “Looks like this will be the final round!”

“Looks like. This is fun though, be sure to summon me next time you do something like this” the raven flapped her wings.

“Aye, aye” the girl laughed as they prepared themselves to take out the remainder of the invading force.

* * *

**A month later**

The month that followed the invasion was hard for everybody, civilian and ninja alike. The genin were tasked to rebuild all the buildings and infrastructure that was damaged by enemy attacks. The chuunin were right behind them, alternating between that and doing missions – Konoha accepted missions left and right to prove to the world that they are still big in the game. Their reputation as the strongest village was well deserved and withstanding an invasion of two invading villages only proved it further but Leaf needed to be seen - active and strong.

The only upside Saeko could see was that she had plenty time to talk to her friends during the reconstruction. Well and being seen in action by fellow ninja during missions was a big bonus and part of her no so secret 'Hokage campaign'.

It was late when Saeko went to the Uchiha compound from her mission. Itachi was in his office so she knocked. “Come in!” the Uchiha lord spoke.

“It's me nii-sama, is now a good time?” Saeko asked.

“Of course” Itachi smiled at his sister and put his brush down. Itachi looked tired as well – the council was working overtime on the political consequences of the invasion. And that was without his ANBU duties.

“Any news?” the young brunette asked.

The older sibling sighed “The truce and the new alliance with Suna is almost finalized. The terms are quite generous but naturally very much in favour for Konoha. Not much political backlash, everything has been sorted out. I expect next week everything will be back to normal.”

The kunoichi poured herself a cup of tea “Good. Hey, do you think there will be promotions out of the chuunin exam even if it was such a fiasco?”

“There has been talk about it. I think the Nara heir is a shoe in, but this wasn't exactly a priority” Itachi answered.

“What about Neji and Naruto?” Saeko inquired.

The Uchiha lord hummed “Well, from the matches I am unsure, but with the invasion… Uzumaki did defeat a jinchuuriki after all. It is not my call, the Hokage will decide.”

“True” Saeko sighed.

Itachi frowned “What's this really about?”

The girl smiled at her brother's insight “The invasion was Orochimaru's idea. I know that Sarutobi-sama regards him as his biggest mistake and hates the fact he was not able to stop him – not then and not now. I fear he will appoint his successor for the Hokage post. Naturally I'm a mere chuunin and too young. I fear my chance just flew out of the window.”

The shinobi nodded “We'll see. But I think he will not. Tsunade is not even in the village, Jiraiya is too busy. Kakashi could do it or me maybe but I think he will wait for a candidate who actually wants it. Sarutobi-sama fought two undead Hokage and Orochimaru and still prevailed. I think the council will not push.”

“Yeah, but it was you who finished the Nidaime with Amaterasu. And Orochimaru escaped, reverse summoned but escaped” Saeko continued frowning.

“Yes, he escaped but nearly died. With no legs and only one hand. Maybe Orochimaru being the mad scientist he is could recover but it is highly unlikely. And the invasion was quite minor, I believe the snake sought to kill his sensei and nothing more” Itachi reasoned.

“Well, we'll see. How did you and the ANBU get past the barrier anyway?” Saeko asked.

The young man sighed “Tsukuyomi – I got one of the guardians to drop his barrier.”

“So that's why you were so tired and depleted afterwards,” Saeko nodded, frowning she continued “You should be Hokage, you would deserve it and you are eligible.”

“Stop being so pessimistic. We have to wait and see” Itachi said in a mild voice. Saeko nodded. Deciding she should take a bath she bid her brother goodbye.

* * *

**Ichiraku's**

Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru were slowly eating their ramen while Chouji and Naruto made it into a contest. The competing duo was four bowls up when Saeko walked into the stand. “Hey guys!”

Three hellos and two unintelligible sounds greeted her. Saeko chuckled, sat down and ordered for herself “How are ya, guys?”

Those who were finished with their meals talked to the brunette among the slurping sounds their two friends made. The young ninja spoke about the invasion again, the exams and the missions they took while Saeko was away. The brunette particularly liked the show that Ibiki and Anko put up during the first exam.

Finally Naruto and Chouji ate out Ichiraku and their competition ended in a tie. Wiping his mouth the blond genin turned to Saeko “So Uchiha, ready to be the same rank as me? I totally nailed the exam and I defeated Gaara!”

The brunette shrugged “Yes, good job on that. You defeated _one_ ninja. One, very big and very strong but _one_. I took care of several summoned snakes, also huge by the way and I lost count on how many ninja. I win, you lose my dear Naruto.”

The blond sputtered and begun a loud argument. Saeko replied with much practiced Uchiha superiority and a smirk. She secretly loved these arguments with her rival. Their friends were enjoying the show as well.

This continued for quite a while when Saeko finally stood up “I need to go guys. See ya. And you too _genin Uzumaki_ ,” she winked. Grinning she exited the ramen stand and leisurely strolled towards the Uchiha compound.

* * *

**Hokage's office**

Saeko stood at attention before the Hokage, slightly nervous as what this was about. Sarutobi smiled and puffed on his pipe. He was looking much better now, all healed up.

“I imagine you are wondering why I called you here” the old man smiled.

“Indeed Sarutobi-sama. Any problems with my long-term mission?” the brunette asked worriedly.

“Quite the contrary,” the elder said, “It was noted how you used 'new jutsus' in the invasion. Mahoujutsu really proved itself. Your actions during the invasion were commendable to say the least, as many ninja as well as my own student reported. Unfortunately, or not depending from your point of view, several foreign shinobi noticed too.” At this the elder threw a small book to the brunette.

The scarred girl caught it and looked with question in her eyes at her leader. “Turn to page 145” the Hokage instructed.

Saeko looked the book over, realizing it's the Bingo Book, that could only mean one thing. It indeed was. The page held her photo and the title _Konoha no Amaterasu_. She smirked at the moniker, quite pleased with it. Looking the information over she noticed it held no mention of magic, just her katon prowess, sharingan and genjutsu as well as her summoning contract with ravens. “Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I always planned on being seen if I wanted to go for your job.”

Sarutobi nodded heavily “True. Just be careful, the bounty is quite high. Also there is one irregularity I plan to remedy in a moment.” Saeko just tilted her head to the side. The old Hokage smiled widely “It lists you as jounin rank.”

“You mean…” Saeko gasped.

“Indeed, congratulations jounin Uchiha” Hiruzen said and unsealed a dark green flak jacket, symbol of her new rank.

The brunette was speechless for a moment but then squealed in a very non-Uchiha manner, “Thank you Hokage-sama! You shall not be disappointed.”

“I know I won't. You probably were ready even before but now it is quite clear that you belong with the elite of this village. And I must say I like your moniker, your ability with fire jutsus is one of the best in the entire village, your clan included” said Sarutobi.

Saeko took off the chuunin vest and sealed it into a scroll. She put the new one on with a big smile. The elder leaned back in his chair “Very nice. Now off you go Saeko-kun, I have more promotions to make.”

The new jounin bowed and exited the office.

X

“Uchiha! Hey, wait up!” said an exuberant voice behind the brunette.

 Saeko obliged, stopped and turned to face her blond friend. Naruto's grin threatened to split his face. He made show to adjust his brand new flak jacket “See! I told you I'll catch up with you soon enough! Hokage-jiji recognized my awesomeness and I got promoted to chuunin!”

Before Saeko could answer two more boys with new jackets approached the duo. Saeko lit up at seeing the mild smile her best friend was spotting “Congratulations Neji, you deserve it. You too Shika, the match was boring as hell but brilliant and very much Nara.”

Neji's smile widened „Thank you Saeko. I would like to talk to you later, I must go to the compound. Congratulations by the way“. The young Uchiha more than understood his eagerness to show off his new promotion to all the Hyuuga, the main branch in particular. His relationship with Hiashi and Hinata improved a lot since he learned about his father and the truth behind the 'Hyuuga incident' but naturally he could not help himself, especially when being held back for so long.

“Mendokse” was Shikamaru's reply in turn, “I really don't know if I wanted to be promoted.”

“Why not!?” Naruto exclaimed, the idea unfathomable to him.

The Nara heir shrugged “No more easy missions, actual responsibility. I could go on.”

“Yeah, but your mum is appeased and will leave your non-ambitions alone for a while. And you don't have to do the exams again. I understand they were a drag” Saeko reasoned getting another shrug in return.

Naruto had enough being ignored by his rival “No comment for me teme?”

The brunette smirked “Congratulations.”

It wasn't enough for the blond “Hah! I know! Now we are the same rank and soon I will surpass you and become Hokage!”

Saeko stood still smirking, waiting for the punch line which came soon enough. Shikamaru rolled his eyes “Baka, can't you see the vest she is wearing?” Saeko was indeed in the standard Konoha uniform but this time she had a darker vest on.

“What?” Naruto still couldn't see it.

“Congratulations Saeko. You make a fine jounin” said Saeko's pineapple-haired friend without his usual bored voice.

“WHAT?” was Naruto's reaction, “Jounin? No way! That's so not fair!”

The brunette shot him the Uchiha smirk “Yep. I'm soo ahead my dear Naruto, watch me claim the Hat. Oh, and unfortunately I'm in the Bingo Book too. It gives fame and recognition but it makes life that more dangerous.”

The Uzumaki whined in defeat and went to get his ramen fix. Saeko and Shikamaru watched him go “Mendokse.”

“Indeed,” the kunoichi smiled, “What did the Hokage say during the promotions? I'm very curious.”

The new chuunin shrugged “Well, it's obvious that Konoha needs to replace the dead from the invasion, otherwise I don't think we would get promoted.”

“Nah, your match was brilliant, I told you already. A chuunin is a leader and thinker, your strategy earned you the vest fair and square” Saeko lightly punched her friend's arm.

“Mendokse. About Neji and Naruto Hokage said it was really close and that the match in the exam wouldn't have sufficed. It was mainly their actions during the invasion that got them the promotion” Shikamaru continued.

Saeko hummed “Yeah, I figured. Hey, I really need to go but maybe us newly promoted could go on a mission together?”

“I need to see father anyways. Yeah, that could be nice, I'm already used to a blond loudmouth on the team after all” said the Nara heir and waved goodbye.


	14. 2- 14 Back to School

 

Saeko made herself comfortable in the still almost empty train. This time she was already wearing her Hogwarts uniform but the rest was the same – the scroll with her possessions and a book in her hand.

“Early, eh Saeko?” said a familiar voice, “Lucky I decided to check the compartments, I was sure to be the first here.”

“Hello, Helena. I needed to go to Diagon Alley one more time so I went this morning and then straight here” the ninja explained to her friend.

The Grey heiress looked critically at the seat but sat down anyway, crossing her legs she asked “Diagon? Whyever for?”

“To pick up the broom I ordered and Beater gear” the brunette grinned.

“Oh joy. I am sure Ashley and the other will be ecstatic to discuss that with you. You know I have little interest in quidditch and things related. How about we talk about your summer?” the blonde proposed.

The scarred ninja smiled proudly “It was really busy but I got promoted out of it. About the rest same old same old.”

“Promoted? Congratulations! What does this make you?” Helena patted her friend's knee.

“Jounin, the highest rank achievable without politics involved. Many of my friends in Konoha were promoted as well, but to chuunin, my rival included” Saeko boasted.

“That's what you were before right? Must've been an exciting summer” the pure-blood mused.

The kunoichi sighed “Yeah, Konoha had to repel an invasion. But we won, quite decisively if I may say so. I'm actually looking forward to relax at Hogwarts.”

Helena was quite speechless, not really grasping a concept of having to battle. Since she could not contribute she said “Wow. Well, my holiday was very tame in comparison. I practically did nothing.”

“You said you were going to India right? How was it?” Saeko asked.

Soon both girls were talking about various countries, Saeko even depicted some things about the Elemental nations, just geography and a bit of history. It was during this that Graham and Paddy entered the compartment. The conversation turned towards quidditch, respectively the World Cup that was hosted by Australia few weeks ago.

It was almost 11 when Ashley and Peter came barreling into the compartment. Saeko sighed in relief “Where were you? I was starting to worry you would miss the train.”

“Yeah, me too!” Peter exhaled and sagged down into his seat.

Ashley sat down as well “We had a few hold-ups. Like somebody's mom forgot that Chile is in a different time zone!”

At this the group laughed and proceeded to integrate the newcomers into the conversation. Soon Helena held up a deck of cards and they began to play. The young Ravens cheered when Saeko shared her intention to try-out for the beater position. Some were skeptical, so the Uchiha challenged them all to arm-wrestling. No need to say she won all matches with a lazy smile. Caitlin was grumpy because of her loss – she was planning to try-out for the chaser position next year.

It was almost dark when the conductor warned them they will be arriving soon. Since they all had their uniforms already on, the group packed calmly.

Exiting the train they followed the string of older students, bypassed Hagrid who was calling forth the scared-looking firsties. The students from the second year up took carriages to the school. Saeko, Ashley, Helena and Caitlin took one together. “I always thought winged horses would be less leathery and more feathery” the ninja remarked.

“What?” Caitlin asked, arching her eyebrows in confusion.

Saeko imitated her “The horses? You know those pulling the carriage?”

“I can't see anything. The carriage is going by itself” Helena said slowly.

“No, they are not,” Ashley spoke up before the jounin could argue “It's pulled by thestrals.”

“Thestrals?” the unseeing girls exclaimed.

Saeko crossed her arms “Could you explain? Those two seem distressed.”

The smaller brunette cleared her throat “Thestrals are very rare creatures, considered dangerous by the Ministry. They are the basis of the muggle pagasus legends despite their grim appearance. Thestrals are considered omens of misfortune and aggression because they are only visible to those who witnessed death and fully accepted the concept.”

When Ashley finished her lecture Helena and Caitlin nodded with unease. Saeko just said “Really? Cool! How did you know and who did you see die? Sorry, that was insensitive.”

The brunette shrugged “Mum told me about them. Thestrals are studied in Care of Magical Creatures. She warned me this might happen – two years ago a member of my parents' expedition fell to his death and I have seen it all.”

“Oh” Helena said and nodded in understanding.

Caitlin turned towards the Uchiha “And you Saeko?”

“I saw somebody being stabbed” the scarred jounin said nonchalantly. The Irish girl was speechless. Helena deftly redirected and soon they were talking about the elective subjects for their third year.

The girls rejoined the group and they all sat at the Ravenclaw table, anxiously awaiting the feast. Oh, and the sorting of course. After the customary song the House of the Witted got itself ten new students and the plates filled themselves.

* * *

Ravenclaw students sat down in the DADA classroom, chatting quietly, wondering about their new teacher since he was not present at the welcoming feast.

The room hushed when the professor walked in – it was a very old woman of pygmy descent “Hello class. I am Bangasé, just Bangasé. I will be teaching you Defense Against of the Dark Arts this year, as a favour to Dumbledore.”

The dark-skinned woman begun to take the attendance while the Gryffindors begun whispering. The topic of the conversations was naturally the new teacher. “Who do you think is taller Flitwick or her?” a girl behind Saeko said quietly to her friend as they burst in giggles.

“If you all do not shut up I shall do a practical demonstration of the Tongue-tying curse” Bangasé warned the class. The threat worked and she could take the tall in silence.

When the professor was finished she smirked and began talking about the Tongue-tying curse and its purpose. Soon the class had the wands out trying to replicate the spell. As usual Saeko was the first to manage it and it earned her House 10 points and a glare from the tongue-tied Ashley.

The lesson continued in a similar manner until the bell. Saeko liked her new teacher and her no nonsense attitude. Several times when the students, read Gryffs, began talking or generally not doing what they were supposed to, she fixed them with a truly horrible glare.

“I hear the Lions began calling her Voodoo Lady, real classy” Ashley said sarcastically.

“They are Lions after all” Helena sighed as they made their way to their dorms, having a free period.

Saeko answered the riddle and when they entered the Ravenclaw common room she turned to face her friends “I was thinking of going for a jog and maybe try out my new broom. Yesterday I looked who's got the captain's badge and it's Todd. I have a shot with her, but I haven't flown since the lessons last year.”

Her friends nodded, clearly not wanting to join her. Ashley shifted her bag onto her other shoulder “Ok, I'll see you at lunch then. I will be up in our room decorating.”

“Yes, I had the same idea. And I have to monitor Michelle not to put up any obnoxious pink or fluffy stuff. Merlin knows her stuffed animals are enough” Helena sighed and the trio went to their rooms.

The Uchiha unsealed her brand new broom. She unpacked it thinking it looked kinda cool. Changing into her workout clothes she ran to her favorite spot in the Forest, summoning a raven to take her out of there. When she poofed into the summoner's realm she mounted her broom and took flight.

“Even on this stick you are a natural flyer” said Lykke, one of her favorite ravens.

“Of course I am, I got to summon your kind” Saeko smirked at the praise, “Hey, could you and some friends of yours help me train for something? I just need you to throw stuff at me, trying to catch me and some other stuff.”

“Sound like fun” the albino sing-songed.

Seeing the glint in his eyes she murmured “Kami help me. Well, I bet I will be the most prepared beater Hogwarts has ever seen.”

* * *

**Greenhouse N. 4**

“Miss me?” Saeko said flirtatiously.

Lauren turned from her work bench to face the brunette and fired back “Should I have?”

The jounin pouted and sat beside the Slytherin “I was thinking since we have Herbology together this year as well, we could continue being partners?”

Sighing the redhead said “Well, I could do worse than the number one student of the year.”

Taking that as a yes, Saeko smiled “You noticed! I am flattered, number twelve. I bet in the individual marks you were first in herbology right?”

“Actually yes. You know, you should feel privileged, after my results I had my classmates asking me to partner up with them” Lauren said with mock haughtiness.

The Uchiha smiled “Very Slytherin of them. And you answered that you too profit from partnering with number one right?”

Lauren smiled and nodded. Saeko laughed “Adorably predictable. So how was your summer?”

The duo chatted until the corpulent herbology professor came in and begun her lecture on Abyssinian Shriverlfigs. Saeko noticed her partner was positively enthusiastic about them and upon questioning Lauren shared she wish to become a healer, despite her family's position. The ninja took it as a sign of trust.

When the lesson ended Saeko bid goodbye to her friend and with her housemates made her way to the Ravenclaw tower. Ashley, Helena and Saeko took the seats near the window and with a cup of tea in their hands, courtesy of the Grey, they begun working on the homework assignment for DADA.

It was nearly time for dinner when Caitlin made their way to the trio with a smile on her face “Hey, Saeko. Todd just pinned to the board that she plans on having try-outs next Sunday.”

“That was quick” the kunoichi mused, “Thank you Kate. Any ideas how much competition should I expect?”

The Irish girl dragged a chair towards them and sat down “Don't know yet. The word is she plans to keep the chasers, as well as McPherson as the keeper, if no one stellar comes up. The seeker spot is open and with the popularity that goes with it I expect quite a few contenders. Walker, the beater, said he retires from the team to concentrate on his NEWTs so here's your spot. She plans on keeping Bishop too but there will be try-outs for all positions.”

Saeko was impressed with the amount of information and thanked the girl again. “No problem Uchiha, you seem confident that with you we can win so all I can do to help to make the blue-bronze victorious!” Caitlin said and hopped off.

* * *

 “I repeat, EW” Helena let herself be heard.

Professor McGonagall shot her a glare “Take it as an incentive miss Grey. If your spell succeeds the 'ew' beetle will become a button.”

When some student giggled the teacher fixed them with the same glare to shut them up and continued her explanation of this lesson's transfiguration. When she was finished and the class had all the notes they needed for the lesson professor McGonagall transfigured the handful of beetles she had on her table into buttons.

Saeko immediately followed suit, earning her eye rolls of the Gryffindors and 10 points for her House. Helena took the teacher's words to heart and managed the feat almost as soon as the ninja did.

The Uchiha lost interest in the lesson, having completed the task and began wondering if the spell would work against an Aburame. The lesson dragged on so Saeko unsealed 'Quidditch through the Ages'. After that, the only interesting thing to happen was when all the beetles assigned to a boy from Gryffindor escaped, he nearly hammered them into the table not just tapping them as per instruction and the Scottish professor had to _Accio_ them back.

The kunoichi smirked at another spell for her arsenal, one she was planning on asking some older year or just plain learn it by herself. Not long after the bell rang and all the students fled the classroom.

On their way to the Tower to deposit their bags Ashley spoke up “They are not the cutest animals but they aren't bad. I don't really understand the reaction.”

Helena shot the brunette a dirty look “Insects. Disgusting insects. They are almost as bad as Herbology, they are so… outdoors.”

The British duo begun arguing in the earnest, especially since Ashley loved outdoors and didn't mind dirt or insects at all - planning to be an archeologist would be quite difficult if it wasn't the case. Saeko sighed at her friends' antics and told them she was going out for some training. Since the try-outs were this Sunday neither girl minded.

Quickly changing into her casual clothing the kunoichi sealed her broom into her arm seal and jogged into the forest as usual. This time she had to evade Hagrid the gamekeeper who was patrolling the premises but she had no problems.

Getting far enough from the Castle and prying eyes she got herself reverse-summoned to meet her brother and maybe get the ravens to help her today as well.

* * *

Saeko stood confidently in the middle of the Hogwarts quidditch field, her broom over her shoulder. She wanted to make an impression, to be seen powerful enough to handle the bludgers. That was reflected in her outfit – black ANBU style pants, taped at her ankles and standard black shinobi sandals. Her top was more of a sports bra than anything, her abs on display, it was sleeveless to showcase her lean arm muscles as well. Foregoing her customary gloves she put the pair that came with her beater bat. All in all she excluded a 'don't fuck with me' air.

The pitch wasn't crowded – the Ravens tended to prefer brain over brawn that was needed in quidditch, especially with the dirty style of play the Slytherins adopted.

The current Ravenclaw team stood apart from the potentials and was discussing them in low voices. Once or twice they subtly turned to eye up the newbies. Finally their group broke up and the captain cleared her throat “Good morning everybody! You are here because you think you have what it takes to be on the team. If you don't already know I am Jamie Todd, captain and chaser. This year we need to fill mainly two spots – a beater and the seeker, but if you are here to try-out on any other position that's ok too. Now, if you could divide yourselves according to the positions.”

Saeko joined three other hopeful beaters. They were all male, fourth and fifth years with more build than the average Raven. They were sizing themselves up, clearly not counting the ninja as competition.

There was only one other group, clearly no one was seeking to go against the current players. Captain Todd looked very pleased her chaser formation would remain intact and that she didn't have to judge the keepers. “Jared, you join the beaters” the captain instructed. The boy obeyed as Jamie faced the potentials once more “The beaters will go first. You will be judged on your flying, strength and accuracy. Jared, take it from here please.”

The broad-shouldered beater took the stage and instructed the four hopefuls about the exercises. When he was finished the foursome nodded in understanding and Jared took fight. The first contestant mounted his broom and spun his bat confidently. The Uchiha decided to go last, to really outshine her competition.

 “You're next” Jamie shouted at the ninja. The brunette smirked.

The other potential beaters never had a chance. Saeko could cling to her broom with chakra and do maneuvers they could only dream of. Being a ninja, a jounin to boot, meant her accuracy was beyond superb as was her strength. On her last shots she decided to channel chakra through the bat to give it an extra kick.

As the boys stood there dumbfounded, there was no doubt she was the winner.

Todd was almost hopping in excitement “Excellent! We have our new beater. Jared will be staying so thank you all for the participation.” The boys sighed in disappointment but not really in surprise. The captain smiled at the kunoichi “Welcome to the team. What is your name?”

“Saeko Uchiha. Thank you” the scarred girl smiled and joined the raven chasers and keeper with Jared. Todd turned her attention to the seeker hopefuls. The chasers patted the brunette's back with a grin and did the same.

Saeko looked at her captain instead, not really interested in the seeker try-outs. Jamie was stunning in the ninja's opinion – quite tall with platinum blonde hair. Saeko was quite sure her ancestry was Icelandic. Dressed in bright blue gear Todd made quite an imposing figure. The kunoichi was glad her captain was somebody she could respect.

It was nearing noon when a 5th year was selected to be seeker – a thin, handsome back boy. Jamie thanked the unsuccessful seekers and turned to her newly completed team “Let's just do the presentations for now, I'm starving. I booked the pitch for practice on Thursday after lessons. I expect you all to be there and ready. So as I said before I'm Jamie Todd, 5th year.”

The russet haired boy to her left spoke up “Rory Gallaher, chaser, 4th year.”

“Wayne Martin, same”

“Jared Bishop, beater, 4th year”

“Saeko Uchiha, beater, 2nd year.” At this the two male chasers did a double take and nodded, impressed.

The keeper eyed her skeptically but merely said “James McPherson, keeper, 4th year.”

“Gerald Frost, your new seeker, 5th year. But please call me Jerry” said the newcomer.

“Once again welcome to the team Saeko, Jerry. I hope that with you on board we can soar from our fourth place. I plan to have more frequent and harder practices and I hate whining so keep it to yourselves. Remember, Thursday” said threateningly and the team made its way to the castle.

* * *

“Hey, have you two already finished the potions assignment?” Ashley asked her friends as they were climbing the stairs that led to their dorms.

“Nope, not yet. I was thinking of doing it on the weekend. The greasy teme always requires a ton of research for a good grade” Saeko sighed and Helena nodded.

“Oh, okay, we can hit the library on Saturday, I'm not in the mood anyways. How about we just hang out in our room?” the smaller brunette planned. The two girls nodded.

Upon entering Ashley and Saeko's dorm they spotted a new bright blue garment on the ninja's bed. “What the…” she began but soon realized she was holding her new quidditch uniform, courtesy of the Castle's elves.

The half-blood sighed “This looks so cool, try it on!”

Saeko obliged and swapped her uniform's coat with the quidditch one. The uniform was soft and warm but also evidently durable and windproof. It was made in the Ravenclaw colors – blue with bronze details, her House's crest proudly on the left side of her chest. On the back it read Uchiha in bold bronze letters. “Wicked” the ninja grinned in appreciation. Even Helena had to agree.

Ashley patted her friend's shoulder and teased “I guess you weren't lying then, you are our brand new beater. You better help our House win or else…”

“It'll be a breeze,” Saeko boasted, “But you know we didn't even have one training session yet, right? Tomorrow we'll see how things go and how we all work together. I like Todd though, I think it'll go well. Do you think I should wear the uniform to practice too?”

“Don't know, I guess so. Ask Todd, maybe she wants her choices to be secret” Ashley mused.

The Uchiha shook her head “I don't think so, she would've said something by now. But it is not general knowledge who got onto the team. I'll ask her.”

Helena spoke up despite her dislike of the sport “After your training give me a honest assessment, I plan on betting on the matches so I would like to know how we stand. Last year I won quite a coin on our losses.”

“Yes, patriotic as fuck” Saeko grinned but nodded her assent. Ashley just rolled her eyes.


	15. 2- 15 Quidditch Season

Jamie was true to her word and had her team work very hard for Hogwarts standards - Saeko was usually the only one who left the trainings chipper and relatively energetic. The others, meaning those without shinobi stamina, had to drag themselves to the lockers and the journey to the castle was torture. Todd being the captain trained as vigorously as her team but it was obvious she trained during the summer or regularly. The Uchiha was glad she hadn't misjudged her.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the cold breeze of approaching October already present. The platinum haired blonde smiled at her still yawning team “Good morning! You will be glad to know I managed to book the field till noon.” The chasers practically whined in protest, their bones and muscles already aching from the previous session and the fact it was very early in the morning hadn't helped. Jamie frowned “We want to be the best, so we need to work at it. Besides, I believe there is some saying about the early bird…”

“Yeah. The early bird is a bitch the rest of the day” Rory murmured.

The tall girl shot him a glare “The bad news is that the Gryffs and the Snakes have all the reasonable time slots already occupied until their match, so you get to rest for two weeks. No training but you will still be doing the routines – the jogs and workout, is that clear?”

“Hai, taichō!” Saeko said with a brilliant smile among the half-hearted yes's of the rest of the team.

“Excellent” Jamie clapped her hands and made her team mount their brooms and begin the practice.

The training session was long and hard, their only reprieve was a half-hour break in the middle of it. The team sat together and enjoyed a light snack. To Saeko it reminded her of the breaks in the chuunin and later jounin lounge between missions - just sitting and talking. Rory and Wayne were the jokers of the group and provided most of the entertainment. This time they were describing a prank a pair of first-year Gryffindors pulled on Filch and his cat – the Weasley twins.

Finally the blonde captain called “Alright, I think that's enough for today.”

“Merlin YES!” exclaimed Jared and immediately pointed his broom to the ground.

Saeko chuckled at her beater partner, knowing his stamina has greatly improved but he still loathed the exercises Todd was making them do. The Uchiha had convinced Jared on their second training session to join her in jogging and the basic routine she did almost every day. When she needed to disappear to the summoner's realm or when she was using her shinobi capabilities she naturally left him out but for the rest she figured it would benefit both him and the team. She also borrowed a leaf out of Kakashi's book and went through his teamwork exercises with her partner to get them in sync. Saeko was certain they would shine in the match against Hufflepuff that will be held in the first week of November.

Jamie regaled her team with a rare smile, she too was confident in their progress and abilities, not to mention they still had plenty of time to train for their first match of the season.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“I'm guessing the question whether we are going to tomorrow's match is moot” Helena sighed as the trio was enjoying a quiet evening by the fireplace.

Saeko chucked “Indeed. That reminds me that tomorrow I will be sitting with Jamie and the team, you know to strategize and scope up the competition. The Gryffs have a new seeker I think and the Snakes made changes too. Sorry guys.”

Ashley nodded in understanding “Of course. We will be with Peter and the others, right Helena?”

“Sure. I've quite a bit of cash riding on this one so I guess I have to see it through” the blonde smirked over her cup.

“Who did you bet on?” the ninja asked genuinely curious.

The Grey heiress opened up a small notebook “Slytherin victory is 2 to 1. Very popular is also the bet that the Snakes will win with a more than a hundred and fifty point advantage. I shall not bore you any further but there is more. The first game is always an enigma with all the new players involved.”

The Uchiha laughed loudly “You are not only betting, you are a bookie!” Helena shrugged and hid her smile with another gulp of her premium quality tea.

“Can't believe it,” Ashley murmured, “Why didn't you tell us?”

“You never asked. And you said you didn't like hazard that much. I already established myself last year, the gamblers always find each other. There is this system that there are usually two bookies per house – one for the lower years and one for the upper. The kingpin is Hughes in Slytherin if you are curious.”

“Wow and you are organized” the shorter brunette eye-rolled.

“Seems more like a con to me. Excited to have me on the team – some inside information, some performance tampering perhaps?” Saeko asked her in joke.

The blonde put her tea down and shook her head vigorously “Of course not! If you lose money with me it's through your own stupidity not my tampering. What we, or at least I do is perfectly legal!”

“Ok, sorry, geez!” Saeko defended herself.

Helena settled down and the group begun talking about the homework they planned to do on the weekend – an innocuous subject. Saeko though to herself that her friend would indeed make a very good Slytherin.

X

The whole team sat in the front row of one of the Ravenclaw stands. Rory and Wayne somehow managed to bring regular muggle popcorn with them so the group was in for a treat.

The commentator, a boy from Hufflepuff, began introducing both teams while speculating on the newbies.

After a particularly nasty jab Jerry sighed “And here I thought Puffs were supposed to be nice.”

“Nope, just loyal and we are competition after all” Jared smirked and then turned apologetic, “And I think we can expect some heavy criticism at the start of our match. We are playing his House and, sorry Saeko, we have a new beater who is just 12 and a girl.”

“And doesn't look like much“ James smirked tad evilly.

Saeko crossed her arms “Thirteen in two weeks actually, and my figure is perfect. And if I am correct if we did an abs show-off I would win hands down man-boobs!”

“Hey! I so don't have man-boobs, I'm in perfect shape!” the keeper begun but the argument was broken the second Jamie cleared her throat. Both Saeko and James glared at each other but then turned to their captain.

Jamie who was jotting down notes spoke up “Ok, back to business. So the Slytherins are more or less the same – Daugherty is still the captain so the plays will not be changing much. They have a new keeper, Baxley, so chasers pay attention to him. Dennison is the new beater, he replaced Monk. Monk was vicious so good riddance but we know nothing of this one – Saeko, Jared, keep a close eye on him. After the game I expect you to break down their game so we can plan for them. Understood?”

The team nodded, their eyed darting to identify the targets. Todd nodded approvingly “The Gryffs have two new players as well. The new chaser is Pierce and they have a new seeker Leon White.”

Wayne snorted in amusement “Leon White? That's the most Gryffindor-ish name I've ever heard.”

The team chuckled but Jamie frowned and said in disgust “The word is he's actually quite good. He's the talk of their House actually. He has _fangirls_.” Saeko looked at the new scarlet seeker who was showing-off in mid-flight. She mused he was quite good-looking if you were into that – dark chestnut hair and a brilliant smile.

The game started and the team begun their study, their attention never waiving until White caught the snitch and managed to wrestle a very close victory for the House of Lions. Jamie stood up “I asked professor Flitwick to lend us the charms classroom so we can have a brainstorming in peace.”

“A secret meeting, I dig it” Rory smirked and the team followed their captain back into the Castle.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko dragged herself to her room. Opening the door she entered and without saying a word she let herself fall onto her bed.

“Hard training?” Ashley asked. The brunette was fiddling with her guitar while Helena read a book in a chair nearby.

“Surprisingly yes. I slightly miscalculated and went on my own training just before the team one” the ninja said, her voice muffled by the covers. Itachi had sent word he needed to meet her now since he would be on a mission and the spar got a bit out of hand.

Ashley chuckled “I have never seen you so tired before, it's quite a sight.”

The kunoichi just groaned. The shorter brunette begun playing a soft melody and the girls listened. When Saeko was in danger of falling asleep she hastily stood up to clear her head. Making her way to the wardrobe she rummaged through her sealing scrolls. She found the one she wanted and with a swipe of chakra she unsealed a can of beer, still cold, courtesy of fuinjutsu.

“What is that?” Helena asked, looking up from her book.

“Beer. Nothing better to replenish stuff you sweated out” the Uchiha said nonchalantly, opened her can and sat down on her bed.

Ashley stopped playing “But that's alcohol! You know it's prohibited here at school. Not to mention you are underage.”

Saeko snorted “Please. Live a little! Besides I am legally adult in Konoha and it's not like anyone would know.”

Helena chimed in “I actually agree. Father lets me have a glass of wine sometimes, I never had beer though. Papa said it's pedestrian.”

“You wanna taste?” Saeko asked her friend while Ashley looked on reprimandingly.

The pure-blood paused but nodded “Sure, why not.”

Ashley looked as if she was ready to list all the 'why not' reasons but Saeko handed the beverage to Helena who took a hesitant sip “If you like it I can give you one for yourself. But after dinner, I wouldn't want you to roam the hallways of our castle utterly drunk since you have no tolerance.”

Helena passed the beer back “Bitter, but not that bad. I think I prefer wine though.”

“Suit yourself, it's an acquired taste. Maybe when we win our quidditch match our House will celebrate and actually include some smuggled alcohol” the jounin grinned.

Ashley arched her eyebrows “You think so?”

The Uchiha began unbraiding her hair “Of course. We are teenagers, being in a boarding school will stop no one from underage drinking, that's practically part of the experience – parties, hook-ups, drinking. As long as we don't make a mess I think we will be alright.”

The blonde nodded “I think so too. Just because our House had nothing much to celebrate last year doesn't mean we can't party. And it is said it's always the quiet ones.”

“Hm” was Ashley's only reaction and she resumed playing.

* * *

**Library**

Saeko perused the shelf that contained illusion charms, taking her pick she made her way to the reading area. The tables were mostly occupied, at least one student at each. The ninja looked around and spotted a Hufflepuff girl with a big stack of books beside her.

“Excuse me, could I join you” Saeko smiled charmingly at the brunette.

The girl looked up from her reading and smiled “Of course.”

The Uchiha sat down with her own stack of books and begun her studies on western kinds of genjutsu. After quite a while she unsealed a blank parchment and jotted some ideas down.

“Useful trick” the Hufflepuff commented on the ninja's fuinjutsu.

“Like you wouldn't believe” Saeko smiled, “Many people ask me to teach them but it is clan magic and cannot be taught outside of it, sorry.”

This piqued the girl's curiosity and the Uchiha gave her the cover/edited story. “Oh and I am Uchiha Saeko – clan name first, mine is second.”

“I'm Faith Brennan, read the normal way” the girl joked.

Saeko looked at the titles of the books Faith was reading “You are taking runes? I would peg you a third year? How is it?”

“Yes, third year. I like runes but it's really hard, but among the electives it's definitely the most interesting one, at least in my opinion” Faith replied.

The scarred jounin hummed “I was thinking of choosing it next year as well. Care for magical creatures as the second.”

“I hear Care is very good and professor Kettleburn makes it very interesting. I'm taking divination though. It's always useful to know the future right?” said the yellow-clad girl.

The ninja agreed and the duo begun talking about school and then runes. Saeko ended up helping her with an assignment for the class with her average knowledge of Norse runes – courtesy of her summon animals.

Closing the last of her books the kunoichi stretched her arms before her “Hey, you obviously have a free period like myself, how about a walk by the lake? I have been cooped up here for too long already.”

The busty Hufflepuff smirked “A Ravenclaw who wants to flee the library, be still my heart!”

“That's discriminatory, we Ravens can lazy off like any other students!” the kunoichi joked, “So how about it, you have been here longer than I.”

“Well, my assignment is finished, thank you by the way, so why not. Going out sounds good” Faith agreed and begun packing her things. Both girls returned the books they were using to the appropriate shelves and with Saeko's polite nod towards the librarian they took off.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The Ravenclaw team lined up before the entrance to the stadium. Saeko wasn't nervous but she was reminded of her Chuunin exams she took in Suna years ago. The screams of the spectators, the battle – same as in that Suna stadium she grew excited. She grinned and twirled her bat. “You okay? The first time can be a bit much” Jared whispered to his partner.

“More than okay, I can't wait to crush those Puffs and bring the Ravens to victory” the ninja smirked.

Jamie looked over her shoulder to smile at Saeko and her dramatic statement. The commentator just finished presenting the opposing team and it was their turn “Okay people, we can do this. Nay, we must, we trained too hard and victory is ours, so let's take it!”

The team nodded resolutely and mounted their brooms and waited for their cue from the commentator.

“ _And here we have the Ravenclaws! McPherson, Todd, Gallaher, Martin, Uchiha, Bishop aaaand Frost!_ ” said the commentator and the spectators roared and clapped for the blue-clad team. After the noise died down a little he resumed “ _As you can see the new captain, Todd, made a bold placement for beater this season. On beater spot, usually occupied by the strongest and biggest, we have a second year! Have the consecutive losses messed with the Ravenclaw_ _heads? Are they really that desperate to appoint Uchiha beater? We'll find out in a moment as Madame Hooch is calling for the captains_.”

The grey-haired witch motioned for Todd and the Hufflepuff captain to approach. She talked to them, mainly about expecting fairness.

Both captains of the opposing teams shook hands. “My beaters instructed me to say it's nothing personal and that they apologize in advance” Jamie said loud enough that it could be heard in the lower tiers of the stands.

The Hufflepuff team nodded with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, most of them agreeing with the commentator. Madame Hooch arched her eyebrow and asked the Captains if they were ready.

Saeko tuned out the commentary and concentrated on the game. She and Bishop had devised several new plans and plays they planned to implement during this match – to show the Ravens are not to be messed with.

The quaffle was thrown into the air and the show began.

The Puffs were quick to steal the quaffle and darted towards the Raven goalposts. The Uchiha smirked and aimed the bludger she chased towards her opponents, just a quick warm-up.

After getting the feel of the Hufflepuff play Saeko nodded at Jared, it was time for theirs. The duo captured both bludgers and begun passing the black balls between themselves, their speed augmenting to a frightening level – one of the enemy beaters tried to intercept but the force was too great. Finally the duo made a move and managed to trap Boyde, the opposing beater, between them. Boyde evaded once, twice, he tried to escape but it was all in vain and he got hit. The force knocked him from the broom and he came plummeting down, unconscious – Jared caught him and lowered him to the ground.

Saeko was sure the crowd must've reacted quite loudly at the Slytherin-worthy move but she was in her zone, her brow furrowed in utter concentration.

Jared returned back up and the duo begun completely dominating the field – with one beater down and one still shaken up from the previous incident there was not nearly enough opposition.

Saeko and Jared did not attack the players from there on, they were Ravens and their reputation and acceptance was riding on it. But still they did enough damage – they intercepted chaser plays every time a Puff held the quaffle. The duo always concentrated their might on one player, which meant both bludgers roughly at the same time, spooking the chaser to drop the red ball.

The blue-clad players took full advantage of the circumstances their beaters formed and the Hufflepuff keeper was getting desperate at the onslaught of goals he let through.

Finally the shinobi noticed the quick dive Frost effectuated, closely followed by the enemy seeker. The snitch had been spotted. “Jared!” she yelled at her partner who quickly oriented himself in the situation. Frost was good but just in case right? It was their job after all. Jared passed the bludger to Saeko and channeling chakra through the bat she did a mighty swing. The black ball whooshed through the air at great speed and flew a couple of feet before the yellow-clad seeker who had no choice but to deviate from his course.

“Frost caught the Snitch!  The score is 310 to 70 if you can believe it! Ravenclaw WINS!” yelled the commentator, surprisingly managing to be impartial despite his House losing before his eyes.

The blue-bronze fans roared in joy along with the majority or Slytherins who enjoyed the show. The normally reserved and studious Ravens burst into the field and laved their team with adoration. The first victory for the Witted in quite some time was most certainly cause for celebration. Even Flitwick could be spotted doing a surprisingly graceful victory dance in the professors' booth.

The Hufflepuffs were bummed out but they too begun to clap politely. Saeko's and Jamie's idea to warn them in advance mitigated the negative response, it was just a game after all. Some of the Gryffs took the game as stooping to Slytherin level but seeing there was no breaking of rules they got over it quickly and praised the Raven comeback.

X

Saeko woke up much later than usual but still in time for the first lesson. Looking around the room she spotted a still asleep Ashley, drooling onto her pillow.

“Wakey, wakey Ash!” the ninja nudged her friend who just groaned and turned to her other side, “Told ya even the Ravens know how to party. Wake up, you had only a drop to drink last night so you can't be hung over. Seriously wake up!” Ashley reluctantly sat up and rubbed her eyes. Saeko smiled at her disheveled appearance and gather her things to go for a shower.

The jounin let her still wet hair unbraided and quickly dressed in her school uniform. She descended into the Common Room looking for a friendly face to have breakfast with. What she did not expect were the sudden pats on her shoulder by housemates she never met before, shouts of 'good job Uchiha' and the like.

“You seem to be our newest celebrity Saeko” Helena smiled at her friend just as Geoffrey shook the Uchiha's hand.

“While I am used to it from back home the people are not so… clingy” the girl sighed.

The blonde smirked “I'll get better. You know, I heard a 7th year say you pulled the Raven quidditch team from lethargy and called Todd a visionary for letting you on the team.”

Saeko snorted “I hope they learn to keep the distance a bit. They should praise Jamie more, she really whipped the team in shape. Well, not me, I was brilliant from the get-go naturally.” The ninja smirked to indicate the joke but got an elbow in the gut nonetheless.

The scarred brunette laughed out loud and tried to spot her captain “Hey, Helena, I need a quick word with Jamie, wait for me a minute and we'll go to breakfast, 'kay?”

Helena nodded and the kunoichi made her way to the platinum blonde “Ohayo Jamie!”

The older raven turned and winked “Monin' Saeko. How do you like your newfound fame?”

Saeko winked back and said cockily “Well-deserved obviously. No really, I hope it'll die down a bit, I hate fans.”

“We are Ravens not Gryffs, my guess tomorrow you will be recognized, greeted but the hugs and the rest should stop, I hope” Todd whispered the last part.

The Uchiha laughed “You got hugs? That's priceless! But I hope you are right. We did well tough. So, when is our next practice?”

Jamie smirked evilly, already expecting the whines of her team “Soon, we have to keep winning now, right?”

“Hai taichō” Saeko smirked back.


	16. 2- 16 Being Famous

“Good morning, Uchiha”

“Morning, Uchiha!”

“Hey, Saeko”

Were some of the greetings the ninja received when she and Ashley came down from their dorm into the Common room. Saeko just waved to her fan's way and continued talking with her friend.

It had been a week already since the smashing victory and the whole House recognized her not only as an outstanding student but also their very own quidditch star. Helena laughed nearly to tears when a star-struck first-year of the name Roger Davies insisted he would carry Saeko's bag to class for her. The kunoichi glared at the poor kid until he awkwardly left.

Even the students of the other Houses looked at her differently. The kunoichi was quite amused by it but since her 'fans' were keeping their distance it wasn't much a difference from being one of the prodigies of Konoha. Naturally the positive reactions weren't the only ones, especially from the Slytherins and Gryffindors.  The Uchiha took it in stride now that the things have calmed down, but her friends liked to tease her about it.

Saeko and her friend were going to their first class of the day when Ashley noticed a subtle change “Hey, is it me or the Gryffindor girls are glaring at us?”

“Not us, Saeko did you do something?” Helena observed.

The scarred brunette looked more closely at the group of girls they just passed “Not that I know of. Maybe the Weasleys pranked them and blamed me? I don't really know.”

The answer hadn't revealed itself until lunch when the known gossip Michelle cornered them just outside the Great Hall “Have you heard! You are so lucky Uchiha, he's soo cute!”

“Whoah, what are you talking about?” the kunoichi said perplexed. Helena and Ashley nodded, both curious.

“Leon White!” Michelle said with wide exes and grin “He has the hots for you!”

Saeko burst in laughter. Ashley asked “Gryffindor's pretty boy? How do you know that?”

“He said that in their Common room” the black girl answered.

“That's not really accurate,” Caitlin butted in, having heard them talking, “He actually said you two should get together because, and I quote, you are hot and he is hot so it makes sense.”

“Wow, what a compliment” Helena said sarcastically.

Caitlin shrugged “Well he got a bit more romantic afterwards. He actually said you were smart, hot, athletic, a quidditch star and all in all perfect just like him so you belong together.”

The ninja rolled her eyes and said sarcastically “It really sounds like destiny then.”

Michelle's eyes lit up at the new information “So you are not interested?”

The jounin smirked but said nothing. Ashley shrugged “It's not like Saeko or any of us even met him.” The girls nodded their assent. Michelle looked thoughtful but then she smiled and left, presumably to spread the rumor. The other ravens laughed at the development.

Saeko just rolled her eyes again “And this will not be mentioned.”

“This is gonna be fun!” the Irish girl stage whispered.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko was lounging in her room reading an obscure tome about legilimency, absolutely thrilled by the art. It was similar to the Yamanaka techniques with a pinch of sharingan abilities in the mix. She put aside all her other studies, except her regular workouts to master the subject. She couldn't wait for the Christmas break to try in on some unsuspecting enemy ninja.

There was a knock on her door and the Uchiha groaned. She sealed the book in a hurry since it was purchased in Knockturn Alley and the subject was labeled dark by the Ministry. When everything was in order she used a spell to unlock the door and called “Come in!”

Helena entered smirking. The scarred brunette frowned “This better be good.”

“Oh, it is. But I guess it depends on the point of view” the blonde trailed out.

“What is it?” said the impatient kunoichi.

The British girl was clearly enjoying it “I came to warn you that Michelle and her crew, along with some upper-years she is friend with are trying their hand at match-making. And you guessed right, the lucky victim is you.”

The Uchiha groaned and hid her face in her palms “Why me? Can't they help Geoffrey with that cute Hufflepuff girl he is pining for?”

Helena could contain herself no longer and laughed out loud. When she calmed down she said “Tough luck. Well, try not to kill or maim anybody hm? And White is a show-off but he's quite handsome…”

“Sooo not my type,” Saeko smirked, “If he tries to ask me out he will crash rather unceremoniously.”

The blonde looked intrigued but not questioned her friend “He talked to you yesterday right? He didn't ask?”

“Nope,” the raven-haired girl said with certain satisfaction, “He introduced himself and talked about Quidditch. At least he stopped following me around.”

The tall blonde frowned a bit “You know, if you really aren't interested you should just tell him. Stringing Leon along is not fair to him.”

Saeko sighed “All I hear are rumors and speculations, if he wants to ask me out he will and I will turn him down. He should man up and be the Gryffindor he is. I don't like conducting business over the grapevine.”

“This is hardly business but I get your point. I just wanted you to be warned,” Helena nodded, “I shall leave you to… whatever you were doing.”

“Meditating, and thanks, it is really appreciated” the jounin smiled at her friend.

* * *

**Greenhouse n. 3**

The Ravenclaw students stood outside a greenhouse they never entered before, one that contained more dangerous plants. When professor Sprout told them they would be coming here and work with mandrakes they were all excited, well all except Helena of course.

The Snakes slowly trickled down to join them. Lauren walked with her friends, her face covered in the usual Slytherin mask but her eyes shone with excitement. Saeko grinned at the restraint.

“All here? Then come on in” the corpulent teacher opened the glass door. The students obliged and paired up before the potted plants.

Saeko smiled at the redhead she worked with and the lesson begun. As time went on, the House of the Ambitious earned a record amount of points thanks to the red-head at the Uchiha's left.

The second part of the double lesson was dedicated to practical work. Saeko decided to be chivalrous and traded her black earmuffs for the pink ones Lauren was stuck with - they had to be careful during the repotting since the Mandarke's cries could be very dangerous.

Finally professor Sprout indicated the end of the lesson since they could not hear the bell ring. She took a tour to see if everything was alright and then she took off her own earmuffs.

“Thank Kami” the ninja whispered and took off the pink monstrosity.

Lauren smirked “Thanks for the trade.”

“Well, I could not in good conscience leave you with those, pink clashes with your crimson hair terribly” Saeko smiled.

The red-heard laughed and collected her things. Suddenly she put a hand to her hear and mock gasped “Oh, my! I just realized that the great Uchiha, beater extraordinaire, gave me her earmuffs! I shall never wash my ears ever again!”

The jounin let out a laugh and took Lauren's hand and put a fleeting kiss on the knuckles “It was my pleasure my lady.”

Lauren laughed as well “So I hear a certain seeker with the most ridiculous name is declaring his love to you everywhere he goes.”

“Oh really? He said nothing to me, he's kinda stalkery though. But hey, all the stars have groupies” the ninja joked. Her green-tied friend smiled and shook her head. Suddenly Saeko had a thought “Hey, is my awesome talent the reason you were so point-grabbing today?”

“Well, your team did earn too many points for my Houses' taste. But no, I just recently read up about the Restorative Mandrake Drought so I was even more brilliant than usual” the red-head explained. Saeko remembered her ambition to become a healer and nodded.

It was lunch time so the duo made their way to the Castle, Lauren still poking fun at the kunoichi and her suitor despite Saeko being adamant about her disinterest.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko changed into her work-out clothes - she had procured new ones, wandering around in her uniform as last year had gotten her too much attention. Her new outfit was not as practical or comfy as the standard Konoha attire but it matched her dramatic personality perfectly. Dressed all in deep crimson – tight trousers, high boots, gloves and a clingy turtleneck with the Uchiha emblem she walked towards the Castle's gate.

Waving off the hellos of a group of older Ravens, rolling her eyes as one of the boys checked her out quite thoroughly, she broke into a light jog. “Hey Uchiha!” she heard a familiar voice.

The kunoichi sighed but turned around “Leon-san, hello.”

The Gryffindor seeker smiled and had the presence of mind of not imitating the Raven from earlier “Hello, going for a run?”

“Gotta keep in shape right? Two more teams to crush to win the Cup” Saeko grinned.

“You wish! You can beat the Snakes but my team – no way!” Leon replied lightly, “We can't have the Ravenclaws hog everything, you already head the academics.”

The Uchiha smirked, proud of her House “That we do but it's high time we won the House Cup for our efforts.”

“Better you then the Snakes but I feel this will be our year. And hey, you already are the number one in your year” the Gryff flattered her.

“We are on top every year. And yes, that was boasting” the girl smiled cheekily, “Pity though our match is in May, I very much look forward to it.”

“As am I. It really is a pleasure to play against a worthy rival” Leon said charmingly.

“Indeed. Sorry to cut this short but I have only an hour free and I really want to go for my run. Did you need something in particular?” the scarred kunoichi asked.

The handsome seeker shuffled his feet “Eh, no, not really. But it is always a pleasure to speak with you.”

“Thank you, Leon-san. Very nice to talk to ya. See ya around” the jounin waved and resumed her run.

Leon waved back with a smile. As Saeko run around her corned she rolled her eyes and whispered to herself “Wuss.”

Making her way outside the jounin made several laps around the lake in ninja speed, the physical exertion winning against the cold of approaching winter. Itching to train with her blade she ran into the Forbidden Forest and went through her usual summoning ritual.

Greeting her feathery friends she unsealed her tantō and went through some katas for the short blade. As always the repetitive movements calmed her so when she finished Saeko decided to meditate. The girl was immersed in the chakra flow, feeling its course through her body when a deep voice interrupted her concentration “Hello little sister.”

Saeko smiled “Hello. I was not expecting you dear brother.”

“The crows told me you were here. With your ravens' permission, of course” Itachi smiled and sat down beside his sister.

The younger Uchiha hummed and closed her eyes once more. After few beats of silence the kunoichi asked “Any news from Konoha?”

“Actually yes and several might interest you. Jiraiya-sama took Naruto-san alongside him for one of his spy network errands. During the trip he taught Uzumaki the Rasengan which he learnt in record time I'm told” Itachi informed.

Saeko smiled a bit sadly “That is quite an accomplishment. But then again I always knew he had it in him. Though I'm slightly disappointed, rasengan and toads? That sounds very much like Yondaime 2.0, which I get but I always thought he would make him own path.”

“It's not the Hiraishin and he just started his tenure as chuunin, he will find his own style. After all he is quite a unique individual” Itachi said with a barely there smirk.

“Indeed,” Saeko nodded, “Anything else? What about you or the Clan?”

“Orochimaru is moving again, it appears he survived our encounter during the Sand/Sound Invasion. The Hokage made me the first responder since I am the best match against him” said the young man.

The kunoichi nodded “Meaning when Jiraiya or other get a whiff of the Snake you and your squad go?”

Itachi nodded “Yes. Orochimaru does have an unhealthy obsession with learning jutsu so our eyes were always in danger – at least we get to be closely informed.”

“Hm. Just be careful brother, he is Konoha's most infamous missing-nin. Though, I think not even him can defeat a well-placed Tsukuyomi” the scarred jounin mused.

“True. Aside from this nothing new” the Uchiha Lord concluded.

Saeko frowned “Come on! What about some gossip?”

“I don't participate in such a practice as you well know” was the man's reply.

“I know,” Saeko sighed, “You are no fun. You could get Anko to write me a letter though, I bet she can get me updated.”

“I'll ask” Itachi acquiesced.

The kunoichi smiled sweetly “Love you brother.”

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

“God, I'm starving!” Ashley breathed out as the bell rung, signalizing the end of the Charms lesson they shared with the Gryffindors.

Saeko quickly sealed her supplies and nodded emphatically “Me too.”

The girls made their way to the Great Hall with unusual haste, quite hungry from the lesson. Professor Flitwick had announced a revision of the _Arresto Momentum_ charm – the slowing or stopping charm. That in itself wouldn't be unusual but the diminutive teacher had them to run one at a time through the classroom while his partner used the spell. Saeko thought it was smart and useful to practice this particular charm on moving targets while most of the other students moaned at the slight physical activity. It was also a good way to evaluate who can actually do the spell so the House of Ravens gained quite a few points.

Sitting down at their table Ashley began shoveling food onto her plate with a slightly manic grin while Helena did the same but at a much more sedate pace. Taking a large bite of her Shepherd’s pie the blonde pointed at Saeko's plate in puzzlement. The kunoichi just smiled and a moment later a bowl of white rice appeared among other definitely not British dishes.

The Uchiha's grin threatened to split her face. Taking the chopsticks that appeared near her lunch she took a bite of what appeared to be fish and moaned in deep satisfaction.

Ashley hearing the nearly obscene sound looked up from her plate. Fortunately she had already swallowed otherwise she would be in dire need of the Heimlich maneuver “What the hell Saeko!”

The girl in question finished her miso soup and smacked her lips “Whatever do you mean my dear?”

Helena rolled her eyes “Oh stop it, you know very well. How did you manage that?” The Uchiha just smiled mysteriously when the blonde had another thought “Does dessert appear too?”

Saeko had to laugh, knowing her friend had a bit of a sweet tooth “Nope. I just have my Japanese style lunch. And, Kami knows I am soo grateful, also dinner and breakfast.”

The two witches sat with confused frowns, expecting their friend to elaborate on how she 'escaped the evil clutches of English food' as the ninja had often put it. Saeko sighed “Let's just say I made a friend in the kitchens. He listened to my reasons and agreed that I indeed need a healthier diet with my job and quidditch. And no, I can't tell you where the kitchens are or anything else, it was part of the deal.”

Ashley had her eyes narrowed but eventually just shrugged, content with the cuisine Hogwarts usually served. Helena looked a bit wistfully, clearly picturing cakes, premium teas and the like appearing out of thin air. “Lucky bastard” was her conclusion.

The scarred jounin was glad her specialized meal had not brought on jealousy on her friend's part and happily continued devouring her meal with obvious satisfaction.

Happily full the trio exited the Great Hall and decided to lounge in their Common Room before they had to go to History. They were halfway the corridor when Leon White and his friends greeted them. The handsome seeker immediately started a conversation with the girls, quite obviously focusing on the ninja.

Both Ashley and Helena, along with the seeker's friends were hiding small smiles as Leon tried to charm the Uchiha prodigy.

Finally the tallest Gryffindor snorted in amusement and Leon shot him a glare. Clearing his throat the seeker asked Saeko to speak to her in private and upon her nod he led her to the nearby corner.

The small group of friends were not the only ones to watch White finally making a move – the corridor was far from empty and the rumor mill about the two quidditch players was abuzz for quite some time.

“Is he finally gonna ask her?”, “About time”, “They would look good together”, “I really don't see what he sees in her” were some of the whispered reaction in the audience.

The students continued to look on with some amusement as Gryffindor boy finished his long monologue and Saeko started to reply.

Finally Leon shrieked “GAY?!”

Everybody got silent. Then a Slytherin prefect laughed out-loud “Man, I'm so glad I stuck around to see this!”

Some more murmurs broke out but most of the spectators, now thoroughly enjoying the show, looked on, waiting for more.

The ninja who was leaning on the wall chuckled “As a bag of skittles. My apologies but I have to decline your offer.” Saeko bowed slightly and left the flabbergasted boy behind.

“gay?” Leon said quietly again in disbelief.

As Saeko collected her friends more murmurs and some chuckles at White's unfortunate fate broke out. The crowd parted like the Red sea and the trio could walk out of the corridor without much trouble, not counting several disgusted looks. Despite the negative reactions it looked like the majority of the student body had no problem with her preference.

Two flights of stairs later Helena spoke up “Well, you did say he was 'soo not your type'. Now I see what you meant.”

The Uchiha smiled at her blonde friend, taking it as acceptance and she turned to face Ashley. The short brunette rolled her eyes and said teasingly “Just don't get grabby and we are cool. Hey, does this mean I can have Leon?”

At her friends' reaction she said defensively “What? He's cute!”


	17. 2- 17 Toaster Tales

Saeko jogged down the stairs into the Common room in her work-out gear. Looking around she spotted her target. “You ready Jared?” she asked the handsome 4th year.

The black boy sighed in mock resignation and stood up from the comfy chair. The beater duo repeated this routine every time they went to run and train – at the beginning Jared was horrified by the level of work her partner was making him do and the sigh was real - after a while he accepted it and even enjoyed it.

Jared and Saeko walked through the Castle in a moderate pace, enjoying the quiet the early morning provided them. As they stood before the open gates the boy shivered “Bloody winter!”

“I agree, I especially hate the dark” the kunoichi said between her stretches. Finishing their warm-up the Ravens broke into a jog, beginning their usual rounds.

It was almost light when the duo finished their sit-ups and push-ups, completing their routine. Slowly walking back Jared finally breached the topic he was itching to talk about “Word goes around about your interaction with White the other day.”

Saeko hummed noncommittally so the black boy continued “I'm cool with it, so just you know. The rest of the team will too, don't worry.”

“If I was worried about it I wouldn't have said anything in the first place, but thank you” the girl smiled.

Jared smiled as well but said in a worried tone “James is going to be a bit dicky about it though and Wayne and Rory will joke about it like there is no tomorrow.”

“I know” the Uchiha said disinterestedly.

“Hey, I was wondering how do you...” the beater begun but was promptly interrupted by the amused brunette “I hope you weren't going to ask about details, right?”

The 4th year cleared his throat in mild embarrassment “No, no, of course not!”

Saeko chuckled, already used to this line of questioning – well, girls tend to ask, guys usually spaced out and some began drooling. Ashley was particularly curious, she even woke Saeko up to answer more questions. “Hey, while we are remotely on the topic, you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?” the ninja asked, winking at the last part.

Jared spluttered and stopped walking. The scarred girl had to laugh out loud at the face her partner made. When the older student composed himself again he cleared his throat “Ok, first: I like the ladies as well. Second: no comment!”

“So you do! Come on, share! She a housemate? A Puff, Griff?” Saeko asked, clearly enjoying how the tables have turned.

“Not telling” Jared said resolutely. Saeko just walked alongside her friend, shooting puppy dog eye glances his way. He older raven crumbled “Ok, I like a girl and we are talking, that's it.”

Saeko nodded knowingly “Ahh, I get it. So, do you need a wingman to tell her how awesome you are?”

Bishop rolled his eyes “No way! Chances are you'd get her instead of me.”

“She cute? I may try making that true. Just kidding!” the Uchiha said hastily in response to her fellow beater's murderous glare.

“And that's why I'm not telling” Jared crossed his arms.

“Aw, don't be like that!” Saeko smirked as they entered the Castle.

* * *

**Charms Corridor**

“Good morning Uchiha” Lauren greeted her herbology partner.

Saeko took her eyes off the small pile of books in her arms “Oh, hey! Good morning to you too. Heading to the library?”

The red-head nodded “Indeed. I need to do some potions research. You?”

“Oh, those? They are professor Flitwick's books – he lent them to me. He really is a great Head of House, he indulges his Ravens” the ninja smiled.

Lauren looked curious “So this is bonus work? Care to share?”

“Mainly ice-spells, manipulation of elements, weather spells. Just theories, not even Flitwick would give directions to a second-year. Pity” Saeko sighed.

The Slytherin girl laughed “And here I thought the legends about Ravenclaw nerdiness were exaggerated.”

“Well, it is my belief that the Sorting Hat extrapolates the dominant trait between the four – ambition, loyalty, curiosity and great moral fiber. Subsequently the House cultivates their perceived strength thus reinforcing the stereotype” mused Saeko.

“Wow Uchiha. You really are the icon for Ravenclaw” the Brit shook her head. At Saeko's confused but definitely pleased face she continued “Well, you are the most visible Raven right now – top student, quidditch player and now featuring in many male fantasies.”

“Only male?” the kunoichi winked.

Lauren chuckled “That, I have no idea. Maybe when you are not thirteen.”

“That was cruel,” Saeko pouted “I'm perfect, so just you know. By the way do you know why the House animals are what they are?”

The green-tied girl shrugged “I just think they are the crests of the four founders.”

Saeko face-palmed “Yeah, that makes sense. I was over thinking it like an idiot. You know – the lion is the symbol for bravery and Gryffindor boasts about it so I somehow thought they reflect the attributes.”

“Hm. Well, I believe that the snake did help make a not so stellar reputation for Slytherin – all that original sin Christian rubbish. Before that the snake was a symbol for healing, did you know that?” Lauren asked.

“Asclepius, yes I know. It suits you” the ninja smiled.

“Of course, I forget you are both a pure-blood and a Raven. And what is with that? _Raven_ claw and your symbol is and eagle” asked the herbology-enthusiast.

The brunette shrugged “Well, the owl was already taken as messenger. I really don't know, my theory was garbage anyways.”

Lauren frowned “You know, it was noticed you get your sporadic mail by a raven. Many of my housemates commented about you taking your House allegiance too far.”

“A crow, not a raven actually. They are my brother's messengers. We are just weird like that way” Saeko smirked.

“I won't argue with that,” the red-head smiled, “Well, I really need to go to the library. Nice seeing you Uchiha.”

The jounin smiled and waved “You too Lewis. Good luck with potions:”

“No need!”

* * *

**Library**

“Need help with runes again?”

Faith's head snapped up from her book. When she spotted the Uchiha she smirked “Ooh? The current star of the Hogwarts rumor mill is talking to me?”

Saeko smirked as well “Finally someone who recognizes my awesomeness! What are you doing?”

“Reading?” the Hufflepuff quipped.

“Smartass” the ninja smiled and sat down at the table.

The lighter brunette chuckled “Curiously enough it is runes I'm reading but I'm almost finished. No books for you today?”

The ninja yawned “No, at least not yet. But you know us Ravens, we can't stay away from the library for too long.”

“Even the jocks?” Faith teased.

Saeko was confused “I beg your pardon?”

The Hufflepuff sighed “You must be a pureblood. I meant it as a joke but jock is a term for the classic male athlete, more muscle than brains and so on. They are one of the typical cliques in high school, at least according to US shows.”

“Oh! I get it. Well, not the male part since I am most definitely female, but I get the idea. You are a muggleborn then or do just enjoy the wonders of muggle technology?” the raven-haired asked.

Faith nodded resolutely “Yes, and quite proud of it.” When Saeko merely smiled, proof of her not being a muggle-hater as many purebloods from Slytherin, the British girl continued with a grin “You should've seen Mum when she found out about magic. She's a journalist you see, they almost had to sedate her when they told her she could not reveal anything of it. I think she sulks still and I wouldn't be surprised if someone had to _obliviate_ her already.”

The jounin raised an eyebrow “You don't mind your family being influenced in such a way? I think I would be pissed, even thou I understand the necessity.”

“Exactly – I understand the necessity. And I have read enough books and watched enough TV to know what would happen if something big like magic would be found out. Of course I don't want my mother to be the cause for war. Maybe if Dad was here he could calm her down” Faith concluded wistfully.

Saeko didn't know how to react to that statement but naturally she could not just pass it. Finally Faith saved her and answered the unspoken question “He was a soldier. He died in service.”

“My condolences. If it helps my family is military as far as our records go” the Uchiha bowed her head slightly.

The light-brunette was surprised “Really? I guess Asian magical culture must be a bit different than this one. Britain does not have a magical army as far as I know.”

Grinning to the private joke Saeko replied “It does not. Britain does only have Aurors and Hit Wizards – magical law enforcement. Even the last war was fought with merely battle experienced civilians.”

“Interesting,” Faith said lost in thought, “Does this mean you will follow tradition? Or you being here in Hogwarts changes things?”

The kunoichi straightened but said in a light tone “Following tradition. Can't very well leave my brother alone in it.”

“You have a brother. Cool, I have a sister and she is a pain in the ass. She is younger than me. I'm quite curious if she is magical as well – she will be 11 soon so maybe she will receive the Hogwarts letter as well” Faith changed topic.

Saeko smiled “That would be nice I guess. But I like being here alone – this way I'm the only one prodigious Uchiha.”

“I like your modesty by the way,” the Hufflepuff shook her head with a chuckle, “I think I will be the only Brennan in here too. I never noticed my little sis doing anything weird, but I'm hoping.”

“We'll see next year then. Well, I need to go. Nice flirting with ya!” Saeko smiled and stood up from her seat.

Faith arched an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side “So you were flirting with me.”

“Guilty as charged, couldn't help myself with such a beauty” the ninja smiled.

“Smooth Uchiha”

“Oh, please call me Saeko”

“See, a typical jock line. You should watch some television” Faith winked. Saeko grinned and walked out of the library.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Ashley was stretched on her bed flipping through an old book, obviously not very interested in it. Finally she sighed “Do you really have to sit in this weird way?”

Saeko and Helena were both sitting on their heels, back straight, in front of a wooden desk pad, writing. The Uchiha never took her eyes from the ink characters she created on paper “It's the seiza pose.”

“Traditionally used during tea ceremonies, flower arranging and calligraphy” Helena elaborated.

The scarred brunette smiled bitterly “True. But traditional families use it all the time. And I mean _all the time_!”

“Isn't it like really uncomfortable?” Ashley asked, mildly amused.

“Kami YES!” the kunoichi put the brush down, “But unfortunately traditional and polite back home. Nii-sama and I had to suffer through never-ending clan meetings stuck sitting like that. Finally I got used to it.”

“Sounds awful” the youngest Brit empathized, “What about you Helena? It's not obligatory right?”

Helena sighed and put her brush down “No, but it's a tradition. I like traditions. Besides, Papa conducts some of his business during tea ceremonies you know. And my calligraphy teacher says it's actually the best pose for writing – you have control.”

“Control”

“Yes”

“Of the brush” Ashley said skeptically.

“Yes” the blonde frowned.

“Uh, uh. Okay, whatever” was the reply. “So what are you writing?”

The tea connoisseur picked up her brush again “Poetry by Cai Xiang. I'm just learning so my teacher teaches me the characters from his works. I want to give the best one I manage to Saeko as a thank you.”

“So you like your birthday present? I'm glad” the Uchiha prodigy smiled.

Ashley mock-scowled “So five brushes warrant giving a present in return but my awesome gift of poker chips doesn't?”

“Five exquisite brushes, different sizes, made from blue glass and wolf hair. So as you would say – hell yeah! And Saeko appreciates the gesture despite being far more skilled in the art. Your gift is great so I might let you win a few times the next time we play” Helena winked.

“How magnanimous of you. I can beat you on my own, thank you very much” Ashley scowled. Throwing her book to the side she sighed again “I really don't understand you - we just got through a hell of a week – Snape was on a roll. It's Friday evening and we are stuffed in our room and you are playing with brushes!”

“It's calligraphy. And it's very relaxing” Helena replied airily.

Saeko snorted “And what have you been expecting,” she cleared her throat and put on a ridiculously high voice “Hey girrrls, it's Friday night. Let's go to a bar and get smashed! We could go dancing! Maybe meet some boys, have fun on our night out in town…”

“Har, har, very funny. We can have fun even here in the Castle” the short brunette rolled her eyes.

“This _is_ fun” the pureblood commented.

Ashley put her arm over her eyes “My god, no wonder other houses see us as boring nerds.”

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

“Since September I have been teaching you about minor curses and some attack spells– mainly how to recognize them along with some counters. Next semester I plan to delve into dark creatures. Since Christmas is only two weeks away I decided to give a preview on the subject. Also I will be giving you homework for the holidays” Bangasé begun.

The class let out a collective groan. One of the Gryffindor boys muttered “I thought only Snape does that.”

“Yes, homework,” the petite lady smirked, “As you know the _mundanes_ have a lot of myths, some of those of course include magic.” The teacher paused as her students snickered, “And many more involve some kind of creatures. Those creatures are often the cruel and terrifying antagonist but also benign beings that sought to help heroes on their path.”

Silence reigned upon the classroom, most people interested in the topic at hand. The dark woman continued “Many of those creatures do indeed exist, only unseen by non-magical eye - a dragon would be the perfect example – we know about them, we can even distinguish several breeds but for the _mundanes_ they are merely a fable.”

“I always wondered how many those myths are in fact based on truth. These stories are also present in magical stores and tales. Now to the homework part,” Bangasé smiled as another groan reverberated through the students, “I want two scrolls of parchment about a mythological being – _mundane_ or magical. I encourage choosing a creature you’ve heard about as children. I want you to write the myth they figure in, a general characteristic, its powers, how do people perceive them and so on. Even a comparison between the _mundane_ perception and the magical one is acceptable.

Letting it soak in the teacher continued “When we meet again in the new year each of you will give the assignment to me as well as present your paper to the class.”

There was veritable terror in the majority of the student’s eyes. Bangasé smirked “Also it stands to reason each of you chooses a different creature. In those two weeks please make your selection and tell me. Feel free to ask for advice, be it your parents or older housemates. Choose a topic you think will be interesting.”

“Now for the rest of the lesson I will briefly speak about the different mythologies around the world to facilitate your decision. Also please be sure about your topic when you approach me, I will not be changing it once it is made. Now if there are any more questions ask them at the end of class.” Hands went down. “Good, I will start with the mythology of my own continent…”

When the bell finally rang most of the second years were still deep in thought, clearly thinking about their new assignment. As the Ravenclaws made their way back to their tower Ashley was talking at light speed about several ideas she had for their homework. Finally Helena had enough “Geez! We get it, you can’t decide! Ask someone else, maybe someone who knows about this stuff!”

The short brunette paused, not insulted in the slightest “That’s actually a good idea! I’m going to write mom. And dad. And professor Ford. And maybe professor Peck would help me too… Thanks Helena! I gotta go!”

“What was that?” Saeko chuckled.

“Weird” the blonde shook her head in disbelief.

The Uchiha smiled “That was kind of adorable. Hey, any ideas on what are you going to choose?”

“No. This is more Ashley’s area of expertise. I think I will be going to the library after dinner. You?” asked the Brit.

Saeko nodded “Yeah, I was thinking about the Tailed Demons – from back home.”

The taller girl sighed “Sounds good. I’m pretty sure no one will be stealing that from you. Library for me it is then. I’m not as excited as dirt-digger there but I have to admit this topic is pretty interesting.”

 “True. We’ll see how fun the presentations will be” the jounin agreed.

Helena took a little notebook from one of her pockets and opened it “I bet 2 sickles that at least two students will be useless from stage-fright. Another sickle if one of those is my darling roommate.”

Saeko chuckled “You have a problem, you know that.”

“Is that a no bet?”


	18. 2- 18 Electric Christmas

Saeko promptly entered the Hokage's office, when one is called before 'the boss' by the ANBU one hurries. “Hokage-sama?”

“Saeko-kun, good morning. I have called you for a mission, I will brief you when your team gets here” Sarutobi smiled and the girl settled in a relaxed but alert stance.

One moment later another ninja entered the office with haste - an Inuzuka chuunin with a big dog with sandy fur. After greeting the Hokage the two lower-ranked ninja exchanged a nod as the door opened one more time. The newcomer was a tall blonde with her hair in a ponytail, a Yamanaka without a doubt.

“Good morning everyone. I have a mission for you – an A rank. We have gotten word about a Konoha missing-nin in the Land of Tea. Rokushō Aoi stole the Raijin no Ken, Senju Tobirama's sword and escaped the village. He is now a jounin of Amegakure. Your mission is to retrieve the sword and deal with Aoi – capture and bring him to Konoha for interrogation or if not possible kill him and bring back the body” the elder summarized.

The three ninja snapped at attention and nodded. Sarutobi continued his briefing “We know for a fact Aoi stopped at Honey Clover Inn in River Country. From there he made his way to Tea. Jounin Uchiha is in charge and will be the one taking down Aoi. Chuunins Inuzuka and Yamanaka you are the support and tracking. Yuuko-kun once Aoi is apprehended commence the interrogation.”

The blonde teenager nodded her assent. Sarutobi took off his hat and rubbed his forehead “Excellent. Now bring the Raijin no Ken back home.”

“Hai!” the team said in unison and left the office.

Once out of the door Saeko turned to face her team “Do you have everything you need on you or do you need to make a stop at home?”

The Inuzuka nodded but the blonde shook her head “I don't taichō, I was called in the middle of training my niece.”

Saeko nodded “Ok, so meet me at the gates in 30 minutes. Is that alright?”

“Hai” said both chuunins and disappeared in a shunshin.

The scarred kunoichi imitated them and appeared before the gates to the Uchiha Compound in a puff of smoke. Waving to the clansmen that stood guard she made her way to her brother's quarters to tell him about being out of the village for a while.

Ten minutes later she was at the gates talking with the chuunin guards which, to her big surprise, were not Izumo and Kotetsu but a very pretty kunoichi and a grumpy Hyuuga. Putting her best smile on she killed time by flirting with the girl which looked not much older than Saeko herself.

Finally her team assembled. Waving to them she filled the form for the guards and jogged to the two chuunins “Hey. If you are ready then we'll go. First things first though - I'm Uchiha Saeko, mainly ninjutsu and genjutsu specialist.”

“Oh, we know” said the pretty Yamanaka. At Saeko's arched eyebrow she replied in a 'duh' voice “Konoha no Amaterasu. I'm Yamanaka Yuuko, interrogation and poisons.”

“Inuzuka Touru and this big guy is Sunamaru; tracking and taijutsu” said the feral-looking chuunin.

Saeko nodded and went back to business “Touru, I imagine we have to pick the target's scent first?”

The dark haired tracker sighed “Yes. I could track the raiton chakra in the sword but I don't really know how it works so I don't think we could rely on that.”

“Thought so. To the Land of Rivers then, we can track get his scent from there. Righty-ho then!” said the Uchiha and took off at a high speed. Her team was quick to match her pace. Saeko calculated that they should make it to their destination by early evening even with breaks.

As the ninja made their way to the inn the jounin subtly glanced at her team, happy that for once she received capable ninja close to her age. Touru had to be the oldest of them, she estimated seventeen, while Yuuko looked younger, probably Saeko's own age or slightly older.

X

**River Country**

“The Inn should be right ahead” Touru reported. It actually was one of the few sentences the team exchanged during their journey.

Saeko slowed down in response “We made a good time, perfect. Touru, Sunamaru please take care of what needs to be done to track the target and meet us for dinner. The barkeep is an associate of Konoha so he will help you to single out Aoi's scent.”

The shinobi nodded and true to his words a building appeared behind a hill. Not bothering with a henge the team entered the inn. The two girls sat at a table half-hidden in a shadowy corner while the Inuzuka went to obey his captain's orders.

Yuuko ordered a light dinner as did the Uchiha. Saeko appreciated her teammate did remain professional and was still fully alert. They entertained themselves with small-talk but their focus was on the mission. Not long after their drinks arrived Touru and his canine companion were back “We're all set.”

“Good work” the jounin smiled slightly and went back to her tea.

“What's next? Do we hire a boat to Tea or do we run?” the blonde asked.

Saeko smiled mysteriously “Neither.”

The chuunin duo looked curious but knew better than to question their captain. With sparse conversation they finished their meal and paid. Leaving the inn the Uchiha was pleased to notice the sky was getting darker. The Leaf ninja casually strolled to the seashore that was not far from the inn.

It was almost dark when they reached the water. “Anyone around?” Saeko asked their tracker.

Touru shook his head. At his reassurance the black-eyed kunoichi bit her thumb whispered “Kuchiose no Jutsu.”

Chakra pulsed and three large birds appeared in mid air before their summoner, “Saeko-sama” they exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Hello boys. Team, meet the triplets Første, Andre and Tredje” the girl introduced the ravens.

After greeting were exchanged the brunette smiled “Team, take your pick. These big fellas will help us to cross the water, right?”

“Sure thing!” said the siblings.

The chuunins shook out the surprise and each mounted a raven. “Looks like it's me and you Andre. Oh and boys, please fly gently – my team never flew before to my knowledge and we could use a couple of hours of sleep.”

After consulting the map Saeko explained her summon where to go and the trio took flight. The jounin grinned at her team's discomfort and instructed them how to properly sit and not fall at the first flap of wings. When they were all settled the jounin made herself comfortable and proceeded to take a nap to recover from the run and the big summoning just now.

X

**Land of Tea**

The sun just begun to rise when Saeko woke up. Discreetly wiping the drool from Andre's feathers she looked around her and noticed she was the last to wake. Stretching her arms she asked “Report Andre.”

“Nearly there, that bit just ahead is land” said the raven.

“Excellent! Great job guys. What about you?” the brunette asked her human companions.

Touru looked a bit green and had Sunamaru in a death grip said feebly “Swell.”

The Yamanaka on the other hand looked hyper “Splendid, absolutely splendid! You are the best team-leader ever and have the coolest summons!”

Saeko had to laugh at Yuuko's enthusiasm, especially when she squealed in delight as Tredje accelerated slightly and did a cartwheel maneuver.

As the Land of Tea was nearing Saeko went back in mission-mode and watched her subordinates to do the same. When the triplets reached dry land Saeko instructed them to land in the nearby forest. The ravens landed carefully, aware of their inexperienced cargo so the Leaf nins could jump down.

Touru mumbled a quick 'thanks' and immediately sat down. Taking deep breaths he unsealed his water bottle and drunk deeply. Sunamaru barked softly as if he was thanking for the passage.

Yuuko was literally pouting and hugged Tredje in goodbye “Thank you so much, it was great!”

“Thank you Første, Andre, Tredje” Saeko smiled warmly at her summons and stroked their feathery backs. The ravens cawed and disappeared in a large puff of smoke.

“So what now my awesomest taichō?” the Yamanaka asked, struggling to focus on the mission after such excitement.

The scarred Uchiha went over to Touru and patted his back soothingly “Well, as soon as our tracker recovers he should lead us to the target, Right?”

The Inuzuka nodded and took another swig from his bottle “Hai taichō, just please give me a minute. I'm a firm believer people were made to stay firmly on the ground.”

The blonde kunoichi rolled her eyes at the dramatic statement while Saeko unsealed her own water and a ration bar for breakfast.

Five minutes later the trio was ready to go and fully alert. Touru and Sunamaru had picked up a faint scent of the missing-nin and the Leaf ninja broke into a run to follow the trail. No one spoke as they tracked the Konoha nin turned thief.

It was nearing noon when Touru spoke up “He's been around here recently. He and three others, I would guess other Ame ninja.”

“Good. If there are others you two take care of them, I'll take the traitor. Let's speed up” Saeko instructed. The order was obeyed without question and soon they were literally flying through the forest.

Not much later the Inuzuka held up his hand. At his gesture the team slowed down to a stop. “What is it?” the brunette asked, her senses straining to pick up any hostiles.

“Close now, but I sense two more presences near the target - one shinobi for sure and the other has a small chakra presence too but I'm not sure. Also two more a mile in that direction, both shinobi. The last person is running in that direction but he's definitely civilian” the Inuzuka reported.

“Let's proceed carefully. Aoi is our priority, neutralize the others but do not kill the civilians, bad for business. Keep an eye on the two shinobi in distance, I'll leave them to you” the jounin planned.

“Hai taichō” said Yuuko and drew a handful of senbons to emphasize.

Touru nodded but his nose was still in the air. Suddenly Sunamaru barked softly and the ninja turned to face his canine companion “I think you are right Sunamaru.”

Saeko arched her eyebrow impatiently. Touru rubbed his neck sheepishly “Sorry taichō. We think the shinobi presence near the target is the Uzumaki boy.”

“Smelling a fox?” Yuuko asked in joke but at the Uchiha's glare she looked down.

“We have an ally then, a better scenario than before. My orders stand though. Oh, and don't get killed” Saeko instructed and drew her tantō.

Mindful of potential traps and ambushes the team ran to their target. Soon he was in full view. The trio concealed themselves in the tree line to evaluate the situation.

The tall man with the Ame headband had to be their target. He was wielding the Raijin no Ken, easily recognizable as the blade was made purely from yellow lightening. It was said the sword could withstand even the most powerful jutsus. This rumor appeared to be true as Aoi parried something that had to be the fabled rasengan – courtesy of Naruto. It was indeed the Uzumaki who appeared to be protecting a teenager dressed in civilian clothes.

Saeko frowned “Touru, on my signal get the boy from the fight zone. Protect him until I get Naruto to take over as it appears to be his mission. Yuuko, create a diversion. If you actually hit him that'd be a huge bonus. Ready? GO!”

Yuuko immediately threw her senbon with deadly accuracy while Touru and Sunamaru raced to the civilian, Saeko not far behind them but with a different target in mind.

Aoi jumped back and brought the Raijin to block all the projectiles. The Inuzuka grabbed the boy by his clothes and got him to the opposite tree line. Sunamaru hunched protectively over their charge.

The Ame jounin eyed the newcomers with a deep frown, retreating so he had them all in sight. Naruto on the other hand asked loudly “What the hell? Saeko?”

Plotting how to get Aoi down quickly the Uchiha asked formally “Indeed. Chuunin Uzumaki, your mission?”

The Uzumaki straitened his jacket “My team and I are to protect Idate while he races to the shrine.”

“Continue with your mission then. If it is a race time is of the essence then. Go!” Saeko said to her friend, her eyes never leaving Aoi.

Naruto looked like he wanted to argue but then quickly went to the newly identified Idate and grabbed a rope from the destroyed bridge. Aoi took out his umbrella to impede the runner and his protector.

Before the Ame nin could perform the customary _Jouro Senbon_ Saeko fired a speedy _Gōkakyū no Jutsu_. Aoi was forced to abandon his technique and dodge the massive fireball.

Saeko immediately clashed her wind-powered tantō with the legendary sword. Aoi's muscles bulged to parry the blow as he looked at where the blades met, which meant he looked directly in the Uchiha's Sharingan eyes. The scarred kunoichi weaved a double-layered illusion to ensnare her opponent.

Even before the missing-nin attempted to dispel the genjutsu Saeko cut one of his arms off with a high-powered _diffindo_. As the man recoiled her tantō cut the sword-wielding arm. Quickly sealing her wand she snatched the Raijin from the heavily bleeding Aoi.

“Yuuko!” Saeko cried out as she backed off. The Yamanaka was quick and four poisoned senbon impaled the Ame shinobi.

 “Touru, perimeter!” was the jounin's second order.

Sunamaru barked as his human interpreted “We're clear, the two shinobi are Uzumaki's team.”

The Yamanaka was kneeling beside the downed enemy and was trying to stop the bleeding. The blonde reported without prompting “He'll live. I have him sedated, he's not a danger.”

“Thank Kami, I went a little overboard” Saeko sighed in relief.

Touru literally barked in laughter “A little?”

The jounin looked uncomfortable “I'm not used to leaving people alive. Gotta love genjutsu though.”

Saeko took a blank sealing scroll from her flak jacket and sealed the Raijin no Ken inside. Placing it back into the appropriate pocket she surveyed her own blade, noting a crack despite having it protected by wind chakra during the fight.

“He should be okay now but I'm no medic” the blonde chuunin reported.

“Thank you, excellent job. Touru, can you take him?” the captain asked. As the feral-looking ninja carefully put their prisoner over his shoulder Saeko looked in the direction Naruto went “We'll go to the shrine, there should be a healer there. As soon as it's safe commence the interrogation, just in case he doesn't last.”

The team and Naruto's, which arrived during Aoi's treatment, ran to the shrine. Saeko asked Sakura if she had any medicine on her but the girl shook her head and said she used it up when Aoi first attacked them.

When they arrived at their destination the jounin said “Yuuko you have Aoi, Sakura, Sai go with her and guard the prisoner. Me and Touru will fetch Naruto and find you.”

The Leaf ninja nodded and departed. Saeko turned to the Inuzuka “Can you find him?”

Touru snorted as if insulted “Naturally, he's that way with the boy from earlier. Which reminds me, I think I have seen the boy before.”

“Me too” replied Saeko and unsealed he copy of the Bingo Book.

“You can't be serious” the shinobi said flatly.

The Uchiha merely hummed and quickly turned the pages. Finally she exclaimed “Here he is! Morino Idate, wanted in Konoha for theft, genin level. No other information.”

“Huh?” Touru said, “Wait, Morino? As in Morino Ibiki?”

“Looks that way” Saeko hummed and summoned one of her messenger ravens. Quickly writing a message the bird took flight.

X

**A day later**

Naruto was annoying as usual, not content that Saeko 'stole his kill'. The girl just said 'mission' every time he brought that up.

The two teams occupied a large comfortable room in the Wasabi Compound, courtesy of Idate's boss while they waited for a boat from Konoha. Yuuko was immersed in the prisoner's mind, looking for useful information while she had Sakura monitor his life signs. The others took turn for guard duty. Saeko had Touru keep a discrete eye on Idate, despite the fact that the Hokage's message said to leave him alone.

Finally the boat arrived. Yuuko together with Sai and Sakura carefully took the unconscious prisoner on board. It came as a surprise that together with their ride came the best the Konoha T&I had to offer – Morino Ibiki. Seeing Idate and Ibiki interact the reason became clear.

As the mission was almost over Saeko and her original team begun to relax. Yuuko and Saeko spent quite a while gossiping – well more that Yuuko was updating Saeko on what she missed when she was in Scotland. Even Touru joined them as they discussed the possibility of a relationship between Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai Yuuhi.

Quite a big portion of Saeko's time was taken by dodging Naruto's pleas for a spar despite the idea of fighting on a ship being incredibly stupid. One thing the jounin took great pleasure in was teasing the blond about his attire – he wore something like the standard Konoha uniform but instead of blue it was burnt orange, clashing terribly with the light green chuunin vest. The jinchuuriki's reaction was “It was a gift from Ero-sennin and it's awesome.”

“It's better than your old jumpsuit, I grant you that” Saeko sighed and raised her hands defensively.

The journey to Konoha did not take long. Saeko had already formally transferred custody of Rokushō Aoi over to Ibiki so when the group reached the village gates she quickly filled up the paperwork and they went to report to the Hokage.

A-rank missions had priority so they waited just a little while. Leaving Naruto's team behind Saeko, Yuuko and the Inuzuka duo entered Sarutobi's office.

Saeko presented the scroll that held the Raijin no Ken and the custody papers. The elder thanked her with a smile “Excellent, well done. Now report please.”

The Uchiha as the one in charge went over the mission - higher-rank missions required both the oral and written reports.

Sarutobi was quite pleased with the outcome of the mission and after handing their written report, Yuuko's being the thickest for obvious reasons, the group was dismissed. The trio went to collect their pay and Saeko had the addition of the bounty for Aoi. She offered a portion to Yuuko but she refused “You had him down by yourself.”

The now dissolved team exited the Hokage Tower. Squinting in the sunlight Saeko spoke up “I'm gonna go celebrate a bit, who's game?”

“I'm starving but I promised my girlfriend I would come straight home” Touru smirked, apparently quite pleased with himself.

“Well, I'm in. I have a craving for dango and some booze. You okay with that taichō?” Yuuko nudged the jounin.

Saeko smiled “Perfect! And I'm not your captain anymore.”

The Yamanaka flicked her hair behind her shoulder “I know but it suits you. How about we go change and meet in that dango shop near the smithy, you know which one?”

“It's a date” Saeko winked.


	19. 2- 19 Downtime

The Uchiha slumped onto her bed “I can't believe I actually missed this place. If I didn't have to fight Guy just the other day I would be worried about getting mellow.”

"Did you say something?" Ashley said from her own bed, her hand over her eyes.

"Nothing really. I just can't believe a journey by train can be so exhausting."

The lighter brunette propped herself on her elbow "You're aware you were napping the entire trip right?"

"Hey, I was tired. And I did work during the holidays you know. Fortunately only Snape and Bangasé gave us any homework" Saeko retorted.

Ashley had the decency to look a bit embarrassed "I did not think of that. And we are just lucky our House is so good with spellwork otherwise we would have much more work to do."

“Indeed, that would be troublesome” the black-haired jounin used the Nara catch phrase.

The two girls laid down in silence, both nearly falling asleep when a loud knock reverberated through their room. Saeko just groaned as Helena spoke up from behind the door “Are you two ready for supper?”

“Hell yeah!” Ashley nearly catapulted herself from her bed with a bright grin.

Saeko merely rolled on her other side and murmured “Count me out, I'm tired.”

Helena entered the room “Did you not hear? Supper…”

“Yeah. As I stated before, thanks but no thanks. I still have stuff from home and my holidays were eventful” said the ninja not moving an inch from her bed.

The British duo just shrugged. The blonde finally said “If you are sure. See you tomorrow then. Good night.”

When the two younger girls left the ninja groaned once more “I hate you Guy and mini-Guy… How can someone be so cheerful every morning?”

After a few minutes of doing nothing Saeko finally got up and changed into her sleeping-wear and ventured into the girls bathroom. Once back she settled under the covers and unsealed the book she received from Naruto as her belated birthday present – it was supposedly a great book since his sensei could not stop reading it.

Few minutes later she began giggling. “Kakashi is a genius and Naruto seriously needs _the talk_. I hope there is a yuri version of this as well…”

…

“Hmm Shizuku-chan, forget Ryuutaro, Misaki is the one for you. Hihihi”

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

The class was unusually nervous when Bangasé took the attendance. All the students had their homework before them stacked in a neat pile waiting for further instructions.

When the pygmy sorceress was finished she flashed her audience a smile “As you well know I gave you homework just before Christmas. I am pleased to see it before you. Mr. Gifford, Mr. Sands please collect them.”

Graham and a boy from Gryffindor obediently stood up and complied. Bangasé smiled as the papers landed onto her desk “Excellent. I will be dedicating four lessons to the presentations so everybody will have a turn. And be advised, some interesting facts from them could find their way into the exam in June. Now, who wants to go first?”

Predictably Peter and Ashley shot their hands into the air before anyone could even move. Graham who was sitting close to Helena groaned and gave few copper coins to the blonde. Saeko rolled her eyes as peter made his way to the blackboard “You bet on that? You really do have a problem”

The blonde smirked and whispered back “Yup. We made a friendly wager yesterday on the train, Caitlin as well. You were asleep so I didn't include you.”

“Mr. Hill, what is your topic?” asked the diminutive teacher.

Peter smiled brightly and cleared his throat “The _basilisk_.”

“Very well. Please pay attention, class. You may begin” Bangasé said and sat down onto her seat.

Saeko found the lecture extremely interesting, reinforcing her resolve to take Care of Magical Creatures as her elective. The lesson progressed quickly – Peter was followed by the eager Ashley who pouted at the little time Bangasé allowed them to make the presentation, just enough to go over the basics and the myth that surrounds their chosen creature. In the end seven people made their way in front of the class, Saeko included. When the bell rang the students had notes on the _basilisk_ , _norn_ , _djinn_ , _garuda_ , _skylla_ , _símurgh_ and the _bijuu_.

It was one of the best classes the Ravens have ever had during their short stay at Hogwarts so when they all made their way to the Ravenclaw tower they were abuzz. Peter and Ashley were especially loud, both of them disappointed they had to shorten their presentation.

Caitlin rolled her eyes at the historian duo's antics, she poked Saeko in the ribs and whispered “Why did we let them go first? They set the bar ridiculously high, I almost pity the Gryffs.”

“You say it like we would be able to make them go later” the ninja sniggered.

“Right. By the way your myth was brilliant and one I never heard before” the Irish girl complimented.

The Uchiha smiled and nodded in thanks as the group arrived to the raven knocker. Ironically the answer to the riddle/password was _chimera_.

Since the second years had a free period before lunch the majority of them decided to review potions – they had a double feature in the afternoon. Saeko was content with sitting next to her friends drinking tea – she was quite lucky Snape focused on other students and never tried anything with the ninja. Getting bored she entertained herself with creating a small maelstrom in her cup, a minor suiton exercise. Now that she had her well-deserved after-mission rest she was eager for any kind of action.

“Saeko!” came a voice she hoped would be her salvation.

“Jamie-taichō, good to see you!” the kunoichi greeted and walked up to her quidditch captain, “Did you have a nice holiday?”

The platinum blonde smiled and nodded “I did, you? Listen, I know it's cold as hell outside but we are going to have practice anyways. Our match with Slytherin is in March but we can't slack. Our victory against the Puffs was no fluke and we need to show it.”

“Don't worry, we will be ready. And as for the cold we have heating charms” Saeko smiled.

“I expect whining anyway,” the older girl sighed, “But they already know it won't help then one bit.”

Saeko chuckled “True. When is the practice then?”

“Tomorrow before dinner” was the reply.

“I'll be there”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Ashley and Caitlin made their way to the sofas near the fireplace while laughing loudly. The duo sat down next to Saeko and Helena. The blonde looked up from the newspaper and arched her eyebrow “What's so funny?”

The Irish girl could not stop laughing so Ashley replied “The first-year Gryffindors pulled an awesome prank on Filch. It was those twins again. They are quite talented, the magic is quite complex for first years.”

Saeko perked up “Yeah, I heard about it, but I haven't seen Filch yet.”

“You have to! It's hilarious” Caitlin finally recovered.

Helena frowned and folded her paper “I didn't find it funny. Quite the opposite actually – Filch might not be pleasant but with him being a squib getting rid of those pranks means him asking a professor to do it for him. Very mean I would say.”

“Oh,” Caitlin looked down, “I didn't know he was a squib. It would explain why Filch hates students this much.”

The girls sat in an uncomfortable silence for a bit so Saeko smiled widely and spun the tale of one of Naruto's greatest pranking exploits. Then another and another. Soon the girls were roaring with laughter.

Ashley said as she wiped her eyes “Your friends from Konoha are a riot. Poor Shikamaru though.”

“Are you kidding? He deserved it and it was an exquisite prank” the scarred brunette grinned.

Even Helena was amused “It was. I can see you miss them.”

“Yeah, a bit. My brother thought so too, he actually sent me a picture we have taken all together some time ago” the ninja smiled.

“Really? I hadn't noticed a new photo in our room” Ashley remarked.

Saeko shrugged “I didn't have a frame for it.”

“So, what are you waiting for? Go and get it!” Ashley chirped.

“The frame?” the raven-haired was confused.

Caitlin rolled her eyes “No you dummy, the photo. We are curious about them. You are usually so secretive.”

The jounin looked around and saw her friend's eager faces, groaned but obediently stood up. Quickly fetching the photo she returned and gave it to Ashley.

“Strange clothing” Helena remarked and Caitlin nodded in agreement

The kunoichi hummed “For you maybe. Each culture is different – even British magicals and muggles dress differently. So, those are my friends. Coincidentally nearly all of them are heirs to their respective clans.” After that she proceeded to name each figure in the picture with a small commentary.

“What was the blonde's name again?” Helena asked.

Saeko grinned almost lecherously “Yamanaka Ino. Why?”

“There goes the grin again, are you dating her or something?” the blonde probed. At her question both Ashley and Caitlin looked at the Uchiha, eager for juicy gossip.

“No, I am not” Saeko said with the same grin. The girls stayed silent, waiting for more info. The Uchiha prodigy was not above boasting “Well, she does have a very pretty cousin named Yuuko. That's all I'm saying on the topic.”

As Saeko spaced out a bit the redhead narrowed her eyes “And there is that grin again.”

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

  _Saeko was sitting in the dango restaurant, drinking tea and basking in the sunlight with her eyes closed. She just ordered another set of skewers of dango when a bright voice interrupted her sleepy state “Hey taichō, room for one more?”_

_The jounin opened her eyes and smiled at Yuuko “For you? Always.”_

_“Thanks Saeko” said the blonde and sat down. She flagged down the waitress and asked for bocchan dango. “Relaxing after a mission?” the older girl asked._

_“Nope, relaxing before a mission actually,” the scarred kunoichi replied, “You? I haven_ _'_ _t seen you from our little celebration of the Aoi mission.”_

_The Yamanaka sighed “I got drafted to another mission, with my old genin team actually. It went well but alas no flying. I think no mission can top that one, I might just retire now.”_

_Saeko laughed at the flattering joke “We can_ _'t have that, it looks like we will have to go on another mission together.”_

_“Retirement is put off then. Another mission would be excellent!” the blonde grinned._

_“I'd like that. It's not often I get to work with a very capable ninja close to my age. It will have to wait though, I'm going on a long-term mission tomorrow” the Uchiha_ _said with slight disappointment, she really did like working with the blonde._

_Yuuko frowned “Oh, pity then. How long and what rank it is?”_

_“Six months. It_ _'s a solo A-rank” the jounin could not help but boast lightly._

_The blonde was impressed “Wow, that_ _'s quite something. Although it disrupts my plan a little bit.” When Saeko arched her eyebrow the chuunin smirked “Well, I planned on asking you out. If you are leaving tomorrow how about dinner, tonight?”_

_“That_ ' _s quite forward of you. What makes you think I will say yes?” Saeko smiled._

_The Yamanaka smiled as well, now quite confident “Just a hunch. Normally I would wait but since you are leaving… Well, let's just say I work under Anko when I'm at T &I.”_

_Saeko laughed “That explains a lot. Very well then, I accept.”_

**_*Flashback*_ **

 

“And what happened next?” Ashley asked eagerly.

The scarred jounin shook her head with a smile “This time I'm really not telling.” Saeko stretched on the loveseat she was sitting on and closed her eyes, signalizing the end of the conversation.

“You are totally thinking about it now” Ashley commented.

“Hmm…”

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

_It was quite late when Saeko and Yuuko walked towards the clan district. As they approached the crossroad the blonde stopped walking. She turned and smiled at her companion “Dinner was lovely as was the company. It is a real shame you have a mission to go to.”_

_Saeko nodded, the evening had been really nice indeed._

_“You know, I can_ _'t really let you leave without a proper incentive to come back, A-ranks are difficult after all” Yuuko smirked and invaded the brunette's personal space._

_The kiss started slowly. It was Saeko_ _'s first kiss so she was grateful for the time to learn and explore the possibilities. With her eyes closed the Uchiha let herself enjoy the pleasurable sensation that only increased when Yuuko gently brushed her tongue over her lower lip. Instinctually Saeko's lips parted, welcoming the probing muscle. The kiss grew more heated, both girls unconsciously clinging to each other. Finally they separated._

_Saeko was left breathless. Yuuko was visibly pleased with herself._

_Before the older girl could make a comment Saeko went for another kiss, applying the knowledge she gained only moments prior. When they separated again she could not help but to smile smugly – after all the Uchiha were known to be fast learners._

_And they liked to have the last word._

**_*Flashback*_ **

 

“… Nope” Saeko smirked.


	20. 2- 20 Between School and Fun

**Potions Classroom**

Both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students sat in an unnatural silence, barely moving – a hard-learned routine for potions lessons. The second years tensed even more when their teacher finally glided into the room and took his place before the blackboard.

“Open your books at page 43. Today we will be brewing the Wiggenweld potion” the man said in his customary near-whisper.

When the shuffling of pages subsided Snape continued “Wiggenweld is a healing potion with the power to awaken a person from a magically-induced sleep. Pair up so that I don't have to clean any _accidents_. It is not hard to make but it requires continuous stirring. Between the pairs you should have enough intelligence not to mess it up. You have two hours, begin now.”

Saeko resealed her cauldron since she will be sharing Helena's, her usual potions partner. Meanwhile the blonde studied the brewing instructions in the book. “The ingredients are fairly common with the exception of unicorn horn powder and sloth brain mucus” the Brit said with a disgusted grimace.

“I'll go get them. Anything else?” asked the ninja.

“A slice of boiled mandrake, we have the rest” Helena replied while studying the book closely.

The Uchiha nodded and went to the ingredients room. The small storage room was in one word creepy – Saeko had always the feeling of entering an Orochimaru's lab, she always pictured it like this – dark and full of unidentifiable things floating in various liquids. Quickly fetching the needed ingredients, it had been necessary to gently shove Michelle aside – the girl always spent too much time to get the _best_ ingredient for her potion, Saeko returned to her seat.

Helena had already poured the horklump juice basis of the potion in the cauldron, slowly heating it while carefully measuring flobberworm mucus. The scarred girl put her load on the table and took the wooden ladle that was prescribed by the book. As the second ingredient was added Saeko began stirring the liquid in gentle clockwise motions.

When the chime rung to signalize the first hour of the potions double feature has passed the girl's potion was a pale purple – the ideal half-way state. Since it was Helena's turn to stir their concoction the kunoichi subtly glanced around the room to gauge their progress. There had been no explosions so she counted it as a success.

Saeko cast the tempus spell to ascertain whether it was time to add another component. Counting few more minutes she carefully added 20 drops of honeywater that caused the potion to darken.

“Hey, could you stir for awhile? My hand is going numb” Helena whispered to her partner.

The kunoichi shrugged “Sure.”

“You idiot!” Snape shouted, “Fresh mint is needed! You always add fresh ingredients if not stated otherwise! What a bunch of dunderheads!”

The unfortunate Hufflepuffs who messed up were cowering before the potion master's glare. Saeko could see another pair quickly shove their mint leaves in their bags and look for a replacement.

Snape waved his wand over the vivid blue potion which was bubbling dangerously “ _Evanesco!”_

The potion vanished and the two students were left with an empty cauldron. The professor glared at them one more time “Thirty points from Hufflepuff and you both get D for this ghastly performance. Now get out!” The confused students slowly gathered their things and with one more look at the teacher the defeated duo left the classroom.

“Well, that was exciting” Saeko said sotto-voce. Helena merely nodded and hastened to add boom berry juice to the potion which began to shimmer.

The class progressed without anymore incidents and when the bell finally rang the majority of the class had their potion ready. Snape looked over his students “Take a vial of your work, label it and put it on my desk. Mr. Milton, Ms. Bright, you two don't bother. Your potion is clearly of poor quality.”

“Ouch” Saeko murmured as she labeled her vial full of the green potion. Quickly putting it on the desk she and her friends fled the classroom before Snape could knock off points for breathing loudly or something of the sort.

When all the Ravens were outside the room they all collectively exhaled in relief. Graham summed it up “That went well.”

“True. At least our points are safe till next week” said Peter and the group took off.

* * *

**Charms Corridor**

Saeko was leaning on the wall opposite a classroom on the fourth floor waiting for the bell to ring. When it finally did the students trickled outside, most of them chatting. When the ninja spotted the person she was waiting for she called out “Faith!”

The busty brunette turned and Saeko lightly jogged by her side “You got a minute?”

“Sure. I need to go to the library, would you care to accompany me?” Faith smiled.

“It would be my honor,” the Raven smirked, “It would seem we are forever destined to meet in the library.”

“And you wanted to break that horrible circle by waiting for me after Runes? Looks like I thwarted your vile plan” the older girl laughed.

The Uchiha pouted “You are a cruel witch.”

The duo proceeded to walk towards their destination while talking about their holidays – or at least the parts that were not mission related, and presents. When the conversation turned towards the approaching Quidditch season the discussion turned more heated. Saeko had no idea her friend was such an avid fan based on her non-reaction about her House's defeat by Raven hands and voiced the thought.

Faith shrugged “It was a good match, I won't begrudge your victory. But this time we will not lose, the Gryffs are going down!”

“You are a vicious lot, no matter what anyone says” Saeko could not help but grin, “But I will be rooting for you as well.”

“Of course you will - it's more convenient for the Ravens.”

“Or maybe I just like their style” Saeko countered.

Faith smirked “Ya, me too. They remind me of my favorite team actually.”

“Which is?” the raven-haired girl asked.

“Falmouth Falcons. But I'm also partial to the Holyhead Harpies – go girl power!”

Saeko had to laugh “Sounds about right. I like the Toyohashi Tengu”

The Hufflepuff immediately perked up which led to another heated discussion about foreign teams and their merits – something Saeko looked up first thing to blend in better but afterwards she just became interested.

When the bell rang both girls realized they spent an entire hour talking. “Oh, shite! I was supposed to be working” Faith exclaimed.

“Wow, now I'm officially more interesting then books” the ninja smirked.

Faith shot her a playful glare “Sure, keep telling yourself that. Hell, I have Potions now.”

The Uchiha shuddered “Good luck with that. I gotta go too actually – Flitwick promised me a book. See ya around?”

“Maybe I'll find you here, in the library again” Faith smirked at the last part.

“Well, I am a Ravenclaw” the Uchiha trailed out with a smile, “Hey, how about I sit with you during your match against the Gryffs? As I stated earlier I would be rooting for the Badgers. How about it?”

Faith regarded the kunoichi with a long appraising look “I guess it wouldn't be a problem.”

“Great. I'll find you. See ya!” Saeko grinned and rushed to her appointment.

* * *

**Female Quidditch Locker Room**

“I don't envy the Gryffs and Puffs if this weather holds up” Saeko commented as she took off her soaked quidditch uniform.

Jamie took a towel from her locker “Me too, I hate wearing goggles. But if by any chance it will be us who has to fly in the rain we will be ok. Our flying today was great.”

The Uchiha smiled “Thank you taichō!”

 “That means captain, right? I like it, it makes me sound cool” the blonde chuckled.

“Well, you are _THE_ captain who got us a very long awaited victory on the Quidditch pitch” Saeko winked. Jamie rolled her eyes but also smiled. The Konoha nin continued “That's actually big you know – we basically have the same people on the team but last year it was hopeless.”

Jamie frowned slightly “Yeah, it was. Sykes was not a good pick for captain. She was a good seeker but she didn't hold the candle to Frost - he's really good. I'd like to think I made the team more of a team. You know what I mean – more cohesive, more cooperative. Oh and Jennifer was always brooding, never knew why but I confess I didn't really care, she was depressing.” The platinum blonde took a clean shirt from her locker and sighed “As for beaters… Jared was new – like wet behind his ears new and Walker was too preoccupied with his studies. He wasn't bad but I always got the feeling he joined the team just to look better before his girlfriend. I guess it worked since I heard they are getting married.”

“Good for him then. But it would explain why he held onto the team even during his last year. I heard most Ravenclaw quidditch players quit the team for their NEWTs” Saeko mused.

The older girl nodded “Yes. If you are not shooting for pro then it makes sense to study instead – in Ravenclaw at least.”

“How about you?” the raven-haired teen asked.

“Am I going for pro? No way. I like Quidditch but it's more of a hobby. I would like to work in magical law. I'm studying it in my spare time. My gran was a lawyer and she had the best stories.  I became interested and now I really think it's what I want to do. It's quite fascinating” Jamie said with deep passion that was typical for the blue-bronze House.

Saeko was impressed “I would never have guessed. But it's great you have such a clear idea of what you want to do.” Suddenly the brunette chuckled “Hey, is there a subject in Hogwarts that would actually be useful for a lawyer? I would say History if it wasn't for Binns, but otherwise I don't know.”

The fifth year grimaced “Yeah, actual History would be nice. But you are right. Hogwarts does provide basic magical education but for most jobs you have to learn on your own or have an apprenticeship. I'm lucky that my da's best friend is a partner in a law firm. He sends me books and promised me a spot if I'm still interested when I finish school.”

“That's great!” Saeko smiled, glad her future was already sorted.

“Yeah,” Jamie said a bit dejectedly, “Only the last book he sent me was _'Pureblood Ethics and Manners'_. It's a huge tome and soo boring. I'm a pureblood but our family never used that stuff. Thank the gods for that.”

Saeko nodded “I feel ya. As the Uchiha heirs my brother and I were drilled in politics and all the works. It's useful but I hated it also.”

The girls finished dressing in silence, both deep in thought after the conversation. When both were ready the scarred kunoichi smiled “Shall we brave the rain?”

“I'm really glad Wayne leant us this umbrella. He said he charmed it himself so let’s give it a try” Jamie looked suspiciously at the object in her hand.

“Lets”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko and her friends were sitting near the fireplace, reading. The ninja was immersed in a book she took from the Uchiha library.

“Hey Saeko, you busy?” a deep voice asked. “Ashley, Helena. How you doing?”

Helena waved, her eyes never leaving her own book. Ashley blushed slightly but beamed “Good evening Frost!”

The ninja chuckled at her friend's crush and greeted her teammate “Hello Gerald, what's up?”

The seeker frowned “You know I hate my first name - it's Jerry or Frost. Anyway, a friend of mine got a dart board for Christmas. We were thinking a small tournament – you game?”

“I would kick your asses. You sure? Will you not be losing 'cool points' with bringing a second year?” the scarred girl asked.

“Nah, you are my buddy” Frost joked.

Saeko arched her eyebrow disbelievingly “Buddy? I guess it's better than _bro_ or something like that.”

The 5th year smirked “Great! You girls are welcome too.”

Helena politely declined while Ashley professed a desire to merely watch. Saeko stood up to follow the handsome black boy but half-turned to ask “Are you sure Helena? You could always bet on me.”

The blonde closed her book with a sigh “You know me too well.” Frost and the girls chuckled.

The group made its way to a corner of the Common Room. Saeko noticed Jamie and Jared talking with some people she didn't know. Frost waved to his friends and began introducing them “Girls, meet Eddie, Noel, his girlfriend Euridice, Raife and Duncan. You know our dear captain and beater.”

“Hey” said the girls and Frost introduced them in turn.

“Anymore quidditch players you wanna invite? I don't want to lose too badly” a lanky boy with bleached hair, Raife, sighed.

Noel, a stocky fifth year smirked “Come on rock-star, we have a chance. Right babe?”

His girlfriend patted his shoulder in a patronizing manner “Sure we have. It's not like Jamie here is a premium chaser whose only goal during the game is to throw the quaffle through an impossibly small hoop. Not to mention that Jared and Uchiha here shoot moving targets quite successfully.”

“Can we compete in pairs then? I'm taking Jamie then!” said the long haired scot, Duncan, and gave the chaser a one-armed hug. The platinum blonde rolled her eyes and extricated herself from His arms.

Raife shrugged “Eddie, it's your board – how do we play? Individuals, pairs, teams?”

“Individuals, otherwise it's no fun” the boy replied.

It didn't take long and the board was in place and the order of players was set. Even before the game started a small crowd gathered, courtesy of Helena's betting buddies. Wayne, Rory and Cameron - the resident jokers spelled some stuff to look like pom-poms and were trying to come up with a cheerleading chant to the amusement of all. The group even got themselves a referee – the Headgirl herself.

At first Saeko was thinking of holding back. She got perfect scores on shuriken and kunai throwing even on the first day of the academy – Fugaku wouldn't have it any other way. But Euridice's words proved the perfect cover for her skills, and to be honest Saeko loved to shine.

The competitors threw three darts each, starting with Eddie. The Uchiha went third. She threw her darts with a lazy smirk, getting the perfect 180 points. Jamie patted her beater's shoulder with pride “That's why I we are going to win the Quidditch Cup. Nice work.”

“Thanks taichō. Now if you would do the same…” Saeko smirked.

Jamie chuckled “Cheeky brat. I'll show ya.”

First round finished with a resounding victory for the ninja. And Helena – the blonde heeded her friend's advice and bet on the jounin.

As the game progressed a few things became clear – no one can beat the Uchiha in throwing, Noel and Euridice were a sickeningly sweet couple and Duncan had the hots for the quidditch captain. When the scot was having his turn Saeko made fun of the blonde which just rolled her eyes in annoyance for her suitor.

The fifth round was agreed to be the last. The winner had been decided long before so the true competition was for second place – Jamie and Eddie were only few points apart.

“YES!” Eddie shouted as he hit the dead center on his third dart, building a nice cushion of points.

The chaser was going last. The room held their collective breath as she threw her projectiles. The Team swore as her second dart fell short of the triple twenty. When the game finished Jamie kicked the nearby wall “Dammit! I was so close.”

The Headgirl officially announced the scores as the Ravens clapped. Duncan approached the chaser to 'comfort' her despite her clear annoyance.

Jared high-fived his fellow beater “Way to go girl!”

Frost clapped her shoulder “Congrats. Who would've thought, the young girl kicked our asses.”

“I warned you” Saeko smirked, soaking the praise.

When the crowd began dissolving the scarred jounin approached Helena who was discreetly counting coins in a corner “Hey Helena. I'm sure you know we are splitting your winnings, right?”

The blonde frowned but acquiesced “I can split 20 80.”

“No way. 40 to 60 minimum. That's not up to discussion” Saeko said firmly.

“Ok” the Brit sighed and counted off the money.

The Uchiha pocketed the coins but before she left she asked “Hey, out of curiosity, who else bet on me?”

“Most of the lower-years, unsurprisingly. You are their representative and you kinda have idol status. You better win the next quidditch match or it will not be pretty” Helena shrugged.

“That's not funny, you know” Saeko frowned.

“It wasn't meant to be.”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Ashley reached her friends with her guitar in hand “Hey, do you have any plans for today?”

“What's special about today?” Saeko asked with interest, looking up from her book.

“It's the Hogsmade weekend. Since today's weather is perfect I would guess that all older-years will be out” said the brunette.

Saeko chuckled “So that's why I saw our favorite prefect so dolled up!”

“Geoffrey? Maybe he finally manned up and asked that Hufflepuff out” Helena smirked.

“Didn't think to ask. But it's nice the school make the option to go somewhere else around Valentine’s Day” the half-blood mused.

The ninja perked up “So if most of our housemates will be out playing cupid we have the Common Room for ourselves? Sweet!”

“Which brings me back to my question – any plans for today?” Ashley asked while playing with the cords of her instrument.

Helena shook her head “Not really. I would read but I'm not actually in the mood. Maybe we could round up some people and play something.”

“Wow, Grey! You want to socialize? The world must be ending!” the shot brunette exclaimed dramatically. The blonde merely glared at her friend.

The Uchiha chuckled “She got you there. As for your query – I was thinking of some exercise outside but if you have something better I wouldn't mind.”

“Nah, that's why I was asking. Pity we can't go to Hogsmeade too – the third year rule is stupid” Ashley frowned.

The three girls sat in silence, trying to come up with something to do. It was rare that all of them were in lazy mood. Finally Saeko spoke up “Well, since you have your guitar here you could play something.”

“I was thinking that too but I expected less people around when I brought her here” the brunette glanced nervously around.

“ _Her_?” Helena arched her eyebrows in disbelief.

“What's wrong with Greta?” Ashley asked testily and hugged her guitar close.

The blonde laughed “Greta? This is precious! Saeko, are you hearing this?” When she noticed neither of her friends were smiling she chuckled, a bit embarrassed “Come on. It's hilarious!”

Saeko shrugged “I like the custom of naming personal possessions that have some meaning to you. Warriors often name their weapons – I sure name mine. My battle fan is called Kaen and my tantō is Chiyaki.”

“A sharp bladed instrument of death and it's called Chiyaki?” Helena asked, completely bewildered.

“Yep” the ninja answered with a sweet smile.

Helena shook her head “You are really weird, both of you.”

Ashley caresses the guitar “Nah. It could be worse. Did you know that one of the most fearsome Viking jarls – Olaf the Destroyer – rode into battle with his trusty sword called 'Fluffy Bunny'?”

“Fluffy Bunny” the blonde whispered, clearly contemplating the sanity of the people that surrounded her.

“Indeed. And if you ever meet Gladys, the electric guitar I received this Christmas, please don't insult her. She doesn't like that” the short Brit continued.

“Don't insult the guitar” Helena repeated in the same tone as before.

Saeko was never so glad in having perfected the Uchiha stoic mask otherwise she would be rolling on the floor laughing at Helena's face.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

Saeko entered the Tower after her spar with Itachi still wearing work-out clothes. The room was unusually crowded and loud. Most of the older years were drinking from muggle plastic cups, partying. The ninja spotted a familiar platinum blonde near the fireplace

 “What is going on?” the confused ninja asked Jamie.

The 5th year turned in surprise “Oh, hey Saeko! Raydor, the seventh year prefect, got scouted by the auror corps. He did some dueling competition in the summer and Christmas and some big-shot from the department was there. The letter arrived yesterday and his friends organized this shindig.”

“Oh, good for him! Which one is he now?” asked the Uchiha

“That one over there, drunk off his ass” Jamie shook her head.

Saeko looked the indicated direction and nodded “Didn't know there were competitions open for students.”

“Me neither but I was never interested. But he's 17 now so it's ok I guess” the chaser shrugged.

The brunette nodded and made a motion to take the cup her captain was holding. Jamie arched her eyebrow but relinquished her beverage. Saeko took a gulp “Not bad. I didn't expect good quality alcohol at a school party. And to answer your question I am legally adult back home.”

“I haven't asked anything, though the thought had crossed my mind. How come? I mean about being adult. You are what? 13?” asked the blonde.

The scarred ninja smiled and thought about the genin exams “We have a rite of passage of a sort. If you pass you are an adult.”

“Peculiar. You are from Japan right?” the older girl inquired.

Saeko grinned cheekily “Classified. Our society is very secretive and also very unusual. You can't judge others by our standards.”

Jamie arched her eyebrow “I'm confused. But I guess I already drank a little so I'm not going to question you. Also I'm without a drink so excuse me.”

“Sure” the kunoichi replied and went in search of her friends. She stopped to talk with some other players from her team and classmates alike but she could find neither Ashley nor Helena. Then she decided to check the dorm floor. When she entered her room se was greeted by her roommate, Helena, Caitlin, Peter, Graham, Paddy and Daniel – the people she began calling 'her little poker group'.

 “You do know these rooms are not designed for so many people, right?” the Uchiha sighed. She made her way to her bed and wedged herself between Graham and Helena. “So what are you doing?” she asked.

“We tried playing exploding snap but your cover kinda caught on fire so we stopped” Ashley said sheepishly.

“Morons” the kunoichi sighed in exasperation. The group chorused an apology. “So what's this?” she asked.

Patrick answered “Caitlin and Daniel are playing a muggle card game ironically called Magic. It is actually quite brilliant.”

Saeko was intrigued “Only two can play?”

“It works best that way. It emulates battle” Daniel said distractedly as he focused on his cards once more.

“Really now? Interesting…”


	21. 2- 21 Happiness and Grief

Jamie descended from the stairs that to the dorms. She looked around for her team only to spot most of them standing together near the statue of their patron founder. Only her keeper and Saeko were missing. Looking for her missing members she spotted the young beater sitting next to her friends, chatting happily. Jamie approached the second years “Good morning.”

The girls replied in the same manner, Saeko adding her customary taichō. “Are you going to sit with the team for the game or your friends?”

Before the ninja could answer Ashley smirked “Sorry captain. Lover girl here has a date.”

Jamie arched her eyebrow and said teasingly “Really now? Who's the lucky gal?”

“It's not really a date. I'm just meeting a girl I may or may not be interested in, and her friends, to cheer her House Team on” Saeko said airily.

“A Hufflepuff then!” the platinum blonde smirked and nodded towards the yellow scarf.

Helena was quick to reply in her friend's stead “Indeed. A third year. She won't tell us the name. As if we couldn't find out the moment we step onto the stands.”

“That's not the point. Right now I'm just getting to know her and I'm going to enjoy a nice Sunday and a quidditch match” the scarred kunoichi replied.

Jamie and the girls hummed knowingly with a glint in their eyes – it almost looked rehearsed. Saeko stood up and brushed of speck of imaginary dust from her uniform and said neutrally “Now if you excuse me, I'm off.”

“To collect your date?” Helena smirked.

When Saeko made no motion to reply Jamie spoke up “Well, good luck with your wooing. Now please pay attention not only to your gal but also the match. We have already seen the Gryffs play, but observe anyway.  With all the fuss that is around the team now we need to win.”

“Aye aye captain!” the Uchiha saluted and proudly went through the passage that led from the common room.

X

Saeko made her way through the stands full of yellow-clad students. She spotted her target few rows down and smiled. “Ohayō Faito-san!” Saeko sing-songed and clapped her friend on her back.

Faith jumped, startled by the sudden appearance behind her, but smiling anyway “Hey, Saeko. Glad you could make it.”

“Faith! You didn't say your friend was the Ravenclaw beater!” said the petite blonde next to Faith.

The brunette just shrugged and scooted over so that Saeko could sit next to her. Looking the Raven over, she nodded appreciatively “Badger colors. You could use some face-paint but I'll take it.”

“Why thank you, Faith,” the ninja smirked, “I believe some introductions are in order?”

“Yes, of course. Saeko please meet Serena, Abby and Sofia. Oh also Lucas and Greg” the brunette introduced her friends who waved in turn.

Saeko smiled “Nice to meet you all.”

“Helooo?” said the petite blonde from before, Serena, as she waved her hand before Faith, “My question?”

“You didn't ask any” the Faith smirked

Serena rolled her eyes “It was implied. How do you two know each other? And why didn't you tell?”

“The library, where else to meet a Ravenclaw” the brunette replied and her housemates chuckled.

The Uchiha shrugged “What can I say, I do my House proud. As do you – you really went all out for this game.”

The group grinned. All of them were wearing yellow jumpers with a black badger on their chest, black scarves, gloves and hats. The boys and Sofia had their face painted. Faith had her lips painted vivid yellow, same as the other girls. “Yep. But wait for our game with the Snakes, we have a banner ready for that one” Sofia boasted.

“Really? Just for the Snakes?” the ninja asked, interested.

“Lucas here is quite the artist – he drew an amazing badger that's eating a snake” Abby said as she looked all starry-eyed at the boy in question. The boy blushed at the praise.

The Puffs and the lone Ravenclaw between them continued talking until the commentator announced the game and presented the players. As the yellow-clad players made a lap around the pitch Saeko had to chuckle at the noise level all around her – the Hufflepuff really were all about House unity.

“ _Madame Hooch has released the quaffle and THE GAME IS ON ladies and gentlemen!_ ” the commentator, another Badger, said for all the arena to hear.

The game was fast and quite wild but also very close – the chasers were nearly tied with their goals. It looked like it would come down to the seekers who were furiously searching for the elusive golden snitch.

“ _… and Cadman saves another one! Great job Cadman! Quaffle goes to, wait, forget that – it looks like White has seen the snitch! Fraiser is right behind him. It's the real deal, come on Fraiser!_ ”

Despite the yellow sea encouraging their seeker to fly faster it was Leon White who ultimately caught the snitch and ended the game in Gryffindor's favour. The final score was 140 to 260.

Saeko didn't dare to make a comment since her companions were silent, their disappointment quite evident. Then as one they began talking, discussing the match and making their displeasure clear. The relieved kunoichi joined up.

Serena summed it up “Uchiha's scorned lover was just better. Well, I'm sure his brand new broom helped.” The girl in question rolled her eyes as the group chuckled.

The group gathered their things and made its way out of the stands, still chatting and grumpily observing the celebrating Gryffindors. Greg and Lucas were making plans for Exploding Snap back at Hufflepuff common room when Faith spoke up “Sounds good but I'm going to take a walk to cool off. Saeko, wanna come with?”

The scarred kunoichi was impressed by her boldness and her poker-face despite her friend's amused and shocked faces. “Sure” she replied. Saeko and Faith took off together, not waiting for verbal reactions from the Hufflepuffs.

When they were out of earshot Faith said with a sigh “I'll never hear the end of this from them.”

“Probably” Saeko snickered as she heard Lucas wolf-whistle.

Faith looked at the taller girl “It did come out kinda wrong. We just didn't have the time to talk at all during the match.” Saeko smiled, quite happy how the things took a more date-like turn.

The girls spent the next hour walking around the lake, talking.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The kunoichi entered her Common Room in a very good mood.

“Saeko, over here!” Ashley called from her favorite seat near the window. The Uchiha was not surprised at all and ready to face the music. She made her way to her friend that was far from alone.

“Hey. How did you like the match? It's a shame the Puffs didn't win, it would give us an advantage in the Cup” the raven-haired teen said while dragging a nearby chair towards the group.

Jamie nodded “Yeah. It was a good match though. We already discussed the Gryffs with the team but nothing much has changed. I'll be briefing everyone during our next practice anyway so you didn't miss much.”

“Hey hey hey! That's sooo not what we are going to talk about” Ashley spoke up.

Helena, who for once had her book of the moment closed, smirked “She's right. You do know you are not getting out of this.”

Saeko gave them an innocent look, full of false confusion. Caitlin wouldn't have it “Come on, we want details. I asked my roomie – the girl you were sitting with is Faith Brennan, third year, Hufflepuff house. She's in runes and…?”

The ninja was impressed “Wow, did you do a background check on her too?”

Jamie was the one to answer “Nah, but you must know that teenage girls love to gossip. Oh, and by the way Jared says, and I quote, 'Damn, she's hot. Nice going partner'”

“Yeah, it was noticed she is quite… grown up” Ashley said as she looked down on her chest with a frown.

The quidditch captain smirked “I think the word you were looking for is 'busty'. At least soon-to-be busty.”

Saeko hummed “She did look adorable in full Hufflepuff regalia, did she not?”

The blonde chaser laughed “Yeah, the only thing she and her friends didn't have was a banner proclaiming their undying love to their House team.”

“Maybe next time” the kunoichi grinned.

“So what did you do after the match?” Ashley asked eagerly.

The Uchiha leaned back on her chair with a smile “We went for a walk, we talked a bit. Nothing major.”

At this the girls were disappointed, even Helena. Only Jamie teased, still smirking “Ooh, not even a comforting hug that her beloved team lost the match so closely?”

The girls perked up. Saeko smiled softly “Maybe. Now, could you please drop it?”

“Okay, but one last question – will you be meeting again?” Caitlin asked.

Saeko nodded, her smile still in place. Jamie winked at her teammate “Excellent. Now, please excuse me, I have homework to do.”

When the older-year took off Helena turned back to her friend “Just so you know we weren't the only ones to notice you with her.”

“As long as they will not make a big deal out of it like the mess with White, it'll be okay. Or at least I hope. We are not dating – I would say she is curious but not uninterested. We will see where it goes” the brunette sighed.

Ashley was confused “Really? You asked her out without knowing she might not like girls the way you do?”

“What, you think I have some mystical power of Gaydar?” the scarred girl chuckled, “Of course I asked her, how else that would be determined?”

The smaller brunette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “Oh, sorry, that makes sense.”

Helena smiled at the ninja “She seems nice, I hope it goes well – we live vicariously through you after all.”

Saeko chuckled.

* * *

**Ashley’s and Saeko’s Room**

The girls were in their room, reading, with Helena, who could barely stand her roommate and was right at home. Caitlin was with them – since there was an odd number of girls in their year she was rooming with an older-year and she and her friends were having a study group there.

Suddenly they heard a gentle tap on the window. Saeko stood up and let a one of her brother's crows in with slight trepidation.

“You got mail?” the blonde pureblood asked.

Caitlin arched her eyebrow “I have been meaning to ask - why ravens?”

“Crows” replied the rest of the girls in unison. It was far from the first time they had to answer that particular question.

The Irish girl rolled her eyes “Why crows then?”

“Just because” the ninja smirked as she went to unseal some raw meat for the bird. “Just as well I could ask why owls.”

“Fair point” Caitlin acknowledged and returned to her book.

Saeko murmured thanks to the summon and gave her a treat. She took the scroll and sat on her bed to open it. The crow did not wait and flew right back into the night.

The scroll contained two seals – one for the letter and one for a package. Saeko's eyes lit up at the thought of a gift but she decided to open that when she was alone. She channeled chakra into the first seal and several papers poofed right into her hands.

The first letter was from her brother – Itachi was on a mission when they were supposed to meet. His letter was short but one piece of information stood out – Tsunade. During one of his Orochimaru missions he met the fabled medic. It seems that the meeting gave him and the Hokage an idea because he sent Jiraiya, along with Naruto, to try to retrieve the Senju to look over the potions and healing spells Saeko brought to Konoha. The Uchiha grinned as she read – having Tsunade in her corner would be a huge bonus when she went for Hokage. Naruto might get to meet her first but if she is supposed to go over her work… But the Senju and the Uchiha were notorious enemies… On the other hand… Bah, she'll have to wait for more information.

The next letter made her smile – Neji's teammates were promoted and they completed several high-level missions with the Hyuuga as their leader. Also he and Hiashi were training together. All in all he seemed happy.

She opened the next letter, also from a Hyuuga. Saeko smiled that her sensei from her genin days had thought to write her. The smile turned into a frown fast. Saeko sighed as she folded the letter back up. Ashley noticed the change in her friend “Bad news?”

“An old teammate of mine died” Saeko sighed. Her Uchiha mask was still in place but she was distraught.

“Oh my god!” Caitlin and Ashley gasped. Helena was more distinguished about it but was clearly shocked as well.

Saeko nodded “Shintani Sakuya. Older than me, a first generation shinobi but very good. A swordsman. Funny guy. Such a shame”

The British brunette shook her head in disbelief “You seem so blasé about it!”

The scarred kunoichi looked her friends in the eye “He was a soldier, he knew the risks. I'm sad and pissed but an Uchiha has to be composed at all times.”

“I can't believe you! The only think that was missing in that statement was 'meh, it's the cycle of life'” Ashley shrieked. Since the jounin didn't react the musician shook her head and exited the room with a slam of the door.

The two Brits sat in awkward silence. Finally Caitlin spoke “She is kinda right, you know.”

“Your statement did seem a tad bit cold” Helena agreed with the Irish gal.

Saeko shrugged “I apologize, but it is how I said. Besides he is not the first soldier I knew that died. And he will not be the last.”

Helena nodded in acceptance. She was unsure how to feel about her friend's pragmatism but ultimately it made sense. Caitlin knew little about Saeko and her life in Konoha so she was more disturbed. The kunoichi noticed “My family is military as well, you know. My parents died too, as did my grandparents. I could go on. I'm sad but we learned to cope with death long ago.”

Caitlin nodded “I think I understand. Ashley will too, don't worry.”

The raven-haired teen gave a tight smile and returned to her mail, hoping for no more bad news. Finally she selected Naruto's letter, the blond made her smile more often than not. She was not disappointed – from what she could read she looked forward to see the blond’s interacting with his mentor 'ero-sennin'.

Saeko read all the letters except one which she purposely left for last. It seemed Yuuko had overheard Ino and Shika talking about the Uchiha and writing letters to her. The letter made her grin. It was obvious the blonde had close interaction with Anko at the T&I. She enjoyed the flirtatious tone and she used her wand to summon quill and parchment to reply in kind.

Not much later Helena deemed it was quite late and bid the two girls goodnight. Caitlin got up when the blonde did and she too exited the room with a smile and wave. When both Brits were gone Saeko opened the package her brother sent her. She was delighted to see four books which were quite obviously been bought in Knockturn Alley or from some less reputable bookshop.

“Arigatō Nii-san” Saeko smiled.

X

**Next Morning**

Saeko woke up early. She went to sleep not long after her friends excused themselves, only skimming her newly arrived books. The ninja decided to give Ashley space – this way she could enter the room without any interaction.

Her roommate was still asleep when the raven-haired teen finished her morning routine. With one last check in the mirror Saeko picked up her sealed supplies and double checked her weapons. She was almost out the door when she heard a sleepy “Good morning.”

The ninja turned and smiled “Ohayō Ash.”

The smaller brunette sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes “After I wake up more, can I talk to you? I wanted to apologize.”

“There is no need” the Uchiha smiled, glad her friend was ok with her.

“No it's not. You told me you were a soldier – it was always so abstract a concept, but yesterday… Well, I understand. Also for the first time I realized that you could die on your job” Ashley explained.

Saeko sat down on her bed “I'm always careful, but yes it's possible. But believe me I'm not going down before I achieve my dream and become Hokage.”

The british girl nodded weakly “That's good to know. Also there is one other thing.” The Uchiha nodded in encouragement, already knowing the question. “Have you ever killed anybody?”

“Yes” Saeko exhaled, “I have. I am a shinobi.”

Ashley gulped “I thought so.” After few seconds of silence she spoke up once more “Does it make me a bad friend that I just want to pretend you are not?”

“No, it makes you human. It makes you a civilian, an innocent who never had to face war” the ninja said solemnly.

The other girl just nodded and got up. Saeko gave her a tight smile, understanding - forgetting about it may be the best way to go. She just hoped that Jiraiya's intel about Voldemort was incorrect.


	22. 2- 22 'Tis the Season Again

“Okay, that's it. Everybody land!” Jamie shouted to her team and angled her broom down. The quidditch players were quick to obey. Once their feet touched the grass they all sat down in a circle as per usual.

Jamie put her broom behind her and looked over the group “Well, that's it. The last training before our match, is over. Let's review one last time.”

“Slytherin is the most aggressive team, almost brutish. The chasers need to pay extra attention to their counterparts, plenty of fouls” McPherson started.

Wayne nodded “True. Jared and Saeko will handle the bludgers but Duke & co. can do plenty of damage themselves. We practiced penalty shots so at least we should get points out of it.”

 “We'll handle the bludgers, you can count on us” Saeko nodded.

“Aye. We play aggressive too so their players will have to watch out. And we have our ace in the hole – that is if we can pull it off, right Frostie?” Jared chimed in.

Frost frowned at the nickname “I'll try. Archer will not know what hit him.”

The platinum blonde chaser smirked evilly and looked over to her beaters “Yes, if we can take the seeker out we have a huge advantage. Just don't overdo it – both of you are strong as hell.”

The scarred kunoichi shrugged “He'll live.”

“I'm glad you are on our side” Rory chuckled and the other chaser nodded in agreement.

Jamie ran her hand through her hair and said in warning “Last game we blew the Puffs out of the water. We had the element of surprise and they couldn't handle our plays. The Snakes are different – they studied us as we studied them. And they _need_ to win. They lost to the Gryffs already and if they lose today Slytherin has no chance for the Quidditch Cup. They won last year and they want to repeat that. They will be vicious.”

“We are ready” said the Uchiha firmly.

“Hell, yeah! I don't want to lose the attention we have, especially from the ladies” Wayne grinned. The two girls on the team just rolled their eyes.

The blonde chaser stood up “Ok then. We'll focus on the chasers and when the time is right we are taking out their seeker. If our plan fails we go with our backup.”

“It won't be needed” Frost said confidently.

“Hai, we'll smash Archer's pretty face” Saeko smirked. The team looked at their youngest member. She just shrugged “What? It's fixable. Oh and Jerry, you be especially careful – if we are targeting the seeker, chances are they will too.”

Jared nodded “Ya, even the chasers can take you if you don't pay attention.” The seeker rolled his eyes but nodded.

When nobody else spoke Jamie ended the training with “Alright, off we go. Don't overdo it tonight and get plenty of sleep. We'll meet tomorrow and take go for breakfast together.”

“GO RAVENS!” the team chorused and went towards their locker rooms.

X

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

The Ravens were ecstatic upon their victory, even professor Flitwick stopped by the Tower and congratulated Jamie and her team.

When the night fell some older-years brought out the alcohol they smuggled into the castle weeks prior, hoping for another victory. With the Weird Sisters blaring from the radio the party prep was complete.

The party began at nightfall but went well into the night. Saeko and her teammates were treated as conquering heroes, never alone for more than a few seconds. The match was recounted over and over again - the favorite part being what the Ravens began to call 'The Fall of Archer'. The ninja already anticipated some kind of retaliation outside the pitch for that stunt – especially since her housemates seemed to be keen to spread the cheer. With this in mid she made her way to her fellow beater.

“Hey Jared!” she shouted to be heard over the loud music.

“Partner! Great flying man, we showed them who's boss! Whahuu!” the boy shouted and hugged the Uchiha.

Saeko rolled her eyes “That we did. I just wanted to warn you about the Slytherins, Archer and his year mates in particular – they will want revenge. Be careful in class and the hallways.”

The older beater finished his glass in one gulp “Let them come, I'll get them good!”

The girl patted her friend's shoulder “Sure. I'll talk to you in the morning when you are not three sheets to the wind.”

“That's funny, that what Cat said” Jared slurred.

Saeko was intrigued “Who?”

“My girlfriend, Catherine. She's a beeeeauty!!!” the fourth-year answered.

“Good for you. You finally get the girl but you are piss drunk to keep her” the Uchiha shook her head and left Jared to his own devices.

Two steps away she was besieged by some first years who were bummed out they weren't allowed to drink, and had to go play-by-play over the game once more.

When she had finally gotten free she tried to spot some of her friends. She was successful and practically skipped towards Helena, who was sitting in the corner of the room. The blonde smiled at her friend “Ahh, the hero returns.”

Saeko rolled her eyes “Hn. I was not expecting you to be here this late, you are not really the party type.”

“I'm not but I find myself amused none the less. I enjoy people watching and this parade of drunken quidditch fans is quite a show” said the pureblood.

“It's fun but I think it should come to an end soon – tomorrow might be Sunday but it's late, or early, depending from your point of view. I'm surprised the professors didn't come already” Saeko shrugged.

Helena smiled “Maybe they think we deserve it. And our House seldom causes problems.”

The brunette hummed “Changing topics, where is everybody?”

“Don't really know. Ashley is somewhere with Peter and his buddies. I think I can see Caitlin bugging your dear captain. Oh and my roomie is in Joanne and Angela's room presumably passed out – some idiot gave her alcohol despite being a second year.”

“Oh, joy. Well, at least she will be puking in her friend's room and not in yours” Saeko mused.

The Gray chuckled “Indeed. On that note I might go there and go to sleep.”

“I was thinking that too. I'm getting bored here and…” Saeko could not finish the sentence as an older Ravenclaw girl danced towards her, took her face in her hands and kissed her out of the blue.

Saeko was shocked but quickly came to her senses and reciprocated. When they parted the older girl smiled and left without a word. The Uchiha turned towards her friend “I may stay a while longer.”

Helena uncharacteristically let out a full blown laugh and winked. “I guess we are not telling this to Faith?”

“I can't help it if they ambush me. But I'm telling her” Saeko said with a grin.

“Right, poor innocent Uchiha. Well, good night and good luck” said Helena. She stood up, waved to her friend and went up the stairs that led to the dorms.

The ninja smirked and went to mingle once more.

X

**Next morning**

Saeko woke up in a great mood. The night before she drank only a little and well... they won the match. Seeing her roommate still drooling on her pillow she dressed quietly and exited the room with only a small click of the door.

The Common Room was not as messy as Saeko would've predicted – the house elves already cleaned up the evidence of yesterday's party. They could do nothing about the students though – several of them were in different position on the floor and chairs. The kunoichi chuckled as she spotted her prefect friend sprawled over the sofa near the fireplace.

As Geoffrey opened his eyes he groaned and promptly shut them again. Trying one more time he spotted the raven-haired girl "Is the room spinning?"

"Yer, someone's coming to fix it on Monday" Saeko grinned at his obvious hang-over.

She contemplated nagging a little but ultimately she decided against it, quietly slipping away.

The castle was relatively quiet despite the hour, many student liked to sleep in when they could. When she entered the Great Hall she spotted only few students at their tables. Only the Head table was relatively full. Professor Flitwick caught her eye and waved enthusiastically. The Uchiha grinned and nodded back.

As she sat down on her favorite spot she had to smile – the house elves that manned the kitchens came through once more. She was enjoying her miso soup when a group of Hufflepuffs came in. Saeko spotted Faith among them but the brunette didn't see her. Biting her thumb inconspicuously she performed the summoning under the table. The small raven she called for flew up and settled on her shoulder. She unsealed her writing supplies and quickly scribbled a letter. “Take this to the brunette over there. If she writes back bring it to me otherwise please fly out and return home. And remember, don't speak” she instructed and gave the bird a piece of bacon from a nearby plate.

The raven nodded and took flight. Faith and her housemates were taken by surprise by the messenger. The brunette took the letter and read it. Her confusion turned into a pleasant surprise and looked over to the Ravenclaw table. When she noticed the Uchiha she leaned to say something to her friends and stood up.

Saeko smiled as Faith sat down opposite her “Ohayo Faito-san.”

“Good morning. _Join me for breakfast_ , S.? Classy” said the brunette and stacked a few waffles onto her plate.

“What can I say, but I'm glad you agreed. Tea?” the scarred brunette smiled and held up the pot.

“Yes please” Faith nodded. “Nice game yesterday. You were great.”

The kunoichi grinned “Thanks, it was a tough game. The Snakes researched us well but we were prepared. But please don't make me talk about the match, I lost count on how many times I had to do that last night.”

Faith chuckled “I imagine. Did you have a party? Usually there are more Ravens around, their noses buried in books.”

“We are not that bad” Saeko shook her head.

The two girls spent their breakfast talking and laughing. Saeko even confessed the kiss blitz attack – she was pleased at the slightly jealous gleam in Faith's eye as she got a laugh in reply. When they finally parted ways Saeko was in an even better mood than before. She returned to the Tower, whistling.

* * *

**Hogwarts Infirmary**

“I told ya to be careful” said Saeko once more as she helped Frost to the infirmary.

The limping boy sighed “I know, no need to rub it in. And hey, this way I get to ditch transfiguration.”

“Yeah. You were lucky though, it could've been much worse” said the ninja.

“What do we have here?” asked the nurse the moment the duo stepped through the doors of her domain.

Jerry was ushered to sit on one of the beds “A bunch of Slytherins happened. Long story short I fell down a flight of stairs. I think my ankle is sprained or broken.”

Madame Pomfrey performed a diagnostic spell and nodded “Right you are Mr Frost. Ms Lewis, could you please bring me the standard potions?”

“Sure” said a voice from behind a curtain.

“Lauren?” Saeko asked as she saw her herbology partner carrying three little bottles and one vial.

The red-head smiled and handed the potions to the nurse who thanked her and cast a murmured a spell onto the seeker's ankle.

Saeko turned to her Slytherin fried, knowing Frost was in good hands “What are you doing here? Are you alright?”

“I am,” the second girl smiled, “I'm just helping out. I told you I wanted to be a healer so since I have Wednesday classes only in the afternoon Madame Pomfrey teaches me some things. She was very gracious.”

“I'm impressed” the Uchiha replied.

Lauren smiled “I heard what happened. He really should've been more careful. My House is quite known for preemptory and retaliatory attacks. I'm actually surprised I haven't seen any of your teammates here before now.”

“We were careful. I got ambushed too but I took care of it” the ninja nodded with a smirk at her victory.

“Was it McNair, Kerr and their lot?” the red-head asked.

Saeko cocked her head to the side “Those are in our year right? No, they were older, maybe 3rd years. Hey, could you do me an overview on your year mates?”

“Like the 'who's who'?” the Brit frowned.

“Yep. You must have a hierarchy” the scarred girl asked eagerly.

Lauren was hesitant “We do. Ok, I'll help you but you owe me.”

Saeko thought about it for a second “Alright.”

“Well,“ the red-head started, “there is Lachlan Kerr. He's the prince of our year – influential family, rich, charismatic, ambitious. And pureblood, naturally, all except 2 in our year are. His buddies are Silas McNair and Cassius Daly – these would be the most influential ergo dangerous. Aurora Gallaher is the queen bee. Her followers are not that interesting but they are Cordelia Giles and Gaia Carlin.”

“Makes sense. How do you figure into that, if you don't mind me asking?”

“You know my friends already.”

“Yeah, Soldy and Lexie” Saeko smirked.

Lauren chuckled “Alexia and Isolde would be thrilled if they heard your nicknames for them. Also I'm on good terms with Hadrian Maher and Terence Higgs.”

“Maher is one of the half-bloods, right?” Saeko remembered.

“Yes, he and Alexia are. First year was a bit tough for them but they proved themselves to the House of Snakes. And yes, I do hang out with…, let's say 'the outcasts'” Lauren said and pursed her lips.

“Why is that?”

“I just like them more” the Slytherin shrugged.

Saeko nodded “You are not much into the blood purity stuff, or am I wrong?”

Lauren shrugged “Not really. My family is and since I hate them I'm not almost on principle. Plus I want to be a healer and a healer doesn't discriminate. That said I can't stand the muggle-borns that come here and want to 'improve' everything.”

“I hear ya. Helena's roommate is just like that but she keeps it to herself and her friends mostly. You hate your family, huh?” the Ravenclaw agreed.

The red-head seemed to regret saying that “My aunt and uncle, yes. My parents are dead so I'm stuck with them as guardians.”

“You will be Clan Head, right?”

“Head of House, but yeah” the British girl replied.

“Cool. My brother holds that title. Actually he and I never agreed with my parents on our clan's policy, but now he's the boss.”  She smiled and casually looked back to the bed her friend was sitting on, “Hey, where is Frost?” Saeko frowned.

Lauren looked over the ninja's shoulder “Hm, he must've left. I didn't even notice.”

“Madame Pomfrey? Where is my darling teammate?” Saeko asked.

The grey-haired nurse said sternly “Gone as of five minutes ago. One would assume that a quidditch player and an aspirant healer would pay more attention.”

Both girls looked down in mock shame but chuckled under their breath.

* * *

**Summoner** **'s Realm**

“A whip?” Itachi asked with a raised eyebrow when he arrived to their usual place, “Where did you get a whip?”

Saeko smirked and put her new weapon down “A lady never tells, dear brother.”

The Uchiha lord cocked his head to the side “Alright. Why a whip then.”

“You know the Kiri hunter nin have the _Suiton: Suiben_ , the water-whip. I discovered a great spell than is similar but uses fire. And one that just summons this whip. It's badass” the girl grinned.

“Interesting, I'm looking forward to it during our next spar” Itachi nodded. “Also I brought you the book you wanted.”

“My IchaIcha? Sweet!” the girl smiled and held her hand for it.

The ANBU captain hand out the orange volume “I don't understand why you read this. The genre aside I believe the protagonist is male…”

Saeko shrugged “Yeah, that sucks. But the storyline is surprisingly good. And it's still hot. Also I can't wait to talk to Kakashi about the book when Naruto is around.”

Itachi smiled “Ah. Oh and á propos Naruto and Jiraiya hadn't come back yet from their Tsunade mission.”

“Makes sense, I heard about her debt-collectors. Now, let's get on with the spar, I have a date later today” the girl smirked.

The uniformed man just stood in silence for few moments before he spoke “You are dating? We will be talking about it.”

“You are not going all 'daddy's magic sparkle princess' on me right?” Saeko chuckled.

“I'm your brother. Tell me about her” Itachi said commandingly.

Saeko sighed “I will. But later, if it goes somewhere. Now please, the spar?”

Itachi reluctantly activated his sharingan.


	23. 2- 23 Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I know, some anachronisms… ah, well. Sorry but not really, it's all in the name of fun.

The Ravenclaw quidditch team sat in the common room in a circle on the carpet, playing a game Saeko introduced to them.

“This… oicho-kabu?” Wayne said, uncertain about the foreign word, “Is fun. It reminds me of black-jack.”

Jeremy frowned “Yeah, that's because you're winning. We could've played the normal version.”

“Broaden your horizons McPherson. It's not that hard a game” Jamie grinned she dealt the cards for the next round.

The keeper began protesting but Saeko chuckled “Wait till I teach someone Mahjong. That one is really hard.”

“Less talking, more playing” Rory in a business-like tone.

They played a few hands in relative silence when Jared spoke up “I know we talked about it but your Wronski feint on today's training was awesome.”

“Yeah, if you can repeat it in our final match… Damn, that would go into history!” Wayne exclaimed.

“White would totally fall for that. But I don't know, target the seeker two times in a row?” Jamie mused.

Frost folded his cards “Thanks for the confidence but I did it once, I don't think I could pull it off during a match, so this discussion is moot.”

“Shame” Jared sighed as the group played another round which Wayne won again.

James sighed at his abysmal score “I suck at this. By the way have you heard about Safaya?”

“The keeper for the Holyhead Harpies? No” the captain asked, curious about the gossip one of the best teams in the country.

As nobody from the circle knew McPherson smiled smugly “Rumor has it she's pregnant which means she will only finish the season and won't be on the team next year.”

“No way!” Jamie said, crushed by the development.

“Ha! The Wigtown Wanderers may have a shot then. The Montrose Magpies are down a player too! Awesome!” Rory whooped.

His captain shot him an icy glare. The next half-hour the chasers and keeper discussed heatedly the quidditch teams and their chances for the Cup and next season. The rest of the team was watching on, amused by the occasional bouts of shouting and wild gesticulation.

When McPherson breached the topic of OWLs the two fifth-years shook their heads. Frost summed it up for them both “No, no, no we are not talking about school right now. We agreed we would have fun and that certainly does not qualify.”

“Exactly. We could always talk about that incident from yesterday, right James?” Jamie snickered.

The keeper frowned and crossed his arms “That is a thing we agreed not to talk about.”

“Buuut I wanna know what happened. Not that speculating isn't fun – cause I already heard some pretty hilarious stuff” Jamie pouted, her eyes shining with mirth.

Saeko joined in on the teasing “Yep, James, what did you do? Leaving a nice girl in tears, shame on you!”

James muttered “No comment!”

“Pity” Jared said grinning and the team proceeded to tease the keeper till he huffed, put his cards down and left.

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

“The next topic we will cover in this class is the undead creatures. Today I will be talking about the inferius. You may note that the dark creatures I lecture on are indeed very dark. The Hogwarts curriculum leaves them for later but I find Grindylows and Red-caps boring so I will leave them for the next teacher. I believe you have no problem with this arrangement?” said Bangasé and looked at the students who quickly shook their heads.

“The inferi are corpses, dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard's bidding. The inferius is typical for the anglo-american culture but similar creatures can be found elsewhere under different names – Draughr, Revenant, Lich, Jiangshi and Zonbi. And yes, the last one is where the popular muggle term zombie comes from.”

“An inferius is created through the magical branch of Dark Arts called [Necromancy](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Necromancy). It is not alive, it is merely used like a puppet to do the wizard's bidding…”

Saeko mechanically took her notes, slightly disgusted by the topic – it reminded her too much of Orochimaru. She thought back at the Sand-Sound invasion when the snake nin brought back the shodaime and nidaime.

When the pigmy teacher told them they were a favorite of the latest English Dark Lord Saeko sighed. Jiraiya told her that Voldemort was most likely still alive and according to the contract they signed with Dumbledore Konoha will be involved if he ever returns.

The Uchiha paid extra attention when Bangasé began speaking about methods of defense against the inferi and had to smile when fire was the answer. Supposedly a Firestorm spell was ideal to get rid of those vile creatures – Saeko made a mental note to look it up to add to het collection.

When the bell finally rang the students packed up and headed to their respective dormitories since it was the last lesson before supper. Saeko's friends talked excitedly about the lesson, Helena was morbidly perky, but the ninja just wanted to do something. Saeko decided to go to the Summoner's realm to unwind. The other Ravens just waved, already used to the more active lifestyle that the Uchiha led.

Saeko ran in full speed to the Forbidden Forest, enjoying the late afternoon air. Once deep in the woods she stopped and got herself reverse-summoned.

Once she finished her customary greetings to the ravens she made a single hand-seal “ _Kage bushin no Jutsu_!”

A perfect copy of the Uchiha heir appeared with half her chakra. The clone smirked “Hey boss. So what's the plan after this useless day?”

The original Saeko pursed her lips to think “You are too fragile for anything but jutsu so what about a purely doton battle?”

“Cool” the clone replied and immediately attacked.

Saeko jumped high to avoid the earth spikes that sought to impale her from below and while still in the ear she retaliated with mud bullets.

The fight went on for quite a while, both combatants fighting hard enough for a decent work-out but not enough to dispel the clone. Finally the clone poofed back into smoke, his chakra depleted. Saeko contemplated summoning another one but ultimately took her wand out and cast tempus. Sighing at the time she looked over the sparring field. Using quite a bit of chakra to fix the ground she thought back to Naruto and his army of clones – if he ever got some brain and large area destruction jutsu he would be capable of wiping entire armies. Since that was her preferred way to fight the blonde was competition indeed.

When Saeko appeared back in Scotland her chakra was very low but she still had plenty of energy. The Uchiha decided she could explore the Forest a bit more.

An hour later when she joined her friends in the Great Hall for dinner she was tired but cheerful. Ashley arched her eyebrow “Nice jog?”

“Oh yes” Saeko beamed.

Caitlin looked up from her meal and studied the Uchiha “If jogging makes you this happy maybe I will join you for a run sometime.”

“Sure. But tell me one thing – how do you feel about giant spiders?” the raven-haired girl asked, still smiling.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Helena asked.

Saeko just shrugged and picked up her chopsticks, her grin never faltering.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

It was very late, only few students lingered on the usually crowded room since it was a week day. Saeko wasn't really sleepy so she indulged in the Uchiha favorite pastime – watching fire. The ninja sat on the thick blue carpet in front of one of the fireplaces, mesmerized by the flames. The brunette found it relaxing, it helped her thinking.

As she bathed in the red light she slowly ran through all her fire based techniques, jutsu or otherwise, in her mind. She looked at way to combine them, make them stronger, alter them, combine them - generally improve them. Saeko relished in her bingo book name and since fire was her clan's passion these were the moments she felt most serene.

“Hey Saeko, can't sleep?” a deep voice said behind the Uchiha.

The kunoichi kept her gaze firmly on the flames “Not really. I enjoy the calm that is here this late. You Geoffrey?”

Geoffrey sat down next to the brunette “Just making rounds as any good prefect should. You should really go to sleep. I just convinced the seventh-years over there to go to bed, you should follow them.”

“They were studying for NEWTs right? I listened to them for a while, I must say I'm looking forward to more advanced spellwork” Saeko said.

“And what are you doing? From where I'm standing you are just staring at the fire with a slightly maniacal grin” the prefect smiled.

“A fire starts as a spark, a burning ember in the dark” Saeko intoned.

“Poetry?”

“Nah, it just came to me. I was just thinking. Hey do you know anything about how Fiendyfire works? Making fire come alive seems so impossible and yet it has been done” the Uchiha asked about her most recent discovery.

The prefect looked up sharply “Fiendyfire? That's quite a bit of dark magic.”

Saeko answered the implied question “Flitwick gave me a book on elemental magic. Fiendyfire was mentioned as the pinnacle of fire magic. To be honest this is the most fascinating spell I encountered as well as the most powerful – and I read about the unforgivables.”

Geoffrey chuckled about the girl's enthusiasm “There is no doubt you indeed belong in Ravenclaw. But no, I don't know much about Fiendyfire, I prefer transfiguration. I guess the library could hold more information but it will most likely be in the Restricted Section.”

“Yeah, I figured” the scarred brunette sighed. She already determined that sneaking in that particular section of the Castle would be near impossible with all the security Dumbledore had in place. It would require careful planning. Better to wait. Saeko sighed once more.

The prefect smiled and stood up “When you are older maybe Flitwick will give you a pass, he is generous to his Ravens. Well, I'm off to bed, you should go too. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight” Saeko replied. When the boy left she turned her face to the fire once more. After a while she giggled rather ominously “ _Well, there is always Amaterarsu.”_

* * *

**Hogwarts** **'** **Grounds**

Saeko was reading the History book under a tree near the Black Lake, waiting for Faith. Looking up from her textbook she glanced around her to see if the Hufflepuff girl was coming. Her gaze paused at the lake before her – she often wondered if the giant squid that resided there was actually a boss summon. Smirking at the thought of jealous Kiri nin – fucking bloodline purists – she went back to reading about Vlad III, prince of Wallachia, also charmingly known as Vlad the Impaler.

It wasn't long and the ninja heard her date speak “Hey. Been here long?”

“A bit. It's such a nice day I came early. Plus it's a great spot to catch up with History in peace” Saeko smiled at the brunette who sat beside her.

Faith took the kunoichi's book from her hands and looked it over “Ahh, Count Dracula. Yep, vampires beat the goblin rebellions every time.”

“I liked the goblin rebellions at first. Well, not how Binns talks about them, but still” the Ravenclaw sighed.

“Yeah, but there were so many of them - after a while it kinda sucks” Faith shrugged.

Saeko smiled “Yep, that's an accurate observation.”

The girls spent white a while discussing history of magic, a topic that seemed to interest them both. After talking about the witch hunts Faith sighed “You know, it's so weird studying something I already did before in the muggle world - it's so different. Diametrically different - in fact, sometimes I have a hard time adjusting. And you have all those asses in Slytherin who snicker when you have a question.”

“You ask questions in History? I always thought Binns doesn't even realize at there are people in the room” Saeko mused.

Faith shrugged “Yeah, I tried that once. It was actually pretty funny. He called me miss [Fáelán](http://www.behindthename.com/name/fa10ela10n) or something like that. It sounded ancient and Irish.” The brunette rolled her eyes as the scarred girl began to snicker, “Anyways, he got really confused but he answered.”

“Really?” the Raven asked, rather impressed.

“Yeah. It was a simple one-word answer I was seeking but he launched into this big rant that ended with goblin rebellions anyway so… Well, let's just say I never asked again” Faith finished.

“Ballsy, I like it. I don't think many people even thought about asking something” the Uchiha smiled. The smile turned into a frown when she asked “You said Slytherin gave you trouble?”

The third-year shrugged “They don't like our House and I marked myself a muggleborn right off the bat. But not much, no, just a jibe here and there.”

“If it gets any worse tell me please” the ninja urged, already thinking how to sneak some genjutsu upon the Slytherin tormentors.

Faith cooed and said in a child-like voice “Ooo, my protector is going to keep the monsters away? My very own knight in shining armor!”

“You are an ass” Saeko rolled her eyes but had to chuckle anyway.

The Puff laughed “I appreciate the sentiment. Though magical wonder aside I kinda miss some things from the muggle world. Like right now I would kill for a TV in my room – a new season of my favorite show is on and I can't watch it until June. June!”

Saeko nodded obediently, knowing how to deal with ranting people – just smile and nod. Faith continued talking, gesticulating wildly “And don't let me start on my computer. I got a great game for it this Christmas and I can't use it here because the magic here it would make my laptop go kaboom! I wrote to my old friends and they all say it's awesome. This is so unfair!”

Faith looked over to the Ravenclaw who promptly nodded again. “Oh and I miss pizza. And Chinese food. And Thai. Well, pretty much everything that is not mashed potatoes and gravy.”

Another nod.

“Oh and just yesterday Amy, a friend of mine, wrote me how she and Luke and Toby went to Emma's house to play DDR. I was so jealous.”

“Well, they can't turn a teakettle into a turtle” Saeko said in mild humor, “What is DDR anyway?”

The brunette seemed to calm down a bit “DDR stands for Dance Dance Revolution - it's a dance videogame. I think it's from Japan actually. It's fun!”

Saeko was intrigued but didn't let it show. She did quite a bit of research on Japan so she wouldn't be questioned about Konoha but this naturally didn't come up. Instead she directed the conversation towards something she could talk about – manga and anime. When a muggleborn first year accosted her the first month in, calling himself an otaku, despite the slight pejorative tone of the word as she later found out, she made her goal to learn more about the country everybody thought she was from and found out she liked it - she even got some volumes delivered.

“I have these bouts of homesickness once in a while, I'm glad I'm not the only one” Faith concluded.

“Nah. I think most people have them. I imagine it's far worse for the muggleborns though. The culture is very different – I guess much of it comes from the longer life expectancy of magicals” Saeko mused.

Faith nodded and said bitterly “And the fact that Hogwarts has not changed in hundreds of years”

“I'm a traditionalist. Back home I wouldn't change a thing” the Uchiha reminded her date.

“And here?” the bustier brunette asked.

Saeko shrugged “It's not my place. Plus there is the fact that magicals have to do things with magic only since technology goes, as you eloquently put it before, kaboom.”

Faith pouted but acquiesced.

Saeko smiled softly “You know, you are kind of adorable when you rant.”


	24. 2- 24 Brace Yourself, Spring Is Coming

“Hey” Saeko greeted Helena who was reading in the Common Room near an open window.

“Hey” the blonde replied, raising her half-empty teacup, her eyes never leaving the page.

The kunoichi grinned at her friend's antics. Seeing no more conversation would be held the kunoichi jogged up the stairs that led to the girl's dorm rooms. Once in her room she changed her clothes while humming a tune she heard somewhere but couldn't really place. Finally she perused her collection on books and selected a sci-fi volume that came heavily recommended by her roommate.

Saeko walked back to the common floor still humming, feeling surprisingly social. Finding the armchair nearest to Helena still unoccupied she plopped down with a contented sigh and opened the thick paperback.

When the Uchiha found she could not really concentrate on the book she decided to bug her friend “Hey, where is everybody?”

Helena finished the paragraph she was reading, much to Saeko's chagrin, but answered “Little dirt-digging duo is off god-knows-where and Caitlin is at the quidditch pitch with the boys. It looks like the only year-mates around are Michelle and her posse, lucky us.”

The brunette turned to see the curly-haired muggleborn with her friends, all gushing over some actor's photo. Saeko chuckled “Yep. At least I got you.”

“Oh really now? What would Faith think?” the Brit teased, looking at her friend for the first time during their exchange.

Saeko couldn't help but grin but said nothing.

“Come to think of it, weren't you meeting her today?” Helena remembered.

The ninja eye-smiled “I did. We were by the Lake. It's a great day outside, you should really go out more. A nice April Sunday, one of the first warm days in forever… it doesn't tempt you even a little?”

“Not really. I prefer to stay indoors, thank you very much. Besides I wager it was not the weather that made you this cheerful.” Helena paused, squinted and said suspiciously, “Unusually cheerful.”

Saeko merely hummed. The blonde closed her book and leaned forward “Do tell!”

“Let's just say she shares my interest” the scarred brunette said with a grin.

“Come on, tell me. I even put aside my very interesting book for you!” the blonde pled.

 “I kissed her” the kunoichi said quite smugly.

Helena let out a whistle “Aces!”

“Yeah” the ninja concurred, tad dreamily.

“So? How, when, details!” the blonde urged.

Saeko leaned back in her chair with a smile “She was being adorable so I just kissed her on the cheek, just a brush of lips. She was receptive and taunted if that was meant to be a kiss so I kissed her fully.”

“Congrats! Will there be a repeat? Are you dating her?” Helena asked excitedly.

The brunette smiled at her friend's uncharacteristic behavior “We haven't discussed that yet but yes, I think so. We kissed some more and then we left – it is almost dinner-time after all.”

Helena cast tempus and nodded “Right. We should head down. I'm sure the others will find a way to extract more information out of you.”

“Can't wait” Saeko murmured sarcastically even though her great mood was unchanged.

* * *

**Saeko** **and Ashley's Room**

The three girls were hanging out in their dorm since it was literally pouring outside, each doing her own thing – Helena was reading. Ashley was strumming her guitar and Saeko was so bored she unsealed a couple of kunai and juggled them with one hand.

After a while the jounin selected one from its infinite loop and threw it at the wooden door. The next one landed slightly lower and to the side. Saeko smiled and proceeded to make a pattern – the Uchiha fan.

“You know that was dangerous” Helena remarked airily.

“Hn” said the Uchiha and went to collect her weapons. She cast _Reparo_ and the indentations in the wood disappeared.

“You totally hustled that dart competition a while back” the blonde smiled.

Saeko smirked “Yep. I did tell you to bet on me didn't I? But the darts were crappy in comparison to kunai.”

Helena made a go on motion, interested in the foreign blade. Saeko showed her one of the kunai up close “A kunai is a strange weapon – both for throwing and not. It's perfectly balanced and razor sharp. You can conceal it easily, tie an explosive tag to it or use it as a dagger. Very popular back home, I passed my proficiency the first day of the academy.”

“That really doesn't sound like Hogwarts at all. What else do you learn there?” the Brit asked.

“Usual stuff, like geography, history, math and so on. Also ballistics, trap-making, survival techniques, basic tracking and the Shinobi Code of Conduct. And naturally hand-to-hand, introduction to magic and shinobi tools” the ninja shared.

Ashley looked up from her instrument “Shinobi Code of Conduct?”

Saeko shrugged but answered “Rules like _'_ _A shinobi must always put the mission first_ _'_ , _'_ _A shinobi must never show their tears_ ', ' _A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings_ ', ' _A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions_ _'_ , ' _A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to_ ', ' _A shinobi must never show any weakness_.' They are very old but they serve us well.”

“Harsh” Helena nodded, unperturbed.

Ashley frowned “You really are raised to be soldiers”. _Killers_ was implied. “Is that why you don't seem to have PTSD?”

“Yep. We are all finely tuned sociopaths” Saeko said cheerily in provocation.

Neither girl talked for a few moments. Ashley finally broke the silence “It reminds me of the _agōgá in_ ancient Sparta. Boys were raised in commune, prepared and conditioned to be soldiers. Even the girls were warriors – when their men were on the battlefield the wives were expected to defend the city and home.”

“Cool” the scarred brunette smiled.

Ashley nodded and proceeded to lecture them about ancient Greece and their wizard society. Saeko listened, happy her pacifist friend came to terms with her occupation – who knew just a bit of history was needed. The ninja thought prudent not to mention the ways of the 'Bloody Mist' and actively contributed to the debate on schooling through the ages.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Great job everyone!” Jamie shouted, ending their training. The chaser pointed her broom down and her team followed obediently.

As usual the team shared their insights about the training they just finished. The blonde chaser was particularly chirpy after today's performance. Rory was also in a great mood “Yup, we rule! We are gonna swoop down and take the lion down!”

“Ravens nor eagles would be capable of that” James rolled his eyes.

“Ok, us ravens will pluck the eyes of that freshly slain lion and build a nest out of his fur!” Rory corrected his statement.

Jamie made a face “That's disturbing. And not to mention fairly disgusting.”

“And surprisingly accurate. Are you interested in biology?” Saeko asked with interest.

“Never mind. Way to kill my mood” the ginger huffed.

The captain sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose “Rory and his hobbies aside, good work everyone. We should start thinking up strategies against the Gryffindors so next training will be a more brainy one. If no one has anything I think we can finish for today.”

No one spoke so everyone picked up their brooms and slowly made their way to the locker rooms. “Sweet!” the Uchiha grinned and tried to go at a faster pace.

“Hot date?” Wayne snickered. 

Saeko looked over her shoulder and shot his a wicked smile “Yes actually.”

“Ooooh” the group chorused.

The ninja rolled her eyes with a smile “Oh shush you.”

Jared began making kissy faces towards Frost who pretended to swoon. Even Saeko had to laugh.

“Is it official? Cause I haven't heard anything yet from the Hogwarts rumor mill” Rory asked.

“Well, hearing that will be definitely more pleasant then the gossip about me and White wonderboy. But yes, I'm going to meet my girlfriend, you jealous punks” the brunette smirked.

Both James and Frost opened their mouths to say something but Jamie was faster “Don't let us keep you then. Punctuality is important. But make no mistake, we are going to grill you on her later.”

“I figured” Saeko shouted over her shoulder, already several paces ahead the rest of the team.

The group chuckled while Wayne shouted after her “And don't forget, too much tongue is not appreciated!”

“You would know!” was the prompt response.

“Buuurn!” Rory laughed at his friend who accepted defeat while the rest of the team laughed.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Dorms**

Saeko sat with her legs crossed before her large mirror which she already had to repair once from her marks of frustration. “Goddammit! Fucking _Disillusionment_ charm. I'm an Uchiha, this should be natural for me!”

She took a deep breath and put her wand aside. It was not like her to lose her temper so she tried to calm down. When she succeeded she took the spell book back into her hand and studied the appropriate page once again.

The most frustrating thing, aside from the fact this was basically a genjutsu, was that she couldn't ask anyone to perform it for her sharingan. The professors would be too suspicious and it would attract too much unwanted attention, while not many students would know this spell, let alone cast it.

Her concentration was broken by a knock on the door “Uchiha, you there?”

“Come in Caitlin” the ninja shouted, giving up on the spell for today.

The red-head entered “Are in the mood for flying?”

“Hm, yes actually. You, Graham and Wallace are going to the pitch?” Saeko dusted her knees and got up.

Caitlin shrugged “Graham is with Peter doing that potions homework. Eddie is with his older brother somewhere.”

“Potions? A bit last minute, Snape will not be pleased” the jounin chuckled, “Ok, I'll grab my broom.”

“Cool” the Irish girl leaned on the door to wait for the brunette.

Saeko packed up her things and went to retrieve her broom, deeming her current clothes suitable for the activity.

The girls walked out in comfortable silence. Once out of the Tower Caitlin spoke up “Todd will not be organizing tryouts for the team next year, will she?”

“I don't know” the brunette answered, looking at her friend in contemplation, “I think she will not, especially if we win the Cup.”

“Yeah, I thought so. You work well together” Caitlin smiled a bit sadly.

The brunette sighed “But you were hoping to make the team.”

Caitlin shrugged “Indeed. Maybe not next year, but most definitely the one after. I'd like to play. It's frustrating the team is currently so young but hey, if the Ravens win, who am I to complain.”

“You said once you'd like to play chaser right? Yeah, that's tough – Jamie is captain so that spot is out. But most likely she'll resign her seventh year. Rory and Wayne are fourth-years and have great synergy” Saeko mused.

The red-head chuckled “In other words forget about it.”

“Well, maybe for now. In two years though…” Saeko trailed out.

“Ha. We'll see. I'm gonna train for it nonetheless” Caitlin shrugged.

Saeko grinned “Great! Though it's gonna be a mess – James, Jared, Rory and Wayne are all in the same year. The tryouts will be huge!”

“Yeah” the Irish agreed, “But there could be plenty of talent. Like the today's fourth-years.”

“I guess but I still think it's going to a pain” the kunoichi grumbled.

Caitlin snacked her friend's shoulder “Lighten up Uchiha, we are going flying after all!”

“Hn”

* * *

**Great Hall**

Saeko was sitting among her friends, all of them laughing at what had quickly become the legendary duo of pranksters. Peter was mimicking the astonished look on one of the pranked Slytherins perfectly to go with the story. The kunoichi stopped laughing when a sleek-looking owl swooped over her head and dropped a letter in the brunette's lap.

“An owl delivery? That's new” Caitlin remarked.

“Yeah. Maybe it's from your lady-love?” Graham smirked.

The Uchiha merely chuckled and stored her mail in her belt. Saeko had noticed the British Ministry of Magic seal on the letter so she thought best to open it in private. To be honest she expected something similar to happen for months now – it would be strange for the minister not to exploit such a resource as Konoha ninja.

The group of Ravens teased the brunette for the perceived love-letter since Saeko adamantly refused to read it before them. Saeko played along while quickly finishing her meal. When she was done she took the letter out with a smile and waved them goodbye, ignoring the snickers from her friends.

Saeko jogged up to her room and opened the letter. When she finished reading she hummed, deep in thought. She was pleased with the tone of the letter, to be honest Minister Fudge didn't strike her as the respectful type. All in all the job looked easy – a simple espionage mission.

The Uchiha hummed one more time and bit her thumb for Kuchiose.

X

**Headmaster** **'s Office**

Saeko approached the gargoyle that marked the entrance to Dumbledore's office. To her surprise the statue took one look at her and moved over with a slow nod. The girl jogged up and knocked of the heavy door.

As she was let in Saeko bowed “Good evening, Dumbledore-dono.”

“Good evening Miss Uchiha. What can I do for you?” the old man smiled.

“I would like permission to leave the Castle for the week-end. Minister Fudge has a mission for me” Saeko explained.

Dumbledore lost his smile “I see. I was under the impression that any jobs would be handled by ninja other than yourself.”

“Indeed, I will be calling a team but as the Konoha representative here I would like to be present. I will hear the mission parameters, formally accept, stipulate the payment and call the appropriate team or shinobi. A bit of politics, you understand” Saeko explained.

“I do” Dumbledore nodded, his twinkle gone, “Very well. As long as it does not interfere with your school work you may leave for the week-end.”

The Uchiha bowed once more “Thank you Headmaster. May I use your fireplace for the trip to the Ministry? I would like to leave Friday after classes.”

The old man nodded but then changed his mind “Maybe it would be better if I informed professor Flitwick. As the Head of Ravenclaw it would be more appropriate to go to him.”

“Yes, I had planned to inform him of my absence anyway” the girl answered smartly.

Dumbledore smiled and reiterated his permission. As the kunoichi went to the door the Headmaster spoke up once more “No chance you will tell me what the mission is about?”

Saeko looked over her shoulder and smiled “You should know better Dumbledore-dono. Shinobi-client confidentiality. It would be very bad form.”

The bearded headmaster just nodded, his twinkle back in his eyes “Of course. Good night miss Uchiha.”

“Same to you sensei”

Saeko made her way back to the Tower. She smiled when she found her room empty. Unsealing a blank scroll and her brush she wrote a reply to the Minister and summoned Lykke to deliver it. When the albino raven took off she moved to her closet. It was only Thursday but she was already thinking about her outfit for the meeting – she was there as the Konoha ambassador after all. The jounin uniform was a given but she was also toying with the idea of her Uchiha cloak – her brother used it over his ANBU uniform for the Council meetings. Finally she nodded as she looked it over – it made her look more noble and in charge, not just a grunt but a leader.

She was not nervous, she was excited about the meeting with the foreign representative – it was good Hokage training. She smirked as her score against Naruto went up some more.

' _Showtime_ ' she thought as she put the cloak back.


	25. 2- 25 Yellow-Green Showdown

Saeko was reading a genjutsu study written by Yuuhi Kurenai when a seal on her arm began to twitch. She rolled up her sleeve and channeled chakra through the seal she was given by the Hokage and a summon obediently appeared in a poof of smoke.

“Uchiha-dono” the small monkey said.

The scarred jounin bowed slightly to the monkey and took the scroll she was handed. The monkey grinned and poofed away.

_Uchiha Saeko-kun,_

_Shirakumo Hayama_ _'s team had returned safely to Konoha, I just finished reading their reports. The mission was a success on all fronts._ _You made quite the impression on both Hayama and the British Minister. Well done, the Hokage title would suit you well indeed. I look forward to your report._

_I hope you enjoy your studies as well as the castle,_

_Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konoha_

 

Saeko smiled at the praise. She knew she handled things well but this was a nice confirmation. She chuckled as she was being teased with the coveted Kage title once again.

She put the scroll into her nightstand and took up the genjutsu study once more. Saeko was quite a fan of Kurenai – a young jounin who specialized in illusions. Yuuhi was the only one who currently managed to excel in the art and was neither an Uchiha or Yakumo. Of course Itachi was far superior, hands down the best in Konoha, but he had quite the advantage in his eyes. The scarred girl had been surprised when she heard her colleague wished to teach more than anything else and applied to be a jounin sensei. Team 8 seemed to thrive, so good for her.

Some time later Ashley knocked once and opened the door. “We are going to lunch, you coming?” the smaller brunette asked and returned the book she was holding back on the shelf.

“Sure, I'm starving” the Uchiha smiled and sealed away her reading material.

Downstairs the roommates met up with the rest of their little poker group and went to the Great Hall.

As they filled their plates the young Ravens discussed the big Herbology assignment they received the day prior. Daniel grumbled that the homework was individual to which Helena readily agreed. Saeko shrugged “Many pairs in Herbology are cross-House. Sprout-sensei wishes to keep it so.”

“I guess,” the bespectacled boy frowned, “It's still a pain, right Grey?”

“Hm?” Helena asked, “Sorry, I wasn't listening. Look over there – it seems Michelle got something right for once”. The group promptly looked to see. The blonde quickly smacked Graham who was sitting beside her “Not all at once idiots!”

“Could you at least tell us what are we looking for?” Ashley whispered while trying to inconspicuously look behind her.

Helena rolled her eyes “Gossip queen said White was dating some Gryff girl. He's right over there, trying to eat her face.”

“Not bad” Saeko remarked, studying the girl.

“She's a third-year right?” Caitlin asked.

Helena shrugged “Don't know, I tuned my roomie out.”

“Oh, please, you secretly love gossip” Ashley teased. The Grey heiress shot her a glare and rolled her eyes once again.

Peter smirked “I'm just surprised the Hogwarts rumor-mill didn't make it a big affaire like before. You remember Saeko, right?”

“It wasn't that bad” Saeko chuckled.

“Now they have you dating a Hufflepuff. That is actually true, right?” Graham asked.

Saeko's mouth was full of chicken so she eye-smiled and nodded. “Cool” was the reply.

“Speaking of gossip I heard the Head Girl is pregnant” Paddy shared.

“No way!” Daniel said in a perfect imitation of an American high-school girl.

When the group finished laughing Caitlin spoke up “I think it's bullshit, no way she's that dumb.”

They proceeded to talk about various rumors as well as inventing some more for entertainment purposes. Saeko was grinning ear to ear because it reminded her of the Chuunin Lounge – but hey, as Faith put it, what else to do with no TV, internet and games…

* * *

**West Tower Corridor**

"Hey" Saeko said as she embraced Faith from behind.

The Hufflepuff jumped up, startled "Don't do that! I almost had a heart attack!"

Saeko chuckled "Gomen."

"I didn't even hear you approach" the bustier brunette said in reprimand.

"I have been told I can be quite stealthy. Ash calls me a ninja sometimes" the kunoichi smirked.

"With this long hair of yours I don't think so" Faith crossed her arms and grinned.

The Uchiha laughed at the irony "I have awesome hair and could totally make it work."

"I like your hair" Faith acquiesced, taking the thick black braid into her hand, "Is there a reason you keep it this long?"

"Not really, I just like it. Itachi, my brother, wears it long enough for a low ponytail. Maybe I didn't cut it out of hero-worship at first."

"His are not as long as yours, right? That would be kind of weird on a man."

Saeko snorted, picturing most of the Hyuuga clan in her mind "No, he doesn't. But my best friend has them as long as me - it's kind of traditional in his Clan. He can pull it off."

Faith squinted, trying to remember "That's Neji, right? Your best friend?"

"Yup, the one and, fortunately, the only. Come to think of it, many wizards keep their hair longish - most of Slytherin in fact. It has to be some pureblood thing."

"I noticed that too - the first-years always look girly" Faith smirked wickedly. "Speaking of Slytherin, will you watch the game with me?"

"I'd love to" Saeko smiled and pecked the Puff on her cheek.

The girls then spent the next half-hour discussing the Badger's chances against the Snakes. Faith also tried to pry some information on the anti-Gryff strategy Saeko's team was developing but was unsuccessful.

When the bell that signalized the end of the first period rang, both girls stood. Saeko asked "What did you say you have now?"

"Transfiguration" the third-year replied as she shouldered her bag, "With Slytherin actually."

"Good luck" Saeko smiled. The ninja then looked around the deserted corridor, finding it still devoid of life. Pleased by this fact she took Faith by her waist and kissed her.

Faith put her arms on her shoulders and used them to bring the two of them closer. The two girls stayed like this for quite a while, enjoying their deepened lip-lock.

When they finally separated Saeko gave the Puff one last chaste kiss "See ya." The Uchiha waved and hurried off to Charms.

* * *

**Transfiguration Classroom**

Professor McGonagall was clearly frustrated with today's interest in her class “Settle down! Don't make me say it one more time. I understand everyone is anxious for tomorrow's match but it is still Saturday morning and we are not on the pitch.”

The Slytherins reluctantly calmed down but there still was whispered discussion among them. Graham murmured to the Raven side of the classroom “I don't know why are they so excited about it – the best result would be them winding up in 3rd place in the Cup.”

The blue-clad students chuckled a bit maliciously. Caitlin added to the whispered mocking “Quite a long fall from first place.”

“How the mighty have fallen” chimed in Wallace.

The Ravens snickered again much to the Slytherin's annoyance. “Hey, care to say it out loud!” a tall boy said angrily, Saeko recognized him as Cassius Daly.

“Calm down or I will drown you in homework till next Yule” McGonagall said, her patience quickly waning.

“We'll get you next year, just you wait. Especially you Uchiha, you are going down!” a girl hissed.

Saeko looked at the blonde with a salacious smirk “I won't cheat on my girlfriend, but thanks for the interest.”

The blonde was confused but as two boys near her began snickering she realized it was an insult. She went to retaliate but was cut off by the transfiguration professor “Uchiha, detention! How vulgar, I would've expected more from you. You as well miss Gallaher. Come to me after class. Such insubordination” she muttered the last part.

The kunoichi nodded. When the Scot turned to the blackboard she looked at the Slytherin queen bee and provocatively licked her upper lip. Most of the boys who saw it erupted in laughter while Aurora went bright red from anger and embarrassment. From the corner of her eye Saeko spotted Lauren who shook her head in mock exasperation while hiding a smile.

“Homework it is then!” said the now furious teacher. “And 30 points from both Slytherin and Ravenclaw!”

The rest of the class went on in near silence as they learned to transform rabbits into slippers.

When the bell rang the students packed their things, a bit disgruntled the angry professor denied them points for their successful transfiguration. Saeko obediently went for her punishment while her friends waited outside the classroom.

“So?” Ashley asked as the Uchiha exited the room, Aurora Gallaher having stomped out only moments before.

Saeko smirked “Nothing much aside detention – language unbecoming a young lady such as me and so on. Honestly I'm surprised McGonagall knew what I meant so quickly, she looks so straight-laced. Oh well, who knows what she is into.”

“Saeko!” Ashley exhaled in disbelief while the rest of the group laughed.

As they all went to the Ravenclaw tower they made fun of the Slytherins and snickered at Saeko's antics in the class. Saeko just thought to herself “ _I read too much Icha Icha. Kami, Anko would be proud_.”

* * *

**Quidditch Stands**

Saeko laughed out loud when she scanned the crowd to find her girlfriend – she and her group stood out quite visibly. As promised the two boys held up an enormous banner of a badger eating a snake. They clearly found someone to bewitch it since the two animals moved once in a while, the reptile clearly writhing in agony. The yellow jumpers, face paint and lipstick were back, what was new were some kind of horns that made loud booming sounds that could be distinctly heard even over the cheers of the crowd.

The Ravenclaw crept up to Faith, gently hugged her from behind and pecked her cheek “Yo!”

“What did I tell you about the ninja stealth!” Faith exclaimed when her heart rate came down.

Saeko rubbed the shoulder she was punched at by the startled brunette and grinned charmingly “Sorry. But it's just too much fun”. Faith rolled her eyes but gave the Uchiha a peck on the lips nonetheless.

The kunoichi greeted the Puffs with a wave and a 'Hey' and made herself comfortable by hugging her girlfriend and putting her chin on the yellow-clad shoulder. “This alright?” Saeko asked. Faith merely hummed and relaxed in the Uchiha's arms.

When the commentator finally called the teams onto the pitch the Hufflepuff stands seemed to explode with sound. Saeko cheered loudly along the Badger fans, it was really quite exhilarating.

The quaffle was released and one thing was clear right away – the Snakes will be fighting dirty. Not even five minutes from the whistle Hufflepuff got its first penalty shot when Dennison fouled Carroll.

“Bloody wankers! Carroll, shove the quaffle up his arse, see how he likes it!” Serena shouted as she shot up from her seat next to Faith. Saeko chuckled – normally the petite blonde looked as threatening as a blueberry muffin but now she looked positively terrifying.

The game proceeded in a similar manner, Slytherin in the lead by few goals. Suddenly Fraiser, the Hufflepuff seeker, dived. The crowd went insane as Archer followed his counterpart and both flied side by side. Then snitch made a sharp turn and both players followed, Fraiser now in the lead. Saeko heard Faith hold her breath as the yellow-clad seeker stretched his hand, lying further down on his broom.

Abruptly Fraiser jerked back and shouted in outrage and frustration – Archer had caught the tail of the Puff's broom and pulled it back.

Saeko was astonished by the string of profanities that were shouted from all around her. The whistle resonated in the pitch as Madame Hooch called the foul. As the red-faced referee berated the Slytherin seeker the snitch vanished from sight.

Faith turned to the Ravenclaw beater and said through gritted teeth “Next game smash his face again, clearly he didn't get the message the first time.”

Saeko forced back a grin and nodded. “Hey, is it me or that guy over there doesn't really make any sense?”

The smaller brunette looked where Saeko was pointing. The older-year was just shouting on the top of his lungs “He's brown bread!”

“It's cockney, don’t think about it, it will just give you a headache” Faith shrugged. When Saeko pouted the Puff relented “Rhyming slang, among other things. Now shush, Mercer is going to take the first penalty shot.”

Saeko complied but still listened to the broad-shouldered teen's words. Some of what he shouted was made clear by his tone – e.g. insults.

Mercer scored. When the final penalty shot was caught, Hufflepuff was in the lead. Archer and Fraiser circled the field, trying to spot the elusive golden orb.

The score climbed higher that all the previous games in the season. It was also the most foul-played game as the Hufflepuff beaters were less successful in keeping the Snakes away.

In a déjà-vu of sorts both seekers pointed their brooms down as one. The stadium watched on in an uncharacteristic silence as the duel unfolded. Both players were in full dive, the golden ball quickly nearing the ground.

The snitch was flying too low. Archer pulled up but Fraiser stubbornly went on. The yellow blur crashed unceremoniously. The Slytherin seeker hovered few feet up, eagerly looking for the snitch, smirking at his opponent's fate.

Madame Hooch quickly flied to Fraiser, clearly worried. Suddenly the Badger lifted himself on his knees and with wobbly feet stood up. Everybody was confused by his pained yet huge grin. His hand shot up in the air revealing the snitch.

The crowd roared. Amidst deafening cries the referee called the match in Hufflepuff favour. The result announced, Fraiser let himself fall to the ground once more, clearly unconscious.

This fact didn't dampen the yellow crowd in the slightest. Even Faith was on her feet, pointing at the Slytherin stands, yelling “Ha! Eat that you fuckers!”

Saeko had to shake her head at the almost Naruto-like maneuver that gave the Badgers their coveted victory over Slytherin. _Stubborn bastard_ she thought when her thought were interrupted by an eager, full-on kiss from Faith.

“We got them!” the smaller brunette cheered when she tore the Uchiha from the kiss.

“Congrats” Saeko smiled, a bit confused as to why third place is considered an accomplishment. She guessed it was the joy at leaving the most arrogant House in last place.

Sofia high-fived Abby “Now, this was a great game! Faith was complaining last time the wizards were too subdued while cheering.”

“Oh?” Saeko asked, intrigued.

The busty Puff in the ninja's arms shrugged “Well, yeah. You should see the premier league football games! The atmosphere is so… wild, powerful, charged. I can't describe it. Hey, even school teams in the muggle world have a great following. Banner and face paint is only the beginning – they have mascots, cheerleaders, songs, flares and so much more.”

“Do they now? Hm” Saeko trailed out, a glint in her eyes.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko gathered her friends, the quidditch team and Geoffrey. When they all settled down, still casting confused glances at each other, the Uchiha spoke with a wide wicked grin and a twinkle in her eyes not unlike Dumbledore “I have an idea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: brown bread – bread - dead


	26. 2- 26 Once More Unto the Breach

The whole Ravenclaw quidditch team was tucked away in a corner of their common room, adding finishing touches to their strategy for the game against the Lions.  When nothing more was to be discussed Jamie packed up her charts. Then she looked every player under her command in their eyes “So, this is it, one last hurdle to jump. One last team stands between us and the first Raven victory in ages.”

“I confess I'm a bit nervous” Jared chuckled.

Saeko patted her partner's back “We'll get them. Slytherins were more aggressive than the Gryffs are going to be, Puffs were more disciplined and inventive – all the Lions have going for them is desperation since for many of them this is the last season.”

“True. I'm very confident in our victory. We have trained and we have planned and it's going to show” the blonde captain said in a soothing yet hard tone, “There is no point in analyzing it further. Now, you know the routine – get plenty of sleep, yadda, yadda. I'll meet you at the pitch an hour before the match.”

The group nodded and dispersed. Saeko grinned at Jamie and waved her good night. The ninja then sought her friends. She found them playing cards near an open window.

“Hey” Saeko greeted and sat down on the carpet next to Daniel. Helena nodded and automatically dealt her in.

“Done preparing?” Graham asked.

Saeko shrugged “We are as prepared as we are ever going to be. And the preparations on your part?”

Caitlin, Ashley and Peter all grinned enthusiastically. The Irish said “Yer. Everybody is prepared. I heard more 'this is pointless' and 'this is lame' comments today but the vast majority is excited.”

“Yeah, I was surprised about than since the exams are nearing and all” Helena remarked.

Peter chucked “When I was talking to a sixth-year he told me his girlfriend thinks him too nerdy. He's a big Chelsea fan in the muggle world, I think he wanted to do something like this before but didn't want to stand out too much on our stands.”

“And now the whole House is in” Daniel smiled.

“Flitwick is on board too. And quite enthusiastic about it” Ashley said, pleased.

“This is going to be fun!” Saeko grinned. Sometimes she was so glad she didn't have to uphold the Uchiha Clan image so hard in Hogwarts.

Peter nodded “Yup, Now we just need to win.”

“Yeah, there is that” Saeko shrugged.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The Ravenclaw quidditch team lined up before the entrance to the pitch, waiting for their cue. Everybody was silent, all that needed to be said was dealt with in the locker room. They were ready.

“ _Today is the day ladies and gentlemen, the day it_ _'s decided who takes the Cup. We have two so far unbeaten teams, so who's it gonna be? The Ravenclaw Eagles who took us all by surprise and destroyed everything in their way? Or the Gryffindor Lions whose bravery and daring is legendary on the pitch? Let's find out! The big showdown beginssssss NOW!_ ”

“ _Dressed in scarlet fly the LIONS! Let_ _'s welcome_ _Wood, Harewood, Weber, Pierce, Hansley, Cox aaand White!_ ”

The Gryffindor supporters screamed and clapped. White's fans were particularly vocal.

When the stadium quieted down the commentator continued with the introductions. “ _If you didn't notice the sea of blue-clad fans, then look again because they are here to witness the EAGLES! McPherson, Todd, Martin, Gallaher, Bishop, Uchiha aaaand Frost!_ ”

The Ravenclaw team mounted their brooms and flew out to the pitch. Jamie was out first, the others quickly followed. As they hovered in formation before the referee they all took a moment to observe the crowd as the commentator spun the usual pre-game talks. This time his main focus was the Ravenclaw fans.

Ravenclaw students really went all out on this one. Encouraged by the quidditch team itself the whole House was determined to make a show, something to be remembered. For the first time in forever their team had a solid chance and they were all there to support them. There was not one person in the Ravenclaw stands who was not wearing blue. Face paint was so common it looked mandatory or part of the Raven uniform. Some loyalist, encouraged by the quidditch fever that gripped their House, went with body paint. One seventh-year stood proudly in the middle on the stands wearing only shorts while his body shone blue and bronze. Many other fans thought a wing pattern would be the most defining trait of their House.

Many ideas were plain bizarre. One such example would be the girl dressed as what was meant to be Rowena of Ravenclaw. Well, that is if Rowena of Ravenclaw had a huge sign ' _Feed on my enemies, my ravens!_ '. A few other students thought that hanging what looked like a lion carcass from their stands was amusing.

When the Ravenclaw team had made its appearance there were innumerable loud blasts, like guns being fired, and smoke - the telltale signs of the Avis charm. Ravens and eagles were shot out of their owner's wands and were now flying over the whole stadium, acting as mascots of sorts, adding their cries to the deafening sounds of the fans in blue.

James took one look at the birds in the sky and mumbled “I feel like in a Hitchcock movie.”

“Awesome” Wayne grinned.

“It better be, I spent God knows how much time teaching firsties this spell that was so far out of their league. Looks like they got it in the end” Jared said, quite proud of his temporary students.

It took three sharp whistles from Madame Hooch to subdue the crowd. Finally the volume came down and the referee called for the captains of the respective teams.

When Jamie took Hansley's hand she unexpectedly cawed. The second caw was echoed by the Team. The third by the entire House. Soon nothing else could be heard aside the raven's caw. It really was quite impressive and a little bit intimidating.

The whistle resounded again and the ruckus died down. Madame Hooch spoke few quiet words to the captains and both players went back to their teams. The silver-haired witch looked up and nodded to herself when she saw most of the birds flew away or sat down on the various perches. She readied the quaffle, took one last look around to see if the players were ready, and she lunched the red ball. One sharp whistle later and the game was afoot.

Saeko tuned out the commentator, focusing solely on her job – to obliterate any opposition and protect her own.

Saeko sped up to catch one of the bludgers. Cox seemed to have the same idea but was thwarted by the ninja who passed it to Jared that used it to make Harewood miss catching the quaffle.

The second bludger flew towards Weber who ducked and let Hansley take care of it. With a loud bang the black ball came speeding towards Frost as a preemptive strike against the Ravenclaw seeker.

Being beater is the hardest job in the game – they have to be the most vigilant, their focus must not waver for a second or their teammate can get injured. They have to see everything that happens and be aware of everyone's position on the field. A hard job indeed but Saeko and Jared did it perfectly. Working in admirable harmony they managed to enable the chasers to give Ravenclaw a 40 point lead.

Once or twice Saeko sent the bludger towards White, just to make him lose focus. One of her shots nicked Leon's knee, Saeko smiled at his pained grimace, hoping she reduced his effectiveness.

Another notable moment was when the Uchiha yelled to her partner while passing the destructive ball “Target Kilo!”

Jared immediately spun, noticing that the quaffle was indeed in the scoring area and with a bone-shattering blow sent the bludger at Wood. The Gryffindor keeper had his eyes firmly on the quaffle and didn't notice the menace in time. Neither Cox nor Hansley were near enough to their home hoops, one being effectively blocked by Frost who heard the Uchiha's signal.

Wood blocked the quaffle but before he could throw it back to his teammates he caught the bludger right in his stomach. The keeper let out a loud 'oomph' and practically folded himself onto his broom which fortunately still kept its altitude. Jamie swooped under him and sped off with the red ball.

With Wood momentarily shaken the Gryff chasers had to compensate. Jamie and the rest wouldn't let them. The Eagle's advantage grew some more.

The Lions grew more desperate, Hansley and Cox in particular. The beaters tried desperately to regain the balance by knocking the Ravens off their booms or something similarly drastic. Jared managed to cover Frost. Rory wasn't so fortunate, the bludger impacted his shoulder. He cried loudly as he cradled the injured arm.

“Fuck” Saeko murmured and pointed her broom towards the chaser. She stopped him from taking off and looked over his shoulder “It's dislocated. I've done this before, don't pass out.”

“Wha…” Rory began but his question was cut short by another pained cry as the ninja popped his shoulder back into its socket. “Bitch that hurt” he mumbled finally, slightly dazed.

“Sorry” Saeko replied dryly, “Now try not to use the arm much and after we win get checked by Pomfrey. Thank me later, I have to go.” Going back to the fray the brunette was thinking of a way of making clear such injuries were not to be left unpunished.

A chance presented itself when Cox stole a bludger from the Uchiha. She turned the broom rapidly, her braid smacking the enemy beater right across his face.

“Aaargh!” Cox screamed, dropped his bat as his hands shot to his nose, blood flowing.

“FOUL!” the scarlet fans shouted. Madame Hooch seemed to agree as she blew the whistle.

As the referee approached both parties Saeko put on her most innocent face “My apologies, I didn't realize my hair was so long.”

Jamie chuckled in the background. Rory was smirking in glee at his now bleeding attacker. In the end the Ravens had to suffer one penalty shot but it was well worth it. Especially when James caught Pierce's shot.

The game continued on, wilder than before.

The Ravens had clear point advantage but were nowhere near 150 so White became the main point of interest, the main obstacle. Jamie decided to lower the threat level and ordered viciously “Blacken Sierra!”

Her beaters obeyed and soon both bludgers targeted the poor red-clad seeker, who had to make a sloth grip roll to avoid the danger. Saeko and Jared didn't relent and once again a black ball came speeding towards Leon. Hansley arrived just in time to save his seeker but not to avoid the surprisingly hard quaffle into his ribs, courtesy of the quick thinking Wayne.

White didn't even thank his captain as he spotted the only thing that could save his team – the golden snitch. He speared through the air towards his goal. It only took moments for the players to realize what was going on.

“Blockade!” was shouted by multiple sources, this scenario anticipated and thoroughly trained.

All the Ravenclaw players swooped onto White like birds of prey, forcing him to alter his trajectory several times, finally effectively blocking him from doing anything.

The plan was to halter Leon and let Frost end the match but the Gryffindors proved themselves worthy adversaries. Both bludgers and three players prevented Jerry to catch the elusive orb.

The snitch had been lost, the danger averted so the players returned to their usual duties on the pitch.

It wasn't until later the golden ball was spotted again. The Gryffs evidently took the previous lesson to heart and all three chasers blocked Frost from continuing towards the snitch. Ravenclaw's own chasers trying to get him free.

Jared sent his bludger flying towards White and hurried to body-block the nearest Gryffindor beater. Leon easily dodged the black ball, having expected it.

As she chased White Saeko had a fleeting thought how easy it would be to shot a katon jutsu and incinerate the opposing player. Deciding that a tiny bit of cheating wouldn’t really hurt anyone she activated her sharingan. The crimson eyes easily anticipated both the positions of the snitch and the bludger that actually tried to target her.

Saeko took careful aim and with a mighty, definitely chakra enhanced, blow she sent the bludger flying at her carefully calculated trajectory. A surprisingly clear _ting_ was heard as the bludger crashed into the snitch, making it to alter its course and heighted its speed.

White's hand fell back onto his broom, his jaw damn near following – in a nice snooker effect Saeko had stolen the golden ball right under his nose.

Frost was flying low, few inches above the grass. He successfully escaped from the near brawl that was happening between the chasers when James abandoned his hoops to come to his aid. He was just about the join the golden race when Saeko did her maneuver. He was astonished but didn't let shock harm his opportunity.

As the snitch came barreling down the seeker flew up.

Jerry's hand enveloped the golden orb.

They won.

…

…

It took few beats for the crowd to comprehend what just happened but then the blue-bronze mass erupted in cheers. When Madame Hooch announced the Raven victory their fans got even louder – cheers, shouts, whistles, clapping, horns blowing bonded with the cries of the spooked birds that hastily fled, making the noise near deafening.

The Ravenclaw team had landed, hugging each other in exhilaration. “We won!”Wayne shouted as he jumped up and down.

Rory was laughing, the happiness making him forget about the pain in his shoulder “That we did!”

“Congrats Jamie, first year captain and victory right of the bat!” Saeko grinned as she embraced the blonde.

The chaser grinned back, but quickly grimaced “Ouch!”

“A busted lip, I hadn't noticed” the Uchiha frowned, not liking failing at her job which right now was protecting her team. “Hold still.”

Jamie raised her eyebrow but obeyed “You were too busy with White and damn that was amazing – pity I didn't really see it. Pierce elbowed me, it's nothing, I'll go to Pomfrey later.”

Saeko unsealed her wand and took her captain's chin in her hand “Episkey.”

“You brought your wand to the pitch?” Jamie asked, confused, as her fingers brushed her now perfectly healed lip.

The ninja shrugged “As long as I don't use it in the game it's allowed. I don't like being unprotected.”

“Well, thanks” Jamie smiled.

“Hey, can you fix me too or do I have to be a pretty girl?” asked Rory with a smirk.

Before the brunette could answer Dumbledore and the beaming Flitwick stepped onto the grass of the quidditch pith, making them all grin. Everyone's eyes zeroed onto the golden trophy the headmaster was holding. The crowd went silent as the duo and Madame Hooch approached the winning team.

The referee smiled at the Eagles and announced the ranking of all the Hogwarts House teams. Loud snickers could be heard as she placed Slytherin last. Gryffindor's second place was met by half-hearted clapping of its fans, still dejected at their loss. And finally Ravenclaw, the victors.

Dumbledore handed over the big trophy to Jamie, the twinkle in his eyes prominent. The blonde thanked the headmaster and with a huge smile she raised it over her head.

The crowd erupted once again. All the Ravenclaw students also picked up their wands once more to shower their team with blue and bronze sparks. Some also lighted up fireworks and flares in their House colors. Professor Flitwick made a complicated gesture with his wand and a giant bird made of blue light appeared. The bird cawed and took flight, circling the entire field. Not stopping there the next winged form shone bronze. Both avians chased themselves on the pitch.

The cheers were never-ending. When Madame Hooch and the headmaster left the field the Ravenclaw fans burst onto the field and enveloped their heroes. After a short discussion among the older-years the team was lifted onto shoulders and carried back in the castle. Even Flitwick hitched a ride since two sixth-years hoisted him up despite his squealed initial protest.

* * *

**Next day**

Saeko woke up and immediately regretted it. She felt like that one time after a mission she had with Anko and was persuaded to celebrate its completion by going drinking. The fact she let herself go a little was quite a tell she felt comfortable at Hogwarts. Just in the last meeting/spar with her brother she expressed her eagerness to go back to Konoha for a while, craving action. Yesterday's quidditch match sated that desire for a while.

The party had been amazing. Saeko soaked in the adoration. Everything started going a little blurry when the muggle beer run out and harder drinks were opened. By general consensus the Team had to have the best stuff, whether they liked it or not, which meant top notch firewhisky, courtesy of a sixth-year whose father was the brewer. It tasted amazing, she had to remember to bring some back to Konoha as a present.

Saeko looked at the time and groaned. Yesterday might've been a big day but today was still Monday, with all the undesirable side-effects like school. First period DADA with the Gryffindors. Bloody brilliant.

With great effort the ninja got ready and dragged herself downstairs. Most of the House, eg those who had lessons first period, was there, sitting or lying in various state of dishevelment. From what it looked like every Raven decided to skip breakfast. Saeko briefly wondered what the professors and the other students thought.

Saeko went to join her friends. All of them clearly imbibed last night, some more than others. “Ohayo, ready to brave Defense?” she asked.

Half-hearted nods were their answer.

Daniel yawned “At least we have a free period after it. We can do it.”

“The worst part is that I don't even have the energy to flaunt our victory before the Gryffs” Graham said while rubbing his eyes.

The Uchiha whined “Kami, I promised Faith we would meet in the free period before lunch! I have to get out of it, I want to sleep.”

“Tough” Helena said quietly, holding her face in her hands.

Caitlin resolutely stood “Come on, we have class. And stop complaining! We won the Quidditch Cup. It also means nobody is stealing the House Cup from us this year. Be grateful and zip it!”

“Yay” Peter said dryly but obediently stood up. The rest of the group followed with small smiles on their faces.


	27. 2- 27 Total Recall

Saeko just came into the Ravenclaw tower laden with books from the library, thinking that the tower guardian gave harder question just before exams. She headed to the stairs to deposit her reading material in her room when she noticed Jamie Todd sitting on the carpet near an open window, looking completely out of her mind.

The ninja approached her captain as she would a wounded animal “Jamie? What did that book ever did to you?”

“Wha-?” the blonde looked up. At Saeko's raised eyebrow she looked back down at the book she had been nearly ripping apart “Oh.”

“I guess asking whether you are nervous would be redundant?”

Jamie dropped the volume and began to hyperventilate “What was I doing, I should've forgotten about quidditch and concentrated on the exams. OWLs, it's OWLs! Man, what does a match matter, I'm not even going pro! Now I don’t know anything, God, I'm going to fail!”

Saeko chuckled “I'll take that as a yes. Calm down Jamie, just take a deep breath.”

“How can I? I'm doomed!” said the fifth-year in absolute panic.

“You most definitely are not. All the knowledge is in your head, I know it, you are just too freaked out right now so it feels like you don't know anything. If you would just calm down… Like before a match, take a deep breath. And NEWTs are the important exams anyways” Saeko said soothingly.

The blonde shook “That may be true but it's the OWLs that enable you to take the subjects for NEWTs.”

“Meh. Anyway even if you didn't know everything already, and you DO, you still have plenty of time. I know you can't help being nervous but always remember you are your year's number eight for a reason” the kunoichi said in encouragement.

“How do you know about that?” Jamie's head shot up.

Saeko rolled her eyes at the stupid question “The score boards are on public display. And Frost might've mentioned it. How about a nice cup of tea to calm your nerves?”

“Are you gonna raid Helena's stash?” Jamie finally smiled.

The brunette laughed “I could, but I was thinking I could take you to the kitchens. Hm, how cool a friend am I?”

“You know how to get there?” the chaser asked in disbelief.

“Sure do, but try to keep it on the down low. Come on, take your books into your room and meet me here. I promise tea, chocolate and maybe a drop of Baileys – that is true Zen” Saeko winked.

Jamie smirked “Yeah, because alcohol helps so much when studying. But yeah, ok, I'll take you up on that. Being away from books for a while might prove beneficial.”

“That's my girl!” the Uchiha smiled and stood up.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“Wand movement and incantation for the Freezing spell” Saeko said as she held the appropriate textbook.

Faith smiled, she knew this one “Glacius, wave and point to target.”

“Yup” the ninja smiled and closed the book, “And that's it, no more quizzing, you are going to nail it.”

The Hufflepuff went to protest but at Saeko's glare she just closed her mouth again and nodded. She took her textbook back and put it in her bag. Sighing she leaned on the kunoichi “I'm nervous. How come you are not?”

Saeko kissed Faith's temple lightly “I don't want to sound arrogant but I know everything that can possibly come up in the exams.”

“Yep, that does sound a bit arrogant. Is that why you never asked me what the exams looked like last year for me?” the Brit looked up at her girlfriend.

“Hm” the Uchiha hummed and closed her eyes, “Why don't you tell me now?”

“Should I bother?” Faith smirked.

The scarred girl pouted “Yes, please.”

Faith let out a short laugh “Since you asked so nicely. Flitwick wanted the _arresto momentum_ in the practicals as well as the _engorgio_ charm and its reversal. Potions was all about the sleeping draught. McGonagall asked for _Vera Verto_ – bird to goblet, that's cruelty on animals if you ask me.”

Saeko chuckled since the Puff wasn't really upset. Faith smiled and continued “Don't remember Herbology much but we had to repot something and care for it. Fluxweed maybe. I have no idea what Bangasé will ask since your curriculum differs greatly from our second year.”

“And History?” Saeko asked.

“Vampires. Oh and Goblin rebellions… volume 2” Faith rolled her eyes.

The ninja gasped, her hand flying dramatically to her heart “NO! Really? I would've never guessed.”

“Hey, you asked!” Faith smacked the Raven's shoulder. “Oh, and I can't remember Astronomy in the slightest.”

Saeko waved her hand in dismissal “I know and can perform everything you listed, I'm going to be fine. As will you.”

Faith was unsure but smiled at the compliment. Deciding to change topics slightly she asked “Did you fill the application for the electives yet?”

“Hai. All of us gave it to Flitwick already. I went with Runes and Care for Magical Creatures” the taller brunette replied, “To be honest, the rest looked a bit useless.”

“Are you insulting my Divination?” Faith said in mock annoyance.

“Oh hell yeah!” Saeko exclaimed with a grin.

Both girls laughed like mad – making fun of that particular class seemed like Faith's favorite hobby as of late. Saeko actually met professor Trelawney in the hallway once, a subtle odor of sherry following her.

“Why did you take it in the first place?” the kunoichi inquired.

Faith shrugged “Momentary lapse in sanity? It sounded cool at first ya know, to see the future.”

The raven-haired teen nodded in understanding – it would be indeed cool. She frowned “I really don't get why it's even a subject here. If you don't have the Sight or whatever, you can't use it.”

Faith put her head on Saeko's shoulder and sighed “Tradition, as always.”

The duo spent the next few minutes in silence, enjoying their proximity. They watched as some Gryffindor fourth-years feed the giant squid while laughing loudly.

After a while the Puff straightened up “I need to go, we are doing some group reviewing.”

“You don't really need it. Come on, your friends can handle it without you” Saeko batted her eyelashes.

Faith snorted in laughter “Alright, just stop doing that ridiculous face. Please.”

Saeko kissed her girlfriend's neck lightly “Thanks.”

“That's it? What can you offer me in return?” the Hufflepuff crossed her arms in teasing.

“I can think of something” the Uchiha grinned and leaned to kiss the smaller brunette.

Faith smiled, whispered “That'll do,” and met the ninja halfway.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower after exams**

“So that's it” Ashley sighed and let herself fall on one of the sofas in the common room.

Helena and Saeko followed, the Grey heir much more properly. “And now we have the week off. I hope I'll see more of Faith since I will be incommunicado the whole summer as usual.”

“What are you doing for the holidays Helena? I won't bother asking you James Bond” Ash said while making herself comfortable on the sofa.

“What?” the Uchiha asked, not sure what her friend meant.

Helena snorted in laughter. Ashley looked over the blonde, clearly surprised the pureblood caught the muggle reference “He's a fictional secret agent. Something akin to a spy.”

“Oh” Saeko said and nodded in understanding.

“Anyways I'm staying at home I guess. Father may take me to Vietnam or China but other than that nothing much. Oh and my cousin or whatnot will be visiting for a few weeks – he studies at Beauxbatons” Helena frowned.

The raven-haired teen was intrigued “Does it differ much from Hogwarts?”

“Not really. I know their exams are a bit different and they have more electives. Pity we don't have fencing here” Helena sighed wistfully.

Ashley squinted “I know you fence, but nope, I don't see it.”

“I do” the Uchiha smiled, “You've got ideal built for it. It's a pretty sport.”

“By your slightly disdainful tone you don't consider it a form of combat” Helena asked already anticipating the response. Her guess would be spot on since the ninja laughed with great gusto.

 Helena chuckled, not offended in the slightest “And you Ashley? Your summer?”

“Mine and Peter's parents are going back to Chile for a dig so South America we go. Fortunately mum won the argument with grams or I would be stuck in England” the shorter-haired brunette grinned.

“Cool” Saeko remarked.

Ashley nodded, her eyes bright “Yep! I hope I could dad will teach me some runes, we should see plenty of them in the various digs and stuff. I can already read some but never did their practical application.”

Before more could be said Caitlin and Edward approached the trio. Wallace asked “So how was it? Cause I might've botched it.”

“Well-“ Saeko started but Caitlin interrupted “Please don't answer. Everybody knows you are most likely getting the Number 1 again.”

“Hn. Then you shouldn't have asked” the raven-haired huffed, secretly very pleased.

They spent an hour debating the entirety of the exams they just finished. Ashley finally stood “I'm going to take a nap. Saeko, would you please wake me for dinner?”

“Sure. I think I'm gonna go for a run. I neglected my training slightly during the exams. I want to be in to shape before the holidays” the Uchiha thought out loud.

Graham smirked tad lewdly “For your swim suit?”

“Hm, yeah, let's go with that” Saeko smirked while Ashley and Helena laughed at the thought of the ninja fighting in bikini.

“You should write Faith” Helena said to Saeko who stood up to change in her room.

“Thanks Cupid” the Uchiha shouted and waved.

* * *

**Great Hall**

The whole Ravenclaw table was buzzing in excitement. They all noticed the decorations that were all in their House's colors, along with the large banners that depicted a bronze Eagle. As they all waited for the big announcement and the start of the feast the students talked about the usual things – holiday plans, sports, what to expect next year and so on. The third years of the most scholarly House were particularly interested since they were to be introduced to their new subjects.

Finally Dumbledore rose from his seat and smiled at his students. The Great Hall quieted itself down to hear the headmaster's speech. “Another school year ends. Most of you will return, hoping to learn just a bit more, while some will head towards their futures and new adventures. We had a great year together and I can only hope your summer will be as well.”

“Now, there is one last thing before we can stuff ourselves on our delicious feast and that is the House Cup. This year has seen some fierce competition and the results show it. On fourth place we have Gryffindor with 426 points!”

Polite clapping ensued. The process was repeated with the third and second place announced. Then the moment everybody was looking for came “And finally, our winners – Ravenclaw with 492 points to their name!”

A thunderous applause resonated through the Great Hall. Cheers and hoots morphed into their now signature caw as all the Ravenclaw students rejoiced at their victory. They cut it short and continued with laughter. Even professor Flitwick joined in the festivities, as his fellow Head of Houses congratulated him. It looked like the repeat of the blue-bronze quidditch success.  Quidditch was the thing that held them back, their finishing last or second to last cost Ravenclaws many victories.

Amidst the cheering Saeko found the time to smirk at her only Slytherin friend. The whole Slytherin House was making a show of clapping, no one really happy – they were not often bested after all. Snakes were very good in academics – that combined with their victories in the school sport gave them the Cup their last several years. But not this year. Even their second place was hard won – Lauren confessed that professor Snape made quite the effort to give them points as well as subtract them from the other Houses to balance the difference in points.

The volume rose for the last time as the Charms professor accepted the Hose trophy with a grin that made him look much younger. One moment later and the food appeared.

Even Saeko smiled at the British food in front of her. Her fellow year-mates noticed. “Ooo? Our food is good enough for you this time?” Ashley teased.

The Uchiha gave an almost royal nod and filled her plate with green beans. Peter smirked “Well, if it satisfies even miss-number-one-in-our-year it must be special.”

“Hn” was Saeko's reply as she made a motion for the potatoes to be passed, “I will survive one last day of this.”

The rest of the feast they spent chatting about everything and anything, not bothering with goodbyes yet since they agreed to sit together on the train back to London.

When all food was eaten the group slowly rose, mindful of their overstuffed bellies. As they entered the corridor Caitlin whined “I still have to pack.”

Murmured agreement was the most common reply – only Helena, Daniel and Saeko smirked, their luggage already waiting for tomorrow's departure. Saeko spoke up “My pack is ready so I'm going to meet Faith for a while since I'm staying with your sorry asses on the way back. Ja ne!”

The Brits just grumbled as they dejectedly made their way to Ravenclaw Tower to pack a whole year of stuff into their trunks


	28. 2- 28 Snowy Holidays

**Hokage Office**

“Hokage-sama, you called?” Saeko asked as she poked her head into the room.

Sarutobi pulled his pipe from his lips and smiled “Yes, do enter. I have a mission for you.”

The Uchiha jounin entered the office fully. Spotting Kakashi leaning on the back wall reading his little orange book she waved in greeting. The tall ninja who appeared not be paying attention in the slightest waved back.

As the old leader cleared his throat both jounin snapped at attention before his desk “I have an A-rank for you in the Land of Snow.”

Before the Hokage could continue Saeko whined “Land of Snow? Hell no! I wanted to soak up the warmth and sunshine not freeze my ass off in Yuki no Kuni!” Both men looked at her in surprise, it was not like her to be so disrespectful. Realizing what she said the Uchiha bowed her head in apology “My apologies. I'm not so fond of the cold and my last mission was… chilly.”

Sarutobi chuckled “Understandable Saeko-kun. Will you accept the mission?”

“Of course Hokage-sama” the girl said, still ashamed by her outburst.

“Your mission will be protecting the actress Fujikaze Yukie as she and her crew while they film their new movie. Her manager anticipates danger and was willing to pay for an A-rank. Kakashi was in the Land of Snow before so he will be leading the team. I also wanted to send another jounin if the level of danger is really as high as Sandayu-san fears. Team 7 will be tagging along” the elder elaborated.

Saeko arched her eyebrow “Where is Team 7 then?”

“I sent them to see the client's movie” Kakashi said in his bored tone.

“Oh, and why not me?” the girl pouted.

“I was told I would have another jounin, not who it will be. Do you want to see the movie?” the masked shinobi asked.

The Uchiha smiled flirtatiously “I'm flattered but I actually prefer the ladies.”

“So I heard” Kakashi said in his usual tone but one could practically hear him smirk.

Sarutobi cleared his throat “Back to business. The client's ship leaves this evening but 'Princess Gale' is reluctant to go to Snow. He has some stuntmen to chase her down but they might need help. Sandayu-san is currently staying at the studio of their last movie. Any questions?”

“No Hokage-sama” said the two jounin and went to leave.

The elder called after them with a smile “Dress warm!” He had to chuckle at the girl's growl he got in response.

X

Saeko was waiting by the ship, all packed up and ready to go. Enjoying the last opportunity for summer weather she leaned on the nearby lamppost and begun sunbathing. The crew and some workers passed her by, loading up the vessel - a great view since she didn't have to do anything right now.

Seeing the pink hair that signalized Sakura the brunette sighed and went to greet her team for this mission. The rest of the squad emerged and Saeko did a double-take. It looked like their charge was knocked out as Kakashi carried her over his shoulder while still reading. The Uchiha smirked “Reluctant indeed.”

The team boarded the ship while Naruto talked endlessly about his idol turned bitch. The blond was quite scandalized upon learning the Uchiha had not seen any of the Princess Gale movies. To change the subject Saeko asked about how they ended up with the actress. It was the pink-haired genin who answered “I drugged her while Naruto-baka was pestering Yukie for an autograph.”

“Oh? So have you chosen your path? Medic, poison specialist or something along those lines?” the brunette asked with interest, knowing Sakura was the one without a specialization.

The girl smiled “Yes, I want to be a medic, preferably the field type. After the invasion there were so many injured and while I'm not skilled as you in the actual fighting I found out I could help too. I asked Kakashi-sensei and he said it's a good idea. He gave me some books and arranged training for me at the hospital. They said that if I make chuunin I should apply for permanent apprenticeship.”

Saeko was happy for her teammate, it looked like she found her niche in life “That's great! You must have talent then. Well, your chakra control was always excellent so it does make sense.”

The young medic beamed at the praise. Naruto, who was listening too, immediately begun to sing accolades to his Sakura-chan. When the girl in question begun to look irritated the jounin quickly asked “I was told that Team 7 will be here, where is Sai?”

 “Don't know but Kakashi-sensei said he will be sitting this one out. Apparently he is apprenticed to someone” the blond chuunin frowned.

The scarred girl nodded, deep in thought – she and her brother had speculated one time that Sai must be a ringer, put on Naruto's team to keep a discreet eye on him. For Sarutobi that would be a bit underhanded but it must've been done to appease the council who was quite adamant in their fear of a rampaging Jinchuuriki.

X

It was nearly evening when the ship captain made his final rounds. Seeing everything was loaded, everybody on board he called for his crew to set sail.

When the vessel was quite far from shore, the port a distant dot, Kakashi joined his team on the deck. Saeko motioned him to join her. The tall man obliged, his lone uncovered eye fixated on the pages of Icha Icha. “Jiraiya-sama really should try to write a girl-on-girl version of that” said the brunette.

That sure got Kakashi's attention “Oh yes, I would definitely read that. Maybe you could try a hand at writing?”

“No way” the brunette shook her head. They stood in silence, watching the ocean when Saeko finally asked what was on her mind “Could you make a breakdown of your team's abilities? I am second in command and I know little.”

The masked ninja closed his book and even put it away “I will skip Sai since he's of little matter for this mission. Sakura finally got some drive in her. She's training to be a medic and that is progressing nicely. Other than that I stressed the importance of taijutsu and weapons. I was thinking to push her a little towards genjutsu but you know my policy.”

“Yes, you are looking for drive. No need to teach someone who is not interested. Are you waiting for her to ask?” Saeko asked.

“Yes. I was very happy when she told me about the healing” Kakashi nodded.

“I always liked this stance of yours even if others say it tends to get people killed. I'm a firm believer in making your own path. That's exactly why I don't like Jiraiya-sama's approach that much” the brunette confessed.

The silver-haired jounin nodded “That brings us to Naruto. I trained mainly taijutsu and when he expressed his delight over _Kage Bushin_ I taught him the _Kage Shuriken_ and _Bushin Daibakuha_. His trap-making skills are excellent on his own. I bettered his throwing skills and stressed the importance of chakra control.”

“Yes, I've seen as much in the Chuunin exam. And Jiraiya-sama?” Saeko motioned to continue.

“Toad summoning – unadvisable in Yuki no Kuni though, some degree of control over his other chakra and the rasengan. He's studying seals now, I think” the man summarized.

Saeko frowned “This is exactly what I was talking about. Jiraiya does know he is not Namikaze Minato -his long dead student right? By the way did Naruto figure it out already?”

“No, Sarutobi-sama should tell him soon though. And if you had deduced his ancestry you should know the techniques Jiraiya-sama is teaching him are something like his birthright” Kakashi focused his lone eye on the brunette.

“Yeah, I know. But it is too much copycat for me. No offence” Saeko smirked at her bad pun.

Kakashi merely eye-smiled and they begun discussing the mission and the Land of Snow – mainly Saeko pumping her superior officer for information since he had been there before.

X

It was immediately the next day when some fake scenery was erected on the deck so the film crew could shoot the movie even during the transit.

A bit of a snag was when the main star woke up discovering she was on her way to Snow. Yukie was very, very displeased and made it quite known. Despite that when she was before the camera she literally transformed into a completely different woman – Princess Gale.

Since their charge had nowhere to run the Leaf shinobi were pretty much free to do whatever, provided at least one of them kept an eye out, just in case of a marine attack.

After several days the change in climate begun to be more than noticeable and soon ice could be spotted flowing in the water. Saeko kept her standard Konoha jounin uniform on but she donned a long crimson coat over it and a black scarf – her favorite colors. She also considered them Uchiha colors so she had them out of pride, especially since she passed on her clan's crest.

When an enormous iceberg came into view the director and the cameramen were beyond ecstatic for the perfect scenery. Soon everything was set up and the crew begun working on the movie. Kakashi set up a perimeter and instructed his team to be alert.

During the scene when the villain first confronted the main character an explosion occurred. It was clear that it was not part of the film and the Leaf shinobi immediately went to Yukie's side.

Three enemy ninja appeared on a nearby crest. They were dressed in weird looking armour and were looking down at the crew in disdain. The one who appeared to be the leader smirked “Welcome to the Land of Snow.”

“Welcome princess” the biggest of them continued.

“Do you have the Crystal?” the sole female intoned.

Kakashi looked quickly towards Yukie, evidently knowing what this was about. Refocusing on the enemy he ordered “Sakura protect Yukie! Naruto, Saeko take them out. They have chakra armour, genjutsu is useless, ninjutsu tends to do no damage.”

The enemy leader merely smiled “Hatake Kakashi, long time no see. Will you be fleeing like a coward this time as well? Fubuki, Mizore, take the brats out.”

Taking it as dibs on the leader Saeko decided to try out the armour her sempai was talking about. She did quick hand seals and a huge dragon erupted from the water behind her “ _Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!_ ”

The Uchiha aimed the technique for the female enemy who escaped by spouting pink wings from her armour.

Saeko fought the woman while still keeping tabs on Yukie and the other fights – a difficult feat but she was a jounin for a reason. She had her bloodline active from the start so her opponent never did manage to surprise her. The Snow ninja were singular as they used the ice element – not the bloodline which could create the ice but they used the snow already in place. The brunette noted that Kakashi was already using the same jutsus as the enemy leader. She rolled her eyes – Copycat ninja indeed, he was even worse than her own clansmen in that regard. That said she too copied the novel techniques but stayed faithful to her much practiced style.

Using the plentiful water around them she had her opponent to retreat, taking her away from the client. Melting the Ice projectiles and other obstacles the Uchiha brought the fight to close quarters. It was clear she had the upper hand in taijutsu and as soon as she unsheathed her tantō, kenjutsu as well. Saeko managed to slash the woman's face – a wound similar to her own, just across the eye.

The female shrieked and immediately jumped back. The brunette went to follow but the Snow nin had her wings out again and flew from the Uchiha's range.

The Leaf kunoichi bit her thumb to summon her own pair of wings when she heard Kakashi's order to retreat to the ship. Saeko frowned but obeyed immediately. As the iceberg begun to shake she sped up. The civilians along with Yukie and Sakura were already aboard the vessel, the Konoha ninja were the last still out.

Checking if her team was okay with a glance she leapt on the deck and immediately sought Yukie. Naruto and Kakashi were just behind her. When everybody was aboard the captain issued his orders and put distance between them and the sinking ice.

“Everybody alright?” Kakashi asked.

His team nodded along with the director and manger. The jounin sighed in relief but then he eyed Sandayu and Yukie “You have some explaining to do.”

The bespectacled man nodded and motioned for the ninja to follow him.

X

In the meeting following the encounter with the enemy ninja the A-rank status begun to make much more sense. Saeko had to laugh at the dramatic story that unfolded around their client, it fitted the show business aspect of the mission. The story had everything: a real live princess whose throne was stolen by a greedy and evil relative, her father murdered, a legendary treasure, a brewing rebellion. The only thing missing in the Uchiha's opinion were an evil twin and a spectacular chase.

After the revelations Yukie – aka the newly recognized princess Kazehana Koyuki, became even more difficult. Saeko didn't really blame her, Sandayu was being extremely pushy and the actresses' wishes were repeatedly ignored for 'greater good'. Her position on the matter meant that the Uchiha was the only ninja Koyuki could stand, making Saeko responsible for keeping an eye on their charge during their trip.

Kakashi also briefed his team on the Snow ninja, mainly his opponent Roga Nadare. He also told them about the coup d'état Doto orchestrated many years ago and the pride of Yuki – the chakra armour and several other gadgets.

When the ship was approaching dry land Kakashi stressed once more the importance of not letting Koyuki out of their sight and that they would be taking turns.

The movie crew was happy to finally get off the ship and immediately set to film the scenes that needed the port or shore. The princess behaved like normal and the few scenes were shot without much trouble.

A day later when the large group took several vehicles to move to a new location the Leaf ninja nearly glued themselves to their charge.

It was the following morning when the shit hit the fan. Saeko and Kakashi were discussing the disappearance of Sandayu the previous evening when Sakura ran towards the jounin duo “Koyuki escaped! Naruto must've followed her because I can't find him either.”

“Fuck” the Uchiha summarized everyone's thoughts.

The director was beginning to panic “Do you think Sandayu had something to do with it?”

“No, I don't think so. Sakura's version is more probable. No matter, we have to find her, even if Naruto is with her they are in danger” Kakashi mused.

“Taichō, can you summon your dogs to track them?” asked Saeko. The silver-haired ninja did not reply but bit his thumb to summon Pakkun, his best tracker.

X

“They are just up ahead! Hurry, I don't think it's good” the small pug told the Leaf nin running slightly behind him.

The ninja sped up, the jounin leaving Sakura in the dust. The scene thy come to was quite disastrous. The snow nin and a richly dressed man were atop a train that was shooting a veritable barrage of projectiles, the target being what appeared Snow militia, the rebels Sandayu spoke about. The only relief was that Naruto and Koyuki were out of the way.

Kakashi disappeared in a shunshin as did Saeko. The kunoichi went through a large sequence of seals before the next volley hit “ _Kuchiyose: Rashōmon_!“

A demonic-looking gate appeared before the rebels, shielding them from the arrows and kunai. Saeko took two of the downed samurai and shunshined to cover, a process she repeated until she heard a large explosion.

The masked jounin destabilized the ground under the rail and forced the train to move from their shooting position. Seeing that not much else could be done the train fled away.

Sakura was treating the rebels that survived the onslaught. The film crew that arrived in their vehicles not long after the attack ended was trying to help with the wounded.

One of those who still showed some signs of life was Sandayu, his armour failed to protect him from the high-speed arrows. As a small mercy Koyuki attended the man the few short moments until his death.

Once the bespectacled manager was no longer with them Koyuki stood up and surveyed the bloody snow “This is what happens when you don't give up.”

Naruto spluttered in outrage and started his usual spiel, antagonizing the princess even more. Sakura was busy with healing and Kakashi was still alert for any signs of danger let the arguing duo be. The crew was still too shocked to intervene and Saeko was severely depleted from the heavy chakra usage minutes before and frankly not in the mood.

“Incoming!” Kakashi shouted.

Many kunai with explosives attached rained upon them but it turned up to be a diversion as the Snow ninja with the mechanical arms managed to capture the princess. Pursuing their opponent would not be normally the issue but the Yuki no Kuni proved itself once again as Doto and his entourage had Koyuki on a flying ship.

The masked jounin looked at Saeko expectantly. The brunette shook her head “I used too much chakra, we can't travel by raven.”

Kakashi nodded “Well, it's not like we don't know where they are headed.”

“Where is Naruto?” Sakura asked looking around.

“Last time he was with the princess, do you think…” Saeko began.

The leaf ninja looked up and saw a dangling orange something on a rope attached to the flying machine.

“Yep” Kakashi concluded.

“Baka” was Sakura's reaction.

Saeko summed it up “Well, at least we have someone with the princess.”

X

Kazahana Doto was the current leader of Yuki no Kuni so to find his hideout was a piece of cake.

“I have always wanted to storm a castle and save a princess” Saeko laughed as the remaining Leaf ninja observed the huge fortress that was the country's seat of power.

Kakashi merely hummed, his gaze still fixed at their target. Putting down his binoculars he said “That's actually not a bad plan.”

“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asked bewildered, already planning to tell the brunette she was being astronomically stupid.

“If a large attack would occur most of the guards, and if we are lucky ninja too, will run to the source. When they are distracted we infiltrate” the masked jounin determined.

The Uchiha nodded “The most basic plan of all. But yes, I too don't see much choice given our timeframe.”

Taking out a small book full of explosive noted the captain instructed “Let's pool our explosives. I have the standard 20 seal kit and 5 strong ones.”

“I have the same, I wasn't expecting much use for them” Saeko sighed, already eyeing the fort to determine how to best use the destructive fuinjutsu.

Sakura coughed in embarrassment and from her pouch she unsealed a huge tome. The jounin raised their eyebrows in absolute amazement. The pinkette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “It's 200 thick. Naruto gave them to me – he was bored on the ship and said Jiraiya-sama told him to practice as much as possible.”

“Remember, if an explosion doesn't solve the problem then you clearly aren't using enough explosives,” Saeko intoned, “Gotta love my jounin sensei, she is pretty badass for a Hyuuga.”

The lone genin looked between Saeko and the other jounin, clearly comparing the teaching value.

The silver-haired ninja busied himself with a crude drawing in the snow depicting their target “It must look as a true attack so we will plant the charges all around the castle. They already have a problem with rebels so it will be more credible. Thanks to Naruto we have plenty of seals so I propose to plant them here and here. The same goes for the other walls.”

Saeko studied the map “Sure, no worries, we will not be spotted. Though wouldn't it be a problem that we practically blow up Yuki's capital?”

“It still falls within parameters of the mission. Besides I still hope we can get Koyuki to take her throne” the lanky man replied.

“If you say so, Kakashi-sempai. So, where is our point of entry and how do we time the explosions?” Saeko went to business.

Half an hour later the charges were set and the Konoha ninja were ready to proceed. Kakashi took one last look around “We go to the dungeons. Koyuki is our priority and we need to recover Naruto. We take them and we leave. We clear?”

“Clear” his subordinates agreed in unison.

“Ok. Let's go!” the masked jounin nodded and formed the ram seal and the first explosion went off.

Kakashi went in first as he was in this fort before, albeit many years ago. They were unlucky and they encountered a patrol right off the bat. The jounin did not hesitate and slit their throats to prevent them to call any backup. Saeko took three bodies and hid them out of sight as Sakura did the same with a look of mild disgust. Kakashi stripped three cloaks from the guards and handed them to the girls. Cloaking himself he made a motion to continue.

The rest of the journey was swift – as soon as they descended to the lower levels they could run on the ceiling and avoid the guards that were rushing to defend the castle against non-existing attackers.

When an exceptionally large boom was heard Saeko began to fear for the building structural integrity. Kakashi looked worried too when he issued an order “Let's split up and search the dungeons.”

The ninja quickly run past the cells that were mostly empty – no hyperactive blonds and brooding actresses though. It was the sound of fighting that attracted the girls' attention. “Up there!” Saeko whispered to the genin and they jumped up to join forces with their leader.

“It's me Naruto!” Kakashi evaded his student's kunai. The team did not question how the princess and the blond escaped but rather resumed running, this time Koyuki leading them.

When they stormed into what looked like the throne room, the ninja realized something was amiss. Kazehana Doto grinned and stood up. Before the shinobi could formulate an alternative plan Koyuki ran from them, right by Doto's side.

Saeko groaned as the princess handed over the Hex Crystal over to her uncle. Naruto was outraged and was very loud about it as three Snow ninja appeared and blocked his path to the traitorous brunette.

It looked like round two of the previous fight, the Uchiha already eyeing the now scarred enemy kunoichi when Koyuki redeemed herself in Leaf's eye by trying to gut uncle dearest.

This action served as the start gunshot – Saeko drew her tantō and darted to her opponent as Naruto ran towards the princess and Doto. Sakura took his place with the big shinobi with weird arms. Naturally Nadare attacked his old enemy as the Copy-ninja went to protect his charge.

This time the Uchiha did not hesitate and immediately brought the fight to close quarters. The true problem was the falling debris as their biggest fears came true – the fort was collapsing – the explosions must've reached some of the more volatile mechanical gadgets the country was famous for.

The two Snow ninja as well as Doto spouted wings from their chakra armour and went to flee the falling building.

“Hell, no!” Saeko exclaimed, royally pissed her opponent would escape a second time. Drawing her wand she fired a powerful binding charm on the Snow kunoichi. The brunette chose this particular spell since it created a field around the target so it was less likely to be absorbed by the armour right away. The strategy worked and Saeko could see the confusion in the female's eye. Capitalizing on the moment she jumped and stabbed the Snow kunoichi right in her surprised face.

As the pink-haired enemy dropped down dead the two men spread the wings and left through the roof, taking Koyuki with them as well as a clinging Naruto.

“Déjà vu” Saeko murmured as the remaining Leaf ninja regrouped and escaped the fort in pursue of their client.

The trio reached the woods when the brunette jounin asked “Nadare?”

“Dead” Kakashi answered.

“Good, that leaves the big guy and Doto himself. Do we know where they are going or we ask Pakkun?” was Saeko´s next question.

The Copy-ninja looked in distance where they last saw the princess “I think I know where he is going – the Rainbow Glacier.”

As the Leaf ninja ran they were intercepted by the big ninja from before. Marveling at his stupidity – he actually targeted Kakashi – the girls left their captain to take care of him since they were not far from the glacier.

Saeko arrived first – her jounin speed allowed her to see another rasengan being rebuffed by Doto's armor. It was surely not the first one as this time the jutsu left a fracture in the mighty defense.

Firing several wind blades Saeko ran to the princess to take her out of the immediate fight zone. Standing over her she made quick hand seals and produced a personal favorite of hers, the _Kaen no Arashi_.

To the Uchiha´s surprise the usurper had knowledge of jutsu as well as he produced a fairly sturdy snow defense. Even before her fire technique ended Doto ran to the machine and inserted the Hex Crystal.

What happened next was amazing. Saeko didn't even think to capitalize on her enemy's distraction. Some kind of rainbow colored energy shot from the machine and illuminated the surrounding ice.

Several moments later Doto regained his wits and was looking around angrily, still awaiting his treasure. His eyes zeroed on the princess and Saeko tensed up, ready to defend the client. It wasn't needed as Naruto who has recovered from the usurper's attack made his customary Kage Bushin and begun forming his strongest technique.

Somehow upon the rasengan's formation the rainbow energy got mixed up with his chakra and the result was spectacular. And very very deadly.

But this was not the last surprise – the energy pulsed one more time and some kind of wave erupted from the machine, leaving spring behind.

“Wow” was all the brunette could say as Naruto collapsed once again.

X

The mission came to a close but the Konoha team still lingered – mainly they did not want to miss the coronation.

Appointing Kazehana Koyuki as the new daimyo was a big affair and even the ninja enjoyed the festivities. Fortunately the new sovereign had graciously pardoned them for basically blowing up her castle.

Naruto was ecstatic since he received the autograph he had been badgering the actress since day one, only a bit disgruntled because she used a photo of him unconscious.

When all was wrapped up the team met with Koyuki one last time and went to find themselves a ride home.

The team was mid-way to a port in Hi no Kuni when Naruto was struck by a realization “Hey, Uchiha, this mission you were basically useless and I saved the day! HA, I totally win this mission dattebayo!”

Saeko rolled her eyes “How can you _win_ a mission? That doesn't make sense. And by the way, you took off on your own at least three times, no plan, no backup and we had to run to you to finish the job.”

“I merely stayed with the princess. You know the one – the one we were supposed to _protect_?” the blonde mocked. “And my Rainbow Rasengan was awesome! In cool points I definitely win!”

The scarred brunette smirked “Oh, yes. That rasengan. It was great… but also very, very gay.”

At this Kakashi who was reading his Icha Icha snorted and had to bury his face in the book. Sakura nearly doubled over with laughter and had to wipe tears from her eyes. Naruto just froze and then begun spluttering “Bu, bu, but….. awesome… so not…”

Saeko maintained her stony façade to amplify the effect but inwardly she thought “ _And this my dear, is how you win, Uchiha style!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Saeko doesn’t use magic much because of the chakra armor – in the movie Kakashi said that ninjutsu would have no effect so I assumed the same about magic…


	29. 2- 29 Downtime Hidden in the Leaves

“Hey, Yuuko, Anko told me I could find you here!” Saeko smiled at her friends as she sat down on the seat next to her.

The Yamanaka put down her chopsticks and grinned “Saeko! You're back! How was the mission?”

“A success so far, but I will be going back in a month or so” the brunette replied while flagging down the waitress.

“Cool. I never did a solo A-rank, they are usually undercover stints. I work best in a group” Yuuko smiled.

The Uchiha nodded “I remember. I'm quite fond of large area destruction so undercover work is not for me either. Well, I can sharingan through it but it's not fun.”

Yuuko nodded “I get it. But I guess you can't really talk about your current mission so I won't ask. So, how do you like being back home?”

“Well, I practically made one step in Konoha and Hokage-sama had a mission for me. In Yuki no Kuni. It was a blast” Saeko finished sarcastically.

“I heard about that! I love Princess Gale movies. And I heard you blew up a whole castle” the blonde chuckled.

Saeko hummed happily “Just a tiny one. It was awesome. Want to join in on the fun? I promised a friend of mine we would go for a mission together. A B-rank maybe? The details aren't ironed out, I gotta ask Sarutobi-sama if he needs me for something special.”

The Yamanaka perked up “Do I get to fly again, taichō?”

The jounin laughed “Maybe. So what do you say?”

“I'm in. Who's your friend?” Yuuko asked.

Saeko smiled at the waitress who just brought her food and thanked her. Turning back to the chuunin she said “Hyuuga Neji, chuunin.”

“Ok. When do I get to know what and when? I need to talk to my supervisor in the T&A” the blonde asked.

“How about us three meet for tea tomorrow and scout out the Mission Office” Saeko proposed.

Yuuko smiled “Sounds great. How about we meet Neji-san tomorrow as you said but the two us get dinner tonight?”

Saeko smirked at the invite “I'd like that. Do I have to fear a suitor of yours trying to punch me in the face?”

“You could've asked if I'm single outright, you know” the blonde smirked, quite pleased with herself, “But no worries, no punches.”

“Good” Saeko smiled. She thought briefly of Faith with a bit of guilt, but a Hogwarts relationship would never lead to anything, it was companionship at best. Saeko settled on the thought that what happens in Scotland stays in Scotland and vice versa. “I'll pick you up at your compound.”

“Hai, taichō” Yuuko smiled playfully.

* * *

**Itachi's Office**

“You called Oniisan?” Saeko asked when she ascertained her brother was alone in his office.

The ANBU captain nodded and put down his brush “I did. We didn't have time to talk after you gave the report to Sarutobi-sama. So, what's new?”

“You are aware we talk almost every week if you are not on mission. You know everything and I gave you a copy of my report for the Hokage. The only new thing was the mission to Snow. It wasn't bad, at least I saw Naruto in action and made nice with the new ruler of the country. I was kind of bummed out I didn't get to use mahoujutsu on it because of the armor the nin wore” Saeko pouted.

“Chakra armor, I heard about it” Itachi nodded.

“Yup. What's new on your end? Am I getting a sister-in-law yet?” the girl winked.

Itachi uncharacteristically rolled his eyes in annoyance “No. The clan council began subtly asking as well, please tell me you didn't give them the idea.”

Saeko laughed “I'm not that cruel. But it makes sense I guess, the council wants an heir, a symbolic new start for the Uchiha after the incident. But don't let them pressure you into anything – you know I'm asking only because I care.”

“I know. Now tell me about your lover at Hogwarts” the lord asked.

“Not a lover technically” Saeko said, rolling her eyes at her brother's sigh in relief, “And don't change the subject – first we will be talking about you. I'll tell you about Faith, that's her name, later. So spill.”

The man frowned and leaned back on his seat “There is nothing to spill. But I admit I like working alongside a certain female ANBU.”

“Is it Owl?” the kunoichi asked eagerly.

“Why are you so fixated on her? No it's not her.”

“I might've had a crush on Owl at one point. So, who is it, do I know her?”

“Owl got engaged to an Aburame jounin and quit the force.”

“Aww” Saeko said dejectedly, “I hope she doesn't begin to wear a hood over her magnificent hair, that would be such a shame!”

Itachi hummed “Anyway, it's Eel and you don't know her, I think. She's a sensor, quite handy with fire as well.”

“Did you ask her out yet?” the girl asked.

“No, as I said, it's nothing. I enjoy her company but I'm not looking for a relationship. Now, tell me about this Faith. I like the name, is it common over there?” Itachi asked.

Saeko accepted the diversion tactic with a shake of her head but obliged “It's not uncommon, I like it too. I like her but I won't bring her to Konoha naturally, I just enjoy being with someone.”

“Hm. Alright” said the older Uchiha, clearly trying to hold his 'big brother need' to keep anybody off his little sister. Her being into girls made it easier, they looked less threatening to his nee-chan's virtue.

“By the way I'm going with my friends on a mission tomorrow. It's a slaver operation that needs ending. We picked it up at the Office ourselves – B-rank, 5 men team, a bit of overkill with our skills” Saeko shared.

The raven-haired man nodded “Who are you taking? Neji?”

“Yup. Neji is the scout, Shikamaru for entrapment and strategizing, Yamanaka Yuuko interrogation and Niwa Takahiro for heavy hitting. I never worked with him, he's Yuuko's friend. Taijutsu and doton are his specialties, he looks capable” the kunoichi replied.

“Good. Try to hurry up, I want you on the next Uchiha Council” Itachi said tad sternly.

Saeko whined “Niisan!”

“No discussion. You left me dealing with them alone for too long already while you were gallivanting at your School. Be grateful they aren't pestering _you_ for an heir. And believe me, that time will come” Itachi smirked.

The girls smirked as well “Good luck trying to talk the Godaime Hokage out of loving women.”

Itachi laughed.

* * *

**Ryuuji** **'** **s Dango Palace, four days later**

After the group gave their reports it was decided they would go for a drink. Well, Neji needed some convincing but Saeko was his best friend for a reason.

They all sat down and ordered. Shikamaru was being quiet as usual when his participation wasn’t strictly required. Saeko was surprised he agreed to come in the first place but apparently volunteering for a mission would get his mother off his back for a little while and this side-trip enabled him to stay free of her 'nagging' longer.

The main conversation was carried by Yuuko and her friend – Takahiro. Apparently they fought against each other in the chuunin exams in Suna a couple of years ago and became friends after. Takahiro was easily biggest of them all – he was heavily muscled and wore a sleeveless shirt under his chuunin vest to show it off. Saeko mused he kind of looked as an average Iwa ninja, especially with his short brown hair and doton affinity. Oh, and an apparently iron stomach since he was drinking sake as if it was water. Yuuko, who was friendly with Anko, obviously had training in drinking and was not far behind him.

Saeko had a huge smile on her face as she sipped her own drink – the mission went without a hitch and she got to try the mahoujutsu she was itching to unleash for quite some time. The bone crushing course quickly became a favorite of hers despite her usual liking for flashy techniques. She got to try out legilimency and even some darker courses. She went a bit wild on the slavers and it felt great.

“…. and the mayor's daughter was totally into me. And why wouldn't she, I was the dashing hero that just saved her from the salvers! I kinda hate you for not staying there for a while longer Uchiha” Takahiro said as he lifted his drink.

Saeko smirked “Tough. And for your information she was totally eyeing Shikamaru. She called him 'cool and aloof'.”

“Mendokse” was the Nara reply.

The muscled teen protested but when even Neji smirked he pouted and poured some more sake. “You could've let me try. Just because you got some doesn't mean you should deprive me of my chance” Takahiro said before cutting a piece of his red-bean paste, “I was in the tent next to you Uchiha, Yuuko. I'm onto you.”

Saeko shot him the Uchiha Glare™, but said nothing since some old-fashioned groping did go on in their shared tent. Yuuko merely chuckled. Neji lifted his eyebrow but said nothing while Shika muttered his customary catchphrase.

As the evening progressed Neji and Shika excused themselves while the three left proceeded to drink into further inebriation. Not long after they were joined by several other off-duty ninjas who came for a drink.

“… and then Shikamaru-san said to disarm the scout and Uchiha here cut off his arms. Then she turned to Nara and said 'oh, did you mean figuratively?' She's great!” Takahiro finished recounting his favorite part of the just completed mission with his booming voice. The group that gathered for his story-telling roared in laughter.

Saeko chuckled and whispered to Yuuko “I think that's my cue to leave. I still need to function tomorrow.”

The blonde smiled “Not a bad idea. Inoichi-sama did say to drop by after my mission, being completely hangover would be bad form. I'll walk you.”

“How chivalrous, but let _me_ walk _you_. The Yamanaka compound is much closer” the brunette said as she stood up from her seat.

When the two girls made their way through the patrons and the bar Yuuko smirked “When you leave me at my door will I get a goodnight kiss?”

“If you behave.”

Yuuko smirked.

* * *

**Uchiha Compound**

Saeko was doing her Hogwarts homework in History of Magic when she heard her brother's voice outside her room “Sister, there is someone with orders for you waiting outside. Not ANBU.”

“Hai, hai!”

The brunette sealed her stuff in a scroll, away from any prying eyes and quickly dressed in her jounin gear. Selecting few sealing scroll full of equipment she jogged to the front entrance. Slowing down into a more dignified walk she went to hear her new mission.

The messenger was to Saeko's great surprise Yuuko. The blonde smiled “Yo. My T&I cell is going on a mission, we need back up to stand guard and I volunteered you. You are not busy right?”

Saeko merely raised her eyebrow in question and otherwise maintained her blank face. The Yamanaka chuckled “Just kidding, Anko sent me to retrieve you. We are going on a mission. Sadly though, you are not the taichō.”

“Who is?” the brunette asked, quite intrigued.

“Ibiki himself” was the reply. Now that was most definitely intriguing. Since the Uchiha was already geared up the duo ran to the gate of the compound and shunshined from there as a courtesy to the Clan laws.

Saeko dutifully followed her companion into the dark building that housed the Torture and Interrogation department. She sighed at the amount of security points and required identifications. Finally the duo entered Ibiki's office. The Head of the Department was not alone – Saeko grinned and waved to Anko and greeted a Hyuuga, a second Yamanaka and another ninja.

Ibiki nodded curtly “Uchiha-san, good. Meet Mitarashi Anko, Hyuuga Daichi and Kūsuke Saji. We are waiting for three more people, I will explain then.”

The Uchiha nodded and leaned on the nearby wall, waiting for the debriefing. When two chuunin entered Ibiki presented his team once more. Once done he continued “You have been drafted for an S-rank mission. It is heavily classified so don't ask questions and don't babble. We are going to capture four to five targets, interrogate them, wipe part their memory and send them off with different intel.”

Saeko and her fellow non-departmental ninja were quite surprised, it was a huge undertaking. The shinobi on her right asked “Wiping just part of their memory, is it even possible?”

“It is. We have already tested it but this will be the first field trial” Ibiki answered and then he looked at the Uchiha, “We have recently acquired a new technique that makes it possible.”

The brunette nodded in understanding – magic. Or more precisely potions since it was not her to use it. Ah, yes, the Forgetfulness Potion was one of the formulas she brought back. She was glad it seemed to work. The classified nature of Mahoujutsu also explained why this mission had the higher-ups of the department on it.

Ibiki continued “The targets will be surrounded by guard. We don't know how many but it will be a lot, probably some ninja as well. That's where the second team comes in. Uchiha you are in charge of the second team which will do all the fighting and capturing while we prepare for our part.”

Saeko bite back a smirk when Yuuko eyed her and mouthed 'taichō'.

The scarred interrogator continued “Get to know your team, we leave in ten minutes.”

When the T&I people left Saeko turned to her team. It turned out she had an Aburame, a swordsman and a doton specialist. The Aburame will be handy when subduing the targets without injury while the others would take care of the guards.

“Ok, squad, move out!”

X

The fight was laughably simple. As soon as the T&I people identified the targets Saeko and her team set up an ambush. Their opponents were mostly common soldiers. The only three ninja among the group grabbed one of the targets and sought to take him to safety but a body-bind spell made them fail.

When the fight was over all enemies laid dead and the targets were bound. Ibiki and his team went to collect them. The scarred interrogator smiled a tight smile “Excellent. Fujikabe, clean this up.”

The doton specialist nodded and hurried to use his specialty to hide the blood and make the terrain look undisturbed.

The Konoha ninja made their way to a freshly dug cave, courtesy of earth style. Ibiki's team took the prisoner inside while the leader himself gave the orders to the fighting group “We are not to be disturbed. Keep watch and kill anyone that approaches.

Saeko nodded and resigned herself for a long wait.

After several hours passed Anko came out “Hey, Saeko, come in for a sec.”

The scarred brunette nodded and signed to her team to keep doing what they were doing and followed the snake summoner into the cave. Once inside she spotted three of the prisoners lying unconscious, but still bound, on the floor while two others had one Yamanaka each in front to them doing… well, Yamanaka stuff. Hyuuga Daichi had his byakugan activated and was intently monitoring the prisoners.

Ibiki looked up from his notes “Ah, good. I thought you wanted to see your formulas in action. It took us a long time but we have determined the dosage to the periods of memory we need to make disappear. This field test is a success. If you have any questions ask Kūsuke, she is the one who does the brewing in the T&I.

The two kunoichi spent some time debating potions and their use in Konoha while the Yamanaka finished implanting new memories to their prisoners. Once they were done the prisoners will be convinced the scout and a handful of his guards barely escaped a group of missing nin who took down the rest.

Gotta love magic.

* * *

**Konoha Onsen**

Saeko was searching for Jiraiya to get an update on the Voldemort situation as well as Orochimaru and anything else he would be willing to share. Sarutobi said his student was currently in Konoha so the brunette went to the public baths right away. If by any chance the man would not be there she would hit the bars.

With her sharingan activated she soon found the anomaly that signalized the spy-master “Jiraiya-dono!”

“Pshhhh, not so loud!” the white-haired man whispered frantically.

Saeko rolled her eyes, glad the Uchiha compound had their own onsen, but with Jiraiya-sama one can never be sure.

“I need to talk to you. Come on, before they accuse me of spying as well” said the brunette.

The sannin giggled but tore himself from the hole in the wall to the baths. Since Saeko wanted to pump him for information she offered to buy drinks.

Jiraiya seemed to agree on the Uchiha's need for the intel and had shared what he had about the British Dark Lord but not much more. After that it was Saeko's turn to answers some of his questions regarding Hogwarts and magic in general.

When 'business' was done Saeko sighed “I'm sorry Tsunade refused to return.”

The gama sennin nodded “Me too. I had hoped with Naruto behaving so much like her brother Nawaki I would get her to come back. I think she is mollified so maybe one day when we really need her. Maybe after she finished studying the material you brought back from Scotland. It intrigued her, to say the least.”

“Good. Where is your apprentice by the way?” the brunette asked.

“On a mission I believe, with that cute Hyuuga heiress and her team, searching for a bug of all things” Jiraiya shared. Afterwards he frowned though “I'm thinking of taking Naruto with me next time I leave. A training trip if you will. Did your brother tell you about Akatsuki?”

“Just that is a mercenary band of highly skilled missing-nin. Some even bordering S-rank” Saeko frowned.

“Akatsuki is on a need to know basis but maybe you could find something against them in Mahoujutsu. They are indeed missing nin but they are not bordering S-rank, they _are_ S-rank.”

“That's bad, that's very bad. We only have you, Sarutobi-sama and my brother. Maybe Hatake but not right away” the brunette recounted.

Jiraiya nodded but smiled as well “And you are climbing fast. Mahoujutsu is an unknown so that gives you quite an advantage and your classic shinobi skills are top-notch. And that is without the sharingan. And of course with the right training Naruto could defeat one of them as well.”

“So you are taking him for some kind of Jinchuuriki training?” Saeko frowned.

“Essentially. I'm thinking three years so some shinobi stuff as well. Also I want to take him away because I found out that Akatsuki have an actual goal and that is capturing all the bijuu” the man said somberly.

Saeko was speechless. Finally she asked “Why?”

“No clue as of now” Jiraiya sighed.

The Uchiha hummed “If and when you need me don't hesitate to call and even extract me from Hogwarts. This is big but I will be prepared. If you can think of any way I could help…”

“When I know more about the members and their specialties I'll let you know. Maybe mahoujutsu will help” Jiraiya nodded.

“What does Naruto say?” Saeko asked.

Jiraiya shrugged “He doesn't know yet. I'll tell him when he returns from the mission and we set a date for our departure. He will be excited about the training and determined about the danger I assume.”

The brunette smiled “That seems accurate. Speaking of Naruto, did you know he gave me one of your books as a gift? He said Kakashi reads it so it must be awesome. He didn't have a clue what's it about. I laughed for quite some time.”

Jiraiya laughed “I know! He told me when he found out what I write. He blushed so hard it looked like a katon technique. But now he calls me Ero-sennin.”

“Fitting I suppose” Saeko smiled, happy with the levity after such a bombshell being dropped.

The duo sat laughing and talking about Jiraiya's 'art' and his plans for the new IchaIcha. Saeko also complained at the lack of girl-on-girl action. The sannin's reply was the same as Kakashi's had been – write a cameo or something similar.

Finally the duo parted ways – the sannin returned to the baths - 'suddenly inspired to write more', and Saeko returned to the Uchiha compound. Since Itachi was on a mission with his ANBU team she was tasked to do the paperwork in his absence. Saeko sighed at the thought. She hoped she would meet someone along the way home she desperately needed to talk to or maybe she would be drafted for another mission. Or maybe she could say she needed to fit in one last mission before her leaving Konoha again.

Yes, that would work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: There will be no Tobi/Madara/Obito and all that clusterfuck. This 'arc' will be ending with Nagato and Konan.


	30. 3- 30 Here We Go Again

Saeko appeared on the platform 33/4 near the crimson locomotive half-hour before the scheduled departure. She adjusted the huge scroll on her back so it didn't wrinkle the typical Uchiha wide-collared shirt she wore.

Making her way through the crowd she spotted a familiar face “Faito-chan!”

The fourth-year turned and smiled “Hey. Long time no see. How was your summer?”

“Great! Yours?” the raven-haired asked as they got on the train.

“You know, the fact you couldn't write me was kind of maddening. Keeping your location secret I sort of understand but not even letters? Come on! As to your question it was also good” Faith replied.

The Uchiha shrugged “Yeah, I know we are weird. I'm sorry. But nothing much exciting happened anyway. Tell me about your summer.”

The two girls found a compartment that already had two of Faith's friends inside so they joined them. They talked about their respective holidays, Saeko very much edited hers – missions and Yuuko were obviously not mentioned.

“So, will we be seeing another Brennan this year?” the scarred girl asked.

Faith shook her head “No, but I didn't expect it anyways. Little sis was always normal, so no letter arrived at her birthday. Pity, she would love it here.”

As the other Hufflepuffs talked between them Faith turned to the kunoichi “You know, little sis asked about you.”

“Really? In what capacity?” Saeko asked.

“She asked if I was seeing anyone. I didn’t say but I told my best muggle friend when she asked,” the Puff said, “She was quite scandalized about the letter situation.”

“I'm really sorry about that, it is not my choice. And what did you say about me?” Saeko asked after her apology.

Faith smiled “That I'm dating the school's star lacrosse player and top student.”

“Lacrosse?” the Raven asked, confused.

“First thing that came to my mind. It's a sport and the beater position is vaguely similar to it. Sofia had a photo of us from the match Badgers VS Snakes developed the muggle way. My fried Amy says you're cute but her boyfriend is far cuter” Faith shared.

The scarred girl smiled “I'll take it.”

They talked until the nice lady with her cart full of goodies came by. Saeko bought some of her favorite licorice. After finishing it she stood up and excused herself to find her Ravenclaw friends. Faith waved with a smile and they agreed to meet up the following day to compare timetables.

Saeko walked to the back of the train, checking the compartments for her little poker group. When she finally found them they were unsurprisingly playing Exploding Snap.

“Yo.”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The feast had been uneventful. The House of the witted got itself 14 new students, they were all made to sing the school song – Saeko and Helena refrained and merely hummed for everyone's safety – and they all caught up with their friends.

Saeko and her friends made their way to their Common Room before the new members could. Both the kunoichi and her roommate decided to leave unpacking for tomorrow and went back down to see the new students and find out who the new fifth year prefects were.

It looked like most of the students had the same idea, even the quidditch team which sat together. Saeko approached them with a smile and since there were no more chairs and she refused to sit on the floor she plopped down on Jamie's lap.

“Hey! A little warning next time?” said the chaser but made no motion to throw the ninja off.

The brunette shrugged “Well, I wasn't going to sit on the floor, I'm a lady. And since neither James nor Rory are gentlemen and didn't offer me their seat…”

The ginger-haired chaser smiled sheepishly and got up “I'm sorry. Please sit.”

“Nah, I'm good here” Saeko smiled and cuddled into her captain who rolled her eyes. Rory chuckled and sat back down.

After Flitwick gave his customary welcome speech Saeko asked “So how were your OWLs? You and Frost were freaking out but I bet you did well.”

Frost grinned “Yeah, both me and Jamie passed everything. I got all Es and Os.”

“I did alright” the captain said but her huge smile betrayed her.

The team congratulated their oldest members. Wayne sighed “I can only hope we get similar results. Man, I can't believe we are fifth years already. The real shit starts now.”

His year mates nodded. Jared had a realization “Hey, is it also the last year as a team or you plan on continuing in your seventh year as well?”

Both the chaser and seeker shrugged. “Don't know yet, but I probably won't. If I'm getting a job at a law firm I need to study much more than just for NEWTs. And those are very hard” the blonde reasoned.

James hummed “And what about this year? Are we holding trials or we go as we are?”

“Well, if nobody wants to quit then I say we keep the winning formation” Jamie concluded with a smile.

“Sweet” Wayne grinned.

“But now we have a reputation to protect so I'm going to make you work hard. We are winners now and I want to go 2 for 2 in my captaincy. We clear?” the girl said sternly.

“Crystal” the team chorused.

“But I'm not in the mood to discuss quidditch, we'll deal with everything on our first training. Let me know about your timetables tomorrow evening so I can determine a good time for one” Jamie said airily.

Saeko winked “Of course, we can cuddle in silence.”

The team laughed. Jamie chuckled as well “What would Faith think.”

The kunoichi did not reply as she squinted towards a group of seventh years “Hey, is that Geoffrey? Did he grow a beard?”

“Who?” Frost asked as he looked over as well.

“The prefect. He was the one who took care of us in the first year. Good guy” Saeko said as she studied her friend. The team shrugged.

* * *

**Great Hall**

Saeko and her friends sat at their usual seats for breakfast. The ninja grinned when she received her Japanese style meal as the year before. She clicked her chopsticks and ate with great enjoyment as her companions speculated whether they would have the new subjects on the first day.

When most of the House was finished eating professor Flitwick charmed the timetables he brought so they would fly to their respective owners. The third years groaned – their timetable was fuller than ever with their new lessons.

The kunoichi studied her new schedule. It looked like she would get Runes right off the bat, followed by Charms, lunch, Charms again and finally DADA. The next days were similarly full, school was definitely getting harder. Or at least longer.

“It looks like we go our separate ways for the first lesson,” Helena remarked, “I've got Muggle studies first.”

“Yeah,” the group chorused and stood up. Caitlin grinned “Bye bye, I've got a free period, catch you at Charms.”

“Bitch” Wallace murmured and got tripped for it.

Saeko, Ashley, Peter and Daniel made their way to the fifth floor for Runes. Only two other Ravenclaws followed.

As they entered the kunoichi spotted her Slytherin friend already sitting. The Uchiha tapped Lauren on her shoulder “Can I join you or are you waiting for someone?”

The red-head looked up “I've got one seat saved for Isolde but the other two are free.”

Saeko and Daniel sat down and took their books out “Thanks. Since I was deprived of my Herbology partner I get to pick your brain in Runes.”

Isolde, who just sat down beside her friend frowned. Saeko smiled at the blonde Slytherin “Just kidding, I'm awesome even at Runes. I already read Norse runes. Worry not, I won't bring your grade down.”

Before Isolde could say anything Lauren smirked “Yeah, enjoy the Gryffs in herbology. I hear three of them fainted last year during the Mandrake lesson, too stupid or cocky to follow instructions. Oh and since we have Charms together as well you get to see me for two more lessons today, lucky you!”

“Yaaay” Saeko said sarcastically but smiled to indicate she was joking.

The professor entered and the class fell silent. Bathsheda Babbling read the roaster – her students were a mix of all four Houses in roughly the same ratio. The class syllabus was next and Saeko smirked at the fact Norse runes were the first to be studied.

All in all the class was fascinating. Saeko knew what to expect since she read the book but the professor's explanation made it really look like a slightly different variation of Fuinjutsu.

When the bell rang the both the Ravenclaw and Slytherin students made their way to Charms. Saeko was in a great mood.

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff waited in silence for their, yet again, new professor for the Defense against the Dark Arts. There were several bets going on the identity of the prof - Helena's idea, naturally – whether it will be a man or a woman, British or foreign like Bangasé was and several other criteria.

Finally a woman entered the classroom and stood tall in front of the teacher's desk. She appeared to be in her late forties but was very much in shape dressed in a tight, jet-black dueling armor from hardened leather, charmed without a doubt. All in all she was dressed for combat. Otherwise she was a typical ginger, freckles and all, but where some looked cute she looked dangerous.

“I'm Deirdre McKenna. You will call me Miss McKenna. I'm your new Defense professor. And let me tell you right away there will be no messing around in my class. Defense, and combat in general, is a serious matter” said the woman in a thick Scottish accent, nothing like McGonagall who tried to curb it for the masses.

As the professor began explaining the syllabus Peter elbowed Saeko in the ribs and whispered “Dude, you're drooling.”

“I think I'm in love” the ninja whispered dreamily, never taking her eyes off the stunning woman.

When the lesson finally ended and the students scattered Ashley teased the ninja about her reaction to the Scottish dueler. Saeko was still grinning, not ashamed in the slightest “Damn she is gorgeous. Pity she wouldn’t go for a student. I could just see her pinning me to a wall and…”

Helena shook her head “Try to rein it in. Peter was right, you were literally drooling. And you have a girlfriend, remember?”

“Don't know about that, the Puffs were giving you the stink-eye and I bet Faith will hear about it very soon” Ashley remarked.

“Shit” Saeko mumbled, she was already feeling guilty about Yuuko, “But I couldn't help it. Dressed like she was ready to storm the castle, hair in a tight ponytail, those high boots, the commanding aura and voice – Deirdre is practically sex on legs.” _Not to mention she looked slightly like a dominatrix – damn you Jiraiya!_

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The third-year group was playing cards, their usual evening entertainment, and discussed the hot gossip that Michelle shared with Caitlin at dinner. Leon White didn't return for his fifth year in Hogwarts. The school went wild with speculation – some theories were so farfetched someone had to be making them up for fun. There was this idea he got bitten by a werewolf. Another said his father was a vampire and wanted Leon to take over his empire. One Gryffindor insisted he knew for sure that the seeker joined a cult and dropped out because of it.

“The most reasonable thing I heard was that he transferred to Beauxbatons to be closer to family. Maybe his parents died or something. Or they simply moved” Daniel shrugged.

“Who cares, the Lions are without a great seeker” Caitlin grinned.

Saeko hummed “Victory is always so much sweeter when won against a worthy opponent.”

The Irish girl waved dismissively “Philosophy or no philosophy, now your job will be easier right?”

“Right. Or maybe the Gryffs are hiding another gem in their midst. Hmm I just realized their team will have many vacancies this year, it will be practically a brand new team. I know for sure both beaters are out” Saeko mused. “Do you know who got captain, I haven't thought of looking.”

Graham was the one with the answer “Wood, the keeper.”

“Pierce will not like one younger than him calling the shots. I hope it causes some friction” Saeko chuckled, tad evilly.

“Yeah” Caitlin nodded, “But it makes sense, Wood is on the team longer and from what I hear he wants to play professionally.”

The raven-haired shrugged “Hn, we'll see how he fares. I plan on winning again.”

“Good” Graham, Peter and Caitlin said in unison.


	31. 3- 31 Rain Sucks

Saeko stepped into her room, immediately shrugging off her quidditch robes that were completely soaked. Training in the rain was quite fun the first time but not anymore. But at least it looked like they haven't lost their edge – as per Saeko's and Jamie's insistence all players trained during the summer holidays at least in some capacity. The blonde captain had put the ninja in charge of the physical training since she had the most experience and had run their routines anyway. Torturing her teammates with sit-ups, runs and whatnot amused Saeko greatly, she kinda looked forward to teaching her own genin team someday.

Once out of her clothes the Uchiha cast a drying charm on herself. Since she had scheduled a date with Faith she put on her casual clothes. Saeko planned to be extra nice – she was already in the proverbial dog house between the letters issue and her crush on the DADA professor.

Ashley entered her guitar in her hand “Oh, I didn't know you were here, I would've knocked. How was your training?”

“The rain sucks but otherwise great” Saeko said distractedly.

“You fancied up, are you meeting Faith?”

The older brunette nodded “Yeah.”

“Oh, good luck” the Brit sniggered and sat on her bed, “You have some sucking up to do.”

“Don't I know it” Saeko mumbled, _“And it could've been worse.”_

 

***flashback***

_Since their turn to guard the camp were the morning shifts Saeko and Yuuko went to their tent right after dinner – Neji had served a surprisingly delicious stew instead of standard rations. The girls shared a tent since it was more practical, the boys did too with the exception of Takahiro who decided on sleeping outside._

_Both Saeko and Yuuko were high on adrenaline after their successful mission. They had done the flirting and some kissing before so it made only sense to continue after the big fight. After some touches, gropes and rubbing Saeko stopped “I won't be sleeping with you today, I'm sorry.”_

_“What? Why not? We were victorious so we deserve to celebrate” the Yamanaka said in confusion, her lips still on Saeko's neck._

_The raven summoner gave Yuuko a kiss on the lips but refused deepening it “_ _I_ _am with someone on my assignment. To be clear – on assignment, not for the assignment.”_

_“_ _That doesn_ _'_ _t count, it_ _'_ _s not like it_ _'_ _s gonna last. You are undercover or something like that, I bet she doesn_ _'_ _t even know who you are for real” the blonde reasoned._

_“True but I_ _'m_ _, for the lack of better word, committed. Ninja may not be honorable but I would feel bad” the jounin explained._

_Yuuko exhaled, tad irritated “Nice of you to lead me on. But ok, I get it. Can we spoon at least?”_

_Saeko didn_ _'t answer but slid behind the blonde and embraced her from behind. Yuuko cuddled more closely to the younger kunoichi “I already got my goodnight kiss I take it?”_ _The Uchiha kissed her temple._

_“Oh, and by the way kissing is cheating too”_

_“I know” Saeko sighed._

***flashback end***

 

Saeko found her Hufflepuff already sitting on a bench of their favorite place – it was a covered balcony just above the cliff on the west side of the Castle. With the rain still going strong it was the perfect place.

The Uchiha approached Faith as noisily as possible – she didn’t wasn’t to risk her usual stealth pissing off the light brunette even more that she already probably was.

“No sneaking today?” Faith asked and turned to face the kunoichi.

“Wouldn't want to startle you enough for you to fall over the edge” Saeko smiled.

The Puff looked over to the low stone railing “Hmm, do you think Dumbledore or someone charmed it so it would be impossible?”

“I don't know. Hogwarts is huge and we usually use only a small percentage of the space in it. But I guess it would make sense. But leaving it uncharmed would give the castle a nice Shakespearian atmosphere, don't you think?”

“Do you feel like Lady Macbeth?” the older teen teased.

“Afraid for your life?” Saeko smirked.

Faith grinned “I don't know, it would be poetic – your girlfriend falls to her death during a tragic accident and you are free to ride into the sunset with Miss McKenna.”

Saeko wanted to start explaining herself or just apologize but she noticed that the other brunette was not angry so she joked back “Shite! You are onto us, and to think Deirdre thought it was the perfect plot!”

The Brit laughed “It's Deirdre now? You work fast.”

The scarred teen rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “I confess to drooling a bit at the sight of her. She took me by surprise, she is like sex on legs. I'm sorry.”

“That's it? No groveling?” Faith asked, clearly not offended.

Saeko cast a non-verbal _Orchideous_ and pink tulips appeared in her wand hand. She gave them to Faith as she fell on one knee in the most dramatic fashion possible “I most sincerely apologize for my transgression. Please forgive me, my lady. It shan't happen again, this I swear.”

“Rise my knight, you have my forgiveness” Faith replied in a similarly theatrical manner and took the offered flowers.

Both girls erupted in laughter. Faith calmed down first “I bet you read Shakespeare and some old muggle authors this summer, am I right?”

“You are. Helena said it's a must, so I obliged. I liked it but I prefer the modern stuff Ash lets me borrow” Saeko smiled and sat on the bench nearest the edge.

Faith nodded enthusiastically “Totally! Like this summer I read a magnificent book, or series of books to be more accurate. It's sci-fi. You know what that is right?”

“Science-fiction? Yeah, Ash explained. It's the space stuff and time-travel, artificial intelligence and things like that, right?” Saeko remembered.

“Precisely. Anyway, it's called Dune. A friend of mine made me see the movies they made and I decided to read the books too – one of the best ideas I ever had. It also has much politics in it so I think you would like it too. I won't say what's it about in case you want to read” Faith said animatedly.

The Leaf nin smiled at her girlfriend's enthusiasm “I'd love to. Bring it the next time we meet.”

Faith nodded and sat closer to the raven summoner. Saeko put a hand on the Puff's shoulders and pulled her closer. Since there was a lull in the conversation she spoke up again “But hey, I'm sorry about my littlest of crushes on Miss McKenna.”

“You can call her Deirdre if you like.” Faith smirked, “Don't worry about it, I too had a crush on my teacher once. Mr. Bernard, he taught us English.”

Saeko overlooked the fact Faith's crush was obviously male since it wasn't her place to say anything about it. She was in the wrong and she knew it – not the DADA prof exactly, but the other things. Deciding to change the subject Saeko asked “Hey, could you explain me that muggle sport I apparently play?”

Faith was confused for a moment but then she got it “Lacrosse. It's a team sport that uses a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick. The head of the stick is strung with loose mesh designed to catch and hold the ball. The objective is to score shooting the ball into the opponent's goal using the stick. It's a contact sport, can get a bit violent at times.”

“Hm, not a bad comparison I guess with my beater's bat and all. Is it badass? Because I'm definitely a badass” the ninja grinned.

“Most definitely” Faith chuckled.

“So your friend did not give you any trouble about your badass girlfriend” the Uchiha asked.

Faith lit up “No, it actually boosted my cool factor. Quite considerably might I add. And for some unknown reason it made the boys hit on me all the harder.”

“Really?” Saeko said dangerously.

Faith smiled at the Raven and waved dismissively “Hey, I never asked how people take your lady-loving back home.”

“The Clan Council will probably pester me for an heir, but Itachi is the Lord so he's the baby-making machine. But yeah, no one has a problem with it. Our community is pretty accepting as long as you are loyal to it and follow the rules” Saeko answered.

After this both girls talked about lighter topics. Faith took great pleasure in depicting the 'drama' in the Hufflepuff House. Among other things it was the thing that most of the girls suddenly liked a guy who had a growth spurt during summer and now looks “all kinds of awesome”. Also how the firsties are so small and bratty. Faith also shared she would like to be chosen to be a perfect but a girl she dislikes has a far better shot.

They finished their date in a typical teenager fashion – a make out session. Saeko would've liked to escalate a bit but was all too much aware the Puff girl, older that her or not, is not as mature as the ninja. Problem was Saeko did not have a measure on how fast 'normal British/magical' girls go in a relationship. Finally she resolved to ask Helena – less chance of teasing, jokes and overboard curiosity.

Yes, she would ask Helena.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Ooh and here they come!” Ashley yelled from her comfy spot near the fire with Helena and the rest of their year mates.

Saeko, Caitlin, Peter, Wallace, Paddy and the unusually silent Michelle made a sad, sad procession – all of them were soaked to the bone, hair dark and slicked back, water dripping from their school robes. Nobody spoke but they all glared at their dry and rosy-cheeked friends.

“How was Care for Magical Creatures?” Daniel asked provocatively.

“Sod off” Paddy mumbled.

Saeko who crept up behind Daniel squeezed her hair of seemingly all water on his head and as he shrieked she said “Oh it was a bit wet but alright.”

“ _You_ are cruel” said the bespectacled boy as he tried to clean his glasses. The rest of the Ravens laughed.

After drying charms were cast and they all cleaned up Saeko sat near her friends. Peter was still disgruntled “I'd like to water board the genius who made Care class outside. We might be protected from the rain during but they still make us walk back to the Castle. It's pouring buckets there!”

“Yeah, but it's still better than that stuffy room at Divination. I think Trelawney is actively trying to suffocate us. All that incense is crap, especially if the fumes catch onto all that carpet-y decorations.”

The group chuckled. Graham shook his head “I still can't believe you took Divination. Everybody says it's useless. An easy grade though.”

“Hey, I told you last year I'm taking it because of great-gran, she was a genuine seer ya know. Mother wanted me to take the class and see if I inherited something” the Irish girl said in her defense.

“And did you?” Ashley asked.

Caitlin snorted “Yeah, her silver cigarette case.”

The third-years laughed at the dead-pan delivery. “While we are discussing electives, Arithmancy is brilliant if you were wondering. Muggle Studies is not bad. Though we got a different professor than the previous years - Quierell quit for a sabbatical, but professor Burbage seems good so far” Helena shared.

They discussed their new subjects for quite some time, the novelty still hadn't worn off. All in all the Ravens were content with their selections.

When it was time for dinner they descended into the Great Hall. Before either could sit down Jamie Todd shouted “Uchiha! Over here! You don't mind me stealing her for a moment, right?”

Saeko obediently headed towards her quidditch captain “What do you need? Hey, Jared, Frost.”

The boys just nodded, their mouths full, Saeko sat down. Jamie finished her drink “So, next raining is tomorrow at six, and you are forbidden to whine about it. Now, I want to talk about brooms.”

The quidditch players raised her eyebrows in confusion. “What about them?” the seeker asked.

“The Nimbus Racing Broom Company will soon be announcing a new upcoming product this summer. Word is it blows out of the water any other broom on the market right now. And it's not publicity, that hasn't even started yet, I know because my dad's friend is Nimbuses' lawyer” Jamie frowned.

“So?” Saeko asked as she scooped up some fried rice.

Frost spoke as well “What's it called?”

“Nimbus 2000. And my point is if someone gets that broom we're screwed. Our brooms are old. Well, except Uchiha's, but the Cleansweep pales in comparison to Nimbuses' new hit. Anyways I was wandering if anyone wanted to make a new wish for Christmas or their birthdays or similar. Especially you Frost” the chaser smiled sweetly.

The trio of subordinates just stared at her dumbly. Jamie sighed “Well, it was worth a try. No chance then?”

“Dunno boss,” said Jared, “I have better things to ask for.”

“Yeah, me too. But I'll think about it” Frost said and had to grin at the smile he got in return.

Saeko shrugged “We'll see if we need them but I think we are good. Did you try to cajole the others too?”

“I might've…” the blonde trailed out.

The ninja chuckled. The Uchiha Clan has spent quite a bit of money on broomsticks already - Itachi brought 30 brooms in _henge_ just the year before. Aside from summons, flying was quite unusual back home. Sky country was the only one who achieved it with their flying machines but it was precisely that technology that led to their doom. Sarutobi and the Uchiha siblings decided to keep the brooms in reserve, an ace in the hole, and reveal them only when they are really needed. They also didn't determine yet if they could be used by others aside Uchiha and Senju.

Saeko would make sure she finished Hogwarts with the top broom on the market but that was a long time away.

“Are you getting one?” Jared asked, interrupting the jounin's thoughts.

Jamie sighed “No, too expensive. And I don't think I'll continue playing next year. NEWTs are too important.”

“Then why are you asking?” Saeko said, curious.

The blonde chaser shrugged “So I get you to win next season as well? And maybe getting you to update your broom for this season – the Nimbus will cost a fortune so buying the top broom now wouldn't be such a bad idea.”

“Not bad” Frost remarked.

“I try.”

* * *

**On the way to DADA**

“We have dear Deirdre again” Saeko sing-songed as she and her two best friends made their way towards the fourth floor.

Helena rolled her eyes “Must you be always so chipper when we have defense?”

“Hey, she is teaching combat spells right now – and, hello? Soldier here?” the ninja grinned, not having ulterior motives at all - checking out the teacher was most definitely not on her list. That would be the answer if someone asked her.

The trio climbed up the stairs when they heard crying nearby. Ashley immediately followed the sound, the other girls right behind her – Helena with a resigned sigh, Saeko high alert in case of a fight.

They found three girls, one with a bloody nose. Saeko looked sharply at the end of the corridor and spotted some people just turning the corner. She thought she saw a faint trace of green and silver. The ninja shrugged and turned to the girls – first year Ravenclaws as it was now clear.

Ashley had been consoling the crying one but since they were in danger of being late the Uchiha took charge “I'm Saeko Uchiha, third year. What happened?”

The girl on the floor was surprised at the harsh tone and stopped crying. Since she still said nothing her friend answered “I'm Cho Chang, this is Marietta Edgecombe and Harriet Ellesmere. Some older Slytherins cast the tripping jinx on her or something similar, we just got shoved. They just laughed and left.”

“Do you want to report this to Flitwick?” Helena asked, resigned that they would miss the start of class.

“I don't know who they were” Harriet answered.

Saeko hummed and summoned her wand. Marietta's eyes went wide but the kunoichi smiled comfortingly “Don't worry, I'm on the quidditch team, we get injured all the time. I know what I'm doing.”

When the nose was repaired, the bleeding stopped and robes cleaned Ashley saw a seventh-year prefect and flagged her down. When the situation was explained Vanessa Flanery said “Good job Uchiha, I'll take care of it now. I believe you have a lesson to go to?”

The trio took off with many thanks from the first years. As they hurried towards DADA Saeko asked “How come we never had much altercations with Slytherins ourselves?”

“Dunno, maybe the rain just makes people wanky” Ashley shrugged.

“They prefer to pick on the other Houses, and they know better than to attack us – Saeko would fry them” Helena remarked, “Michelle is targeted though.”

The light brunette turned to her friend, confused “Really? Why didn't you tell?”

Helena just shrugged.

The trio jogged to class, well aware the bell rang a few minutes ago. The two Brits were breathless but the Uchiha opened the classroom doors anyway, not wasting any more time.

Miss McKenna looked sharply at them “I don't really take kindly to people who are late."

Saeko bowed “Gomennasai, we stopped to help our first-years who had been bullied by some older Slytherins.”

The teacher's face remained blank “Really? Did you obey the 'no fighting in the hallways' rule?”

“Hai, we only saw the tail of them” the ninja nodded.

McKenna hummed and looked at the trio contemplatively “If we weren't at school would you be able to defend them?”

“Hai” Saeko said confidently, while the recovered girls behind her looked uncertain.

“Did you ever duel?”

“No.”

“Maybe it is time to teach you. All of you. I planned dueling for the older-years only but I guess third year is knowledgeable enough” Deirdre finally said. Looking around she ordered “Stand up and pull all the tables aside.”

Once the room was prepared Miss McKenna unsheathed her wand “Let's see what you got, let's see if you are prepared, let's duel. Uchiha you first.”

X

“Wow, Saeko. Wow! Even Deirdre was impressed. And 50 points? Awesome!” Ashley clapped her friend on her back as they exited the classroom. Their friends hummed their agreement.

“Dueling is fun” Peter grinned. Miss McKenna made them all duel. After testing Saeko she paired up the rest of the class. She watched every match and pointed out the most common mistakes such as footing or slow speed.

The third-years were quite proud when McKenna gave a previously unseen smile and said they were better than she expected. But in the same breath she also said that while the spell list used was quite large, their duels were unimaginative, with only few exceptions.

With the promise of teaching them dueling, the class had been dismissed.

Caitlin summed it up nicely “Best lesson EVER!”


	32. 3- 32 First Weeks are Carefree

**Library**

Saeko was perusing the library shelves, trying to find a title that would inspire her. She had received a message via Toad mail from Jiraiya that contained three names of presumed Akatsuki members with their specialties. Naruto had also written a message which made her grin as always – especially his proclamation in bold characters that he would return stronger than ever and take the Hat.

Passing the transfiguration isle and delving into charms she thought that the simplest solution would be to sic her and Itachi on them. Jiraiya's intel said that Akatsuki moved in pairs – the feared Uchiha duo could just team up and trap them in _Tsukoyomi_. Unfortunately it would probably make them blind, the power required would be just too much even for the Cursed Eyes.

Finally she took a tome from its shelf and headed to the reading tables. Looking around for a place to sit she spotted Lauren, shuffling pages of her own book, sometimes pausing to read a paragraph. Deciding to interrupt the bored-looking girl she approached the Slytherin “Hey, Lauren, mind if I sit?”

The red-head looked up “Sure.”

“You seem bored, what are you reading?” Saeko asked.

Lauren closed the book and put it on the table “It's actually very interesting but I'm just not in the mood I guess. It's a biography of Pericles.”

“Hm, Pericles, son of Xanthippus, Athenian” Saeko hummed. At Lauren's surprised expression she said “I scavenged all politics related books, I even asked Pince for them.”

“Yeah, you said you want to be some big politician back home. Studying for it?” the Slytherin smirked.

Saeko shrugged “It's good to be informed. Why are you reading it?”

“I'm a fan of ancient Greece, both muggle and magical” Lauren answered, after a beat she asked disinterestedly “What are you reading?”

The scarred teen just waved dismissively so Lauren spoke again “Come on, amuse me with something, I'm bored.”

“Why are you here then?”

“Isolde has a crush on the biggest douche that exists in Slytherin and can't shut up about him. I don't think he even knows her name since her family is not wealthy or old or far-reaching, and she whines about it. Anything is better than that” Lauren sighed.

Saeko awwed “Soldy has a crush. Do I know him? And shame on you, avoiding a friend in need.”

“The only thing she needs is to shut up. And you don't know him I think - he's a fifth year. And she is not the only one, that's most infuriating. To be honest I don't know what the fuss is about” the red-head rolled her eyes.

The raven-haired chuckled. Then she noticed something “Hey, maybe your entertainment is coming. Hey, Higgs.”

“Uchiha” said the newcomer, “Hey Lauren.”

The Slytherin girl perked up “Hey Terence. Please say you have something interesting to say. We are bored.”

“Hey, don't lump me with you on that, I'm happy here. But if you have some awesome idea lay it on, my book is not pressing” Saeko looked at the boy in anticipation.

“No, I got nothing” Terence said slowly and sat down near his friend.

Saeko sighed in mock disappointment. Then as a thought came to her she said “Little birdie told me you play seeker.”

“Did she now?” said the Slytherin boy and glared at the red-head.

Lauren's eyes went wide “Nope, not me! I haven't told a thing. How do you know Uchiha?”

The kunoichi shrugged, secretly pleased “I just told you, a little birdie told me. I take it's true? Light and fast, your stature is good for the position. Ne, how good are ya?”

Terence huffed “I'm not telling the enemy. Flint wanted to keep it on the down low, it's bad enough that you know.”

“Why secret?” Lauren asked.

“I don't know, it's his first year as captain” the dirty blond haired boy shrugged.

Saeko nodded sagely “We'll see. I was surprised at his captaincy, I expected someone older. But I guess the seventh years need all the time they can get for their final exams. The Slytherin quidditch players are often not the sharpest tools in the box after all”

“Hey!” Terence said indignantly but Lauren laughed “Sorry, but it's true. Daugherty almost had to repeat the year. More brawn than brains, you know.”

The Ravenclaw grinned and stood up “On that note, I think I'm going to my room to study. See ya on the pitch Higgs, do try to stay on the broom. Bye Lauren.” The two Slytherins waved at her in goodbye, one sullen-looking, the other sniggering quietly.

Saeko made her way to the Ravenclaw tower, hoping to find her captain so she could share the news. Higgs being seeker did not change a thing though, since they would see him in action in the first match that the Snakes had against the Lions, but this confirmation is always good to share. Saeko sighed at the fact that if the positions were reversed their new team member would be probably quite the target for the House of the Ambitious. But hey, the Ravens were the good guys. Maybe only some psychological warfare, maybe they could get Terence to have a mental breakdown if they were lucky…

* * *

**Ashley and Saeko** **'** **s Room**

“Right when I thought you couldn't be more of a snob” Ashley sighed.

The blonde in question smirked in satisfaction. The trio was currently in Helena's room, a rare feat. Helena was painting – her new hobby. The canvas was quite large, hence their location. “Go back to your muggle magazine. It looks very intellectual” said the Grey as she glanced at the small brunette.

Saeko chuckled as she looked up, seeing the magazine's cover which sported a man dressed exclusively in black sticking his tongue out “It fits the theme, you did see her new posters back in our room, right?”

Ashley didn't dignify that with a response, she merely turned the page. Helena was slightly bummed about the lack of response and turned at the Uchiha “What about you Saeko? What are you reading?”

“A fantastic book Faith lent me. The only thing _Dune_ is lacking so far is sex. But hey, I'm only starting” the raven-haired grinned.

“Sounds good” the blonde said non-committally and turned to her creation.

“More than good. And what about you? What are you painting?” Saeko asked. When Helena merely shrugged she had another thought “Hey, I just realized I'm the only one that is not artistic in our trio.”

Ashley let out a laud laugh “You are right! Ha! Finally something you are not perfect in.”

“Hn. That could be remedied if it would make you feel better. I have been told I should try my hand at writing.” _Icha Icha girl-on-girl, bet hey, it counts_.

Helena laughed at the dismayed look Ashley had. Saeko joined in “Don't worry, I have no intention in joining ranks with you artists. You officially win in this department.”

“Hey, it's not my fault you are pretty much perfect” Ashley shrugged.

 “I am, aren't I? I knew even you wanted a piece of this” Saeko grinned and pointed at her body.

The small brunette rolled her eyes “Don't flatter yourself, Uchiha.”

“If you say so, but I'm onto you, Weir” Saeko joked with a smirk.

Helena wanted to add on but was distracted by soft rapping on the window glass. When she spotted her eagle owl she smiled widely, put her charcoal down and opened the window.

Ashley smiled as well as she put down her reading material “What a beautiful owl.”

“You say that every time” Saeko grinned but even she had to admire the noble animal.

Helena smiled proudly and gave _Pheidippides_ an owl treat before she took the letter he carried. As the blonde sat down to read her mail Ashley approached the animal and caressed his feathers.

“I'm surprised you didn't take Care since you seem to like animals quite a bit” Saeko remarked.

Ashley shrugged “Maybe I should've, I sure like them better than math that is in Arithmancy. But alas archeology demands sacrifices.”

“You seem like a dog person” Helena said while trying to carefully open the envelope. Saeko rolled her eyes, drew a flat knife from her boot and passed it to the blonde to facilitate the process. The blonde took it cautiously “Thanks. I always liked cats, we have one at home but he only listens to mum.”

“Figures. I think you fit the cat personality perfectly, I would guess you would be a cat animagus. Me, I always wanted a serpent. They are so cool, so nice to touch, truly beautiful animals. I would bet the Slytherins would shit a brick if I showed with a snake in tow – an affront to their House or something.”

Saeko snorted in amusement “Too true. Truth be told I'm not thrilled with serpents though – they have a seriously bad reputation back home.”

“Hmm, they do have a stigma attached to them almost everywhere, it's curious” Helena mused.

The light brunette shrugged “I don't care, they are pretty. What about you Uchiha, favorite animal?”

“I'm gonna stick to ravens, my messengers wouldn’t have it any other way. But I guess I like seagulls also” Saeko replied.

Helena looked up from her letter “Is Konoha near the sea?”

“Nope but it's not that far. But all in all I have been to the harbor no more than three times. Konoha's forests are our most defining feature” the ninja smiled softly.

“Is that why you run in the Forbidden Forest every so often?” Ashley asked.

The raven-haired teen sighed at her being discovered “Yes, I like it. It _is_ a bit dangerous so I get why the Headmaster stresses the forbidden part of the name, but if you don't venture too deep it's like any other forest out there. And hey, running around the lake gets boring after a while.”

“I wasn't criticizing, I saw you duel so I know you could at least get away if something happened” the small Brit shrugged. Saeko smiled at the compliment.

Helena put aside her letter with a smile and asked “Speaking of dueling, did you finish the DADA homework?”

Ashley shook her head while the kunoichi replied “Hai, a most useful exercise.”

“True. I'm still missing five spells” the blonde sighed, “I always thought I'm more imaginative then this project makes me look.”

“Please, you wrote how to use a cleaning spell in combat. It that is unimaginative I'll eat my hat. You are just stuck because you want something revolutionary. Just use normal spells and apply them for dueling” Ashley scoffed.

“I know what the task is. But Miss McKenna did say to try unusual applications” the pureblood sighed.

Ash rolled her eyes “The task was to think up 20 normal spells. I think the professor will live if five of them are not that original.”

Saeko stayed silent since she had quite a head start in this matter - this homework is precisely why she was in Hogwarts in the first place. She smirked at the thought that her classmates could help her – maybe this exercise would give her something she could use in real combat. She chuckled at the thought of Iwa-nin bested by a cleaning spell.

At the chuckle both Brits looked at the ninja. Saeko just shrugged with a big smile “It's nothing, I was just thinking. Carry on.”

Both witches shrugged and continued their discussion.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

Saeko was sitting against _their_ tree near the Black Lake, waiting for Faith, absorbed in her book. She and the Hufflepuff had decided in the morning they would meet outside since it was an amazing day, the first sunny one after quite a while.

It was only her awareness as a ninja that prevented her from jumping in surprise when Faith appeared from behind the tree Saeko was leaning on “Hello.”

The raven summoner smiled brightly and put a bookmark in place “Hello.”

“Hey, you are actually reading it! How do you like it?” Faith yawned and plopped down into the ninja's lap and took her _Dune_ book in hand.

“I'm intrigued to be honest. I'm just at the beginning, they just only arrived at Arrakis but I can already tell I'll like it” the Uchiha confessed.

Faith grinned, tad sleepily “I'm glad.”

“Are you tired?” Saeko asked as the lighter brunette cuddled into her, eyes closed.

“Hmm. Miss McKenna's class was tough, Potions was nerve-wrecking and I didn't get much sleep last night… And you are comfy” Faith mumbled.

The Uchiha chuckled and hugged her girlfriend tightly and kissed her temple “Sleep well, then.”

To Saeko's surprise Faith did fall asleep shortly after without another word. The ninja chuckled and took up the book in her free hand once again.

Half an hour later the Puff woke up, confused about her surroundings. Saeko smiled “Hi honey, slept well?”

Faith rubbed her eyes “How long was I out? And honey?”

“Thirty minutes or so, I believe you deserved a nap. And what's wrong with honey?

“Nothing, I like it. We didn't do pet names before, I was just surprised. Do I get to call you sweetie?” Faith asked cheekily.

Saeko was horrified “No way, I'm a badass. If you are going to call me anything make it cool. You know, if you were tired you could've just sent me a letter and cancelled.”

“I know, _babe_ , but the Owlery was too high up and Owlie has been a pain lately, I was too tired to deal with him” the Brit shrugged.

The Uchiha face-palmed “Ok, please no pet names, I apologize for honey. By the way, I still can't believe you named your owl Owlie.”

Faith smirked “It fits him.”

“Of course it does, he's an owl for Kami's sake!” Saeko exclaimed and got a laugh in return.

After a while spent in comfortable silence Saeko had an idea “How about I take you out for a proper date, the first Hogsmeade visit approaches.”

“I'd love to” Faith grinned and kissed the scarred jounin. Saeko smiled against the Puff's lips and deepened the kiss.

When the make-out session ended Saeko smirked “You like the idea I take it.”

“Well, it was about time” the busty brunette nodded, “Do you know where will you take me? To be honest only Three Broomsticks is decent but that is always very crowded and loud.”

Saeko hummed, thinking “How about a picnic then?”

“That is really not much different from what we usually do” Faith sighed.

The Ravenclaw cocked her head to the side “True, what then? I have never been to the Hogsmeade village before and I don't know how to apparate even if it was legal.”

Faith frowned “Yeah, sorry. Well, Three Broomsticks I guess. I refuse to set foot into Madame Puddifoot's. One would say there would be more restaurants then just three.”

“Alright then, it's a date” Saeko smiled brilliantly


	33. 3- 33 Student Interactions

**Balcony on the 5 th Floor**

Saeko jogged up towards what she and Faith quickly had claimed as 'their spot' upon its discovery – the nice closed off balcony they used to meet up when it rains or just to have privacy. Faith was already there, sitting on the low stone railing, her cloak close because of the strong wind.

Saeko cleared her throat to announce her presence. The Hufflepuff turned and smiled “Hey.”

“Hey,” Saeko replied in kind, “I'm sorry I'm late but our team meeting was a bit longer than anticipated.”

“I gathered. So what's your professional analysis of today's match?” Faith asked and patted the spot next to her.

Saeko obliged and sat where indicated “The match itself was great but the team and I focused more on the individual players and team strategy. The Weasley twins as beaters were a bit of a surprise but great move on Wood's part.”

Faith nodded “Yeah, they really must be connected somehow, being twins and all. They are really good. You have competition.”

“I do not. Didn't you hear the commentator? I'm a wonder” Saeko smirked cheekily.

The Puff rolled her eyes “Yeah, I thought you would notice that.”

Saeko hummed “Oh, yeah. And to answer the commentator's query this wonder is not going to be repeated – the twins are going down, me and Jared will take care of that. And besides, if everything fails Frost will squash their seeker, he's really poor.”

“True, neither seeker was as good as White was. Fraiser and Frost are far better. I'm feeling good about our chances this year” the busty brunette said with a brilliant smile.

“Me too. I'm sorry about the Badgers but we are going to win this year as well” Saeko replied cockily.

Faith met her girlfriend's gaze challengingly “We'll see.”

A gust of strong wind made them shiver. Saeko stood up and wordlessly offered her hand to Faith. The shorter brunette took it and the ninja led them away from the edge and onto the bench just in front of the back wall.

When Faith cuddled into her she took out her wand and cast a non-verbal heating charm to keep them warm. The Puff sat more comfortably and smiled “Much better, thanks. And non-verbal, wow. Of course you wouldn't be content with learning it in the sixth-year. No wonder Deirdre gives you as an example even in my class.”

Saeko just shrugged, uncertain what to say. Faith clearly wasn't looking for a reply because she continued “That reminds me that I totally smashed Moreau in our duel just the other day. It was epic even if I do say so myself.”

“The 'Dick of Slytherin' you told me about? The one who goes on and on about pureblood superiority?” the Uchiha asked. Faith grinned and nodded. “Nice! High five!” Saeko applied her learned muggle knowledge. Faith laughed and obliged.

“You should've seen his face! He was so red! Even his fellow Slytherins snickered at the humiliation. I have to be careful now in case he wants to restore his reputation but it was so worth it” the Hufflepuff said smugly.

Saeko smiled softly “I'm proud of you.”

It was clearly the right thing to say since Faith smiled and smashed their lips together. The ninja smiled against her girlfriend's mouth and let her tongue ask for entry. As the kiss deepened Saeko tangled her fingers in Faith's chestnut hair.

As they separated Faith breathed out “No fair, you keep your hair in a tight braid.”

The Uchiha just hummed and reached behind her, releasing the ribbon that held her braid together. She left the rest of the untangling to the Hufflepuff if she so wished and latched herself onto Faith's neck.

When the Brit let out a sound between a moan and a groan Saeko smirked and used her left hand to bring their bodies closer together. Returning back up Saeko joined their lips together again. She couldn't help but shiver as Faith's hand met her bare skin when her turtleneck hiked up.

The movement seemed to startle the Hufflepuff and she sat back. Saeko frowned slightly and asked with a deeper voice than usual “What is it?”

“We are practically outside, it's cold and not private at all” Faith replied.

“Keen observation”

Faith rolled her eyes “I'm being serious.”

“Me too, I don't follow” Saeko frowned.

“What I mean is…” the Puff sighed, “Basically, what I mean is that if you wished to go further this is not the place.”

Saeko's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She was feeling a bit frisky but that was nothing new – ever since that mission with Yuuko she toyed with the idea of less than chaste things to do with the Brit. Now it looked like she was not alone with such thoughts. The scarred teen cleared her throat “And, hypothetically speaking, what would be the place?”

Faith snorted at the poorly masked eagerness of the kunoichi “Well, not here. The American TV shows might give bizarre ideas but I would like my first time to be somewhere civil.”

“I have never seen a TV and I still agree with Abby, you watch that infernal device far too much” Saeko said while her girlfriend just shrugged. “Just so you have all information I have a Konoha rune array that functions as a privacy charm or people-repelling charm” the Uchiha continued.

The lighter brunette hummed and her eyes gleamed but replied with only a nod. Saeko chuckled and kissed Faith's jaw gently “Just a thought. Now, may I just make out with my favorite girl?”

“You may” Faith laughed and initiated the kiss.

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko entered the Raven's Nest, as she sometimes head Rory and Wayne refer to their common room, in a great but thoughtful mood. She looked around and was lucky to spot Helena reading by herself near one of the fireplaces. The Uchiha approached her friend ad sat on the chair's arm “Hey.”

“Hey. Do you mind?” the blonde sighed, her eyes never leaving her book.

The brunette sighed good-naturedly and relocated to the floor. After a few minutes of Saeko's intense staring Helena surrendered and closed her book with a heavy sigh “What is it?”

“I… Well, I'm sure I shouldn't say but Faith kinda made a move” Saeko said quietly.

Helena sat straighter, her interest in the book forgotten “Really? Tell me.”

After a brief and censured recounting Saeko grinned “You know, I just never expected it. In Konoha there would be no question – those who have seen death tend to be mature.”

“So what's the problem?” the blonde asked.

“There isn't really one. I just felt the need to discuss it” Saeko shrugged.

Helena arched her eyebrows “Discuss what? A possibility of you getting laid?”

Saeko did a spit-take “Wow, you really spend too much time with Graham and Caitlin.”

“Graham and Caitlin what?” came a new voice from behind them.

The blonde looked up “Hey, Ashley. Me and Saeko were just…” at the subtle shake of the ninja's head she changed the end of the sentence, “…talking. About nothing much. Where have you been? Dirt digging with Peter again?”

Ashley rolled her eyes “We were doing the Runes homework.”

Saeko smiled gratefully at Helena for her successful change in topic and began talking about the _Prose_ _Edda_ from which the assignment for Runes was this week.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

The Ravens that just finished their outside class – Care for Magical Creatures, and decided to stay on the grounds until it was time for dinner. They all sat or lay on the grass enjoying the evening air before Scottish weather will make such a thing impossible.

“Pity Helena isn't here, she would have a betting pool up in a heartbeat” Paddy remarked.

Peter chuckled “You mean about professor Kettleburn?”

“Yep. Like how long until he loses another body part or dies” the Irish boy nodded.

Michelle, who stayed to everyone's surprise, shook her head in disbelief “You guys are weird. The poor fellow already has an artificial leg and missing a couple of fingers.”

“That's precisely our point” Peter rolled his eyes, “And you have seen his giant burn on his neck today. I would not be surprised if Dumbledore stood up one day at breakfast and said Kettleburn was eaten by one of his pets or something like that.”

“You have a point” Saeko agreed.

Caitlin nodded “He may be nuts but his classes are exciting. _Crups_ may be magical Jack Russel Terriers but they are pretty cool. And Kettleburn's stories were pretty funny.”

“The fact that they hunt and eat muggles is funny?” Michelle arched her eyebrows.

Saeko sighed “Pure conjecture. He said _crups_ eat anything, from candy to cadavers. Fact number 2: they are ferocious towards muggles. And the stories were mostly unrelated.”

“Sane or not I think we can all agree that Care is great” Wallace summed it up, “It's definitely better that Divination.”

The Uchiha snorted in laughter “What isn't.”

The group laughed with the exception of Michelle, who loved the subject. “Too true. The most exciting thing that ever happens in Divination is when Trelawney predicts someone's death” Caitlin grinned.

“What from Faith says that is pretty often” Saeko remarked.

Both Wallace and Caitlin, hell even Michelle, nodded sagely. Suddenly all three of them burst into laughter. The rest just looked at each other, no clue at what set them off.

After a while of patient waiting Peter broke “Come on, tell us. What's so funny?”

Another round of laughter ensued. After Caitlin calmed down somehow she opened her mouth to reply but another laugh came out instead. Finally Wallace took a deep breath “Man! I was sure we told you about it. It was hilarious.”

“Yeah, we got that” Paddy said, annoyed.

“It was three days ago. We are doing _tessomancy_ right? Reading from tea leaves?” Caitlin said and looked around. When all nodded she continued “So we all received our cups and when out tea was finished we took turns with the reading while Trelawney looked over our shoulders. Suddenly we hear Leroy Crow from Gryffindor gasp and tell his partner that he will die next month and that it will be far from pretty. Trelawney grinned, I swear she grinned, and practically jogged to Crow. She took his cup to examine the leaves and…” another snort of laughter. Wallace joined in, much to anyone's annoyance.

“She took the cup and there were no leaves in it” the Irish girl continued,

Wallace couldn't wait and butted in “Yeah, he had there a dry muggle tea bag with the words 'you are going to die' written on it.”

When Saeko stopped laughing she asked “So what did Trelawney do?”

“She went ape shit” Wallace snickered.

Caitlin rolled her eyes “She didn't. She got angry and he got a lecture about the inner eye and how he shouldn't make fun of serious business just because he's incapable to fathom the greatness of the universe. She even called him jealous of her talent.”

“Yeah, something like that” Wallace concurred, “Then he got subtracted 30 points and got a huge detention. Trelawney also said she would speak with his head of House about it.”

“I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that one” Peter sniggered.

Saeko nodded “Me too. McGonagall made quite clear what she thinks about Divination and its teacher. I wouldn't even be too much surprised if she got him the points back.”

The group chuckled. After they all calmed down Michelle stood up and said “I'm going to head back.”

Peter nodded and stood up as well “I'm going too.”

Wallace and Paddy joined them. The Irish boy looked at the girls “You coming?”

“I'm good. I like it here, I'll join you at dinner” said the Uchiha who lay on the grass with her eyes closed.

“I'm going to keep Saeko company” Caitlin shook her head.

After the rest of the Ravenclaws left the two girls just lay in silence enjoying the peace and quiet. It was a nice change of pace from the always crowded Common Room.

Half an hour later Caitlin sighed and stood up “We need to go, otherwise we might miss dinner.”

Saeko looked at the darkening sky and nodded “You're right.”

As the duo walked back towards the Castle the ginger looked the ninja over “I noticed you keep your hair unbound lately. Why's that?”

“No reason” Saeko smirked.

* * *

**Dorm Rooms**

Saeko sat heavily at her desk having returned from the Ministry of Magic where she mediated another mission for Minister Fudge. The mission was fairly personal in nature for the Brit thus quite simple. Saeko was pretty smug about the gold she negotiated for the solo mission she gave to Hayama – quite a profit for Konoha. With the stern jounin on the job the only thing left was the paperwork.

The raven summoner wrote most of the report when Helena entered the room “Oh, my apologies. I didn't know you were here. I'm just returning a book I borrowed from Ashley.”

“That's ok, return away” the raven-haired shrugged.

“Where were you all of today? We looked for you” Helena asked.

Saeko shrugged again “Just out. Did I miss something?”

“We are having a party of sorts downstairs. Basically is playing cards and tea…” said the blonde.

“So like any other weekend” the Uchiha smiled.

Helena chuckled “I might seem so but no - Ashley's parents published some big paper on the ruins they were on for the last two years.”

“Oh. Well then, I guess we are heading down” Saeko nodded. She resealed all the documents and stood up to follow her friend to the common room. The brunette hesitated when Helena opened the door. When Helena arched her eyebrow in confusion Saeko raised one finger in a 'wait a sec' motion and made her way to her closet. Perusing her scrolls she finally selected one and unsealed a small sake bottle.

Helena crossed her arms “Really Saeko, alcohol? I recognize the kanji.”

“You said there was a party” the Uchiha smirked and unsealed a small cup.

The blonde cocked her head to the side but then shrugged and left the room. Saeko tidied up and followed suit.

“Look who I found” Helena said and shooed Graham off his seat so she could take it.

“Heeeey!” the group chorused. Ashley followed up “Where have you been?”

Saeko sat down on the floor “I needed to do some paperwork, Konoha related. I did plan on tackling the potions essay next but I was informed about this gathering. Oh and congrats to your parents. Does this mean you will not be going back to Chile this summer?”

“I guess so. I actually don't know what they are planning next. Pity though, this dig had some awesome runes. Dad taught me about them and how to read them. I hope we go somewhere cool” Ashley grinned.

Graham nodded “Sound great. I would love to leave this castle for a bit. Go somewhere sunny.”

Helena rolled her eyes “We have been at Hogwarts only for two months now and you already want a vacation?”

The brown-haired boy just eagerly nodded which prompted another eye-roll. Daniel nudged his friend “Our first Hogsmeade is approaching, you get to leave the Castle then.”

“Yeah, but just for a day, that's nearly not enough. But I do look forward to it” Graham replied.

“Who doesn't” Caitlin agreed, “I really can't wait to explore it all. I know the upper-years say it's nothing that awesome, especially if you've been there more than three times, but I can't wait all the same.”

“Maybe we could get a fire whiskey at the local bar!” Peter's eyes lit up.

Ashley rolled her eyes in annoyance “As if. It's not like some students try it every year.”

Peter and Graham pouted to everyone's amusement. Saeko merely smiled as she sipped her celebratory drink.

“We could all explore together” Daniel proposed.

Ashley nodded “Sounds good, I'm in.”

Among various sounds of agreement Saeko said “I can't, I'm going with Faith.”

“Ooooooh!” Graham and Peter said with silly faces.

“Jealous boys?” the Uchiha smirked smugly.

The duo made a show of thinking hard “Yeah”, “Yes actually”. The rest laughed.

“Where are you taking her?” Caitlin asked.

Saeko chuckled “Actually she is kinda taking me. I've never been in Hogsmeade, she has.” There were various snorts of suppressed laugher at which the Uchiha looked indignantly ”What?”

“Nothing!” said the majority as if rehearsed.

Caitlin elaborated “It's just that we expected you to wear the pants in the relationship.”

“Yeah, it's you who is on the butchier side” Daniel remarked. Saeko glared at him and he immediately looked down.

“What does that mean?” Graham asked.

Cue Uchiha Glare™


	34. 3- 34 Outside the Walls

“Come on team, double time it! Remember, the last lap is in full sprint. Chop chop!” Saeko shouted at her teammates with poorly hidden glee as she was finishing the fifth lap around the quidditch pitch.

The Ravenclaw team groaned, still not used to Saeko running their physical training. Jamie put her in charge of their warm-up routines since the Uchiha was in more than excellent condition, had experience with it and the fact she tended to meddle in it. Basically the younger girl bugged her about the composition of their PT until Jamie cracked and yelled at the beater in frustration. The offended Saeko countered with the fact that her family was military and that she basically lived at boot camp which sparked some reluctant intrigue. Finally Jamie let her do a trial run (trying to shut her up was definitely one of the reasons) which ended with her new position within the team.

To say Saeko enjoyed it would be a big understatement, she even looked forward to bossing around her eventual genin team.

When the last of the quidditch players finished the requisite laps Saeko led them through a thorough stretching routine. To finish up she announced “10 sit-ups, 10 jumping-jacks, push-ups, squats; 9 sit-ups and the rest, 8 sit-ups, 7... you get the gist. Afterwards take we'll take a short break and one last lap to regulate breathing.”

Wayne muttered something under his breath about slave drivers which made Saeko feel all warm and fuzzy inside – from what she observed a common affliction of jounin senseis.

“And warm-up complete. Jamie, back to you. Well, unless you want me to run the exercise we talked about?” Saeko grinned at her captain.

Jamie shook her head “The blind-folded one? Not today. Next time, if you think it will help. God knows you talked about it enough.”

“Hey, it’s a great exercise! My sensei used it on me and my teammates back in Konoha – we were always in synch and aware of each other in the field” the Uchiha pouted.

“Next time” was the Brit's reply.

Saeko nodded and went to retrieve her broom as per usual while mumbling about 'spatial perception' and 'awareness'. Jared who walked beside the brunette chuckled.

The rest of the training was dedicated to practicing counters for some of the maneuvers the Hufflepuff team favored as well as some of their own specialties. The first match was always a big unknown with the new captains and players but the blonde captain was quite confident they would prevail.

When their allotted time on the quidditch pitch came to the end the team retired to their respective locker rooms.

As Saeko was braiding her hair, still wet from her shower, she spoke to the frowning Jamie “What's up? You are being quite morose lately.”

“It's nothing” the blonde sighed.

Saeko nodded “Alright.”

After few beats of silence Jamie sighed again “It's Duncan.”

“Frosts' friend? Scot, long black hair?” Saeko asked, intrigued to where this was going.

“Indeed. He has a crush on me” the blonde said. Saeko fake coughed *obviously*. Jamie glared at her friend but continued “He's asked me out at least five times now even though I declined him each time. I was quite forceful the last two times but he did not relent. And his puppy-dog imitation is beginning to get on my nerves.”

Saeko frowned “I could talk to him. Although I doubt he will find me intimidating, silly man. Maybe me and Jared could make a stop after our training?”

“Why after training?” Jamie asked.

“Uniforms and more importantly heavy wooden bats. And polite smiles” Saeko grinned.

Jamie shook her head “I appreciate it, but no. He's harmless, just irritating. I'll just have to be more firm next time he tries. If he didn't get the message already.”

“Ok” Saeko said neutrally.

The chaser smiled “Thanks though. And sorry for being, how did you put it, ah, morose, lately.”

“No worries. Everyone is entitled to being grumpy once in a while” the Uchiha shrugged. As she collected her broom Saeko looked back “Would you mind if I took off without you? I'm meeting Faith…”

“Yeah, sure, no problem” Jamie replied and went to search for her want to blow dry her hair.

Saeko waved her captain goodbye and walked outside. Spotting her target halfway to the Castle she started running ninja speed. When she was close she shouted “Jared, James, wait up!”

The two boys turned as the kunoichi jogged towards them “Hey. I need you two for something.”

“Really” James said skeptically.

“Yeah. Oh, and keep your bat and broom close” Saeko smiled angelically.

* * *

**Hogsmeade Village**

It was a truly beautiful day to be outside, it was as if the sky itself decided to give the Hogwarts students a break. The village itself was nice, especially after being confined to a castle and its grounds. Granted, the Castle was huge and full of possibilities for exploration since the staff and students only regularly used less than half of it, but Hogsmeade held something more. Here there were shops, regular people, even pubs and, well, the word freedom could be used to sum it up. At least for the students.

Faith and Saeko strode down the main road hand in hand. They never seemed to do that in the Castle since they never really _go_ anywhere there so they never seen a point. The Uchiha was glad her girlfriend didn't mind her wearing her customary gloves since she found Scotland quite chilly, especially in November.

“Sooo, this is it” said Faith as the duo arrived at the village's boundary.

Saeko didn't bother to hide her disappointment “Hn, I guess the joy of being away from Hogwarts clouds the student's minds. From what I heard I expected so much more. But I guess it'll do.”

The Hufflepuff rolled her eyes good-naturedly “You'll like it here, just you wait. So, anything caught your fancy? I definitely want to go to Honeyduke's.”

“Hmm, a quick tour of Zonko's followed by that magical items shop? There could be something useful to be found. Other than that I expect you wouldn't like jogging around the village” Saeko said teasingly.

“Nope, not in those shoes and clothes darlin'” Faith replied dryly, knowing all too well Saeko's dedication to exercise.

The raven summoner made a show of looking at her girlfriend but decided to forgo a comment on how lovely would all that bouncing be to the audience. Instead she just said “You do look lovely, I wouldn’t want to mess with that. To Honeyduke's then?”

“Yes!” Faith said excitedly and tugged Saeko's hand so the couple could walk faster to their goal. The raven-haired sighed, wondering why nearly all women she knew had a sweet tooth.

When the duo finally settled down in the Three Broomsticks Saeko was quite surprised she enjoyed exploring the little shops more than she had anticipated even though she did not find anything particularly useful that she could bring back to Konoha. Faith beamed when the Uchiha admitted having heaps of fun on this outing.

Since the pub was packed as the older-year predicted, the duo decided to sit at the bar. Faith was a bit bummed that the Konoha nin already knew and tasted butterbeer since it was in her top ten things she liked best about the magical world. After a brief consult with Madame Rosmerta, as well as an enjoyable talk with her, Saeko ordered a small Gillywater.

It was a bit past lunchtime when Saeko's friends arrived to the pub. Ashley immediately spotted her roommate and dragged the whole Ravenclaw group with her. Saeko gently interrupted Faith's recount of her meeting Moaning Myrtle, the obnoxious ghost that inhabited one of the women's lavatory at Hogwarts, to point out the new arrivals.

After the customary greetings were exchanged Saeko and Faith decided to join the group for lunch since Caitlin had been lucky enough to spot a newly abandoned table to which she promptly laid siege. After giving their orders the Hufflepuff asked how the third-years liked the village but the conversation soon turned to the upcoming match between their Houses - the 'next big event'.

“Sorry lass, but the Badgers have no chance” Graham said to Faith in faux sadness.

Peter nodded “Ya, you should see them, I mean the team, enter our common room after training – they swagger.”

Faith eyed her girlfriend but then shrugged and started a very heated debate about the sport. Saeko just sighed and looked at Helena who rolled her eyes at the squabble.

After they had eaten Saeko whisked Faith away from her friends, wanting to spend some more time with her. She just hoped they could refrain talking about quidditch for the rest of the day.

After a small debate as where to go the couple made their way to a small hill just outside the village. Saeko, always the one to show off, conjured two small cushions to sit on. Taking a leaf out of Shikamaru's book Saeko lied down and watched the clouds slowly travel above them. Faith seemed to contemplate something but then she laid her head on the ninja's abdomen and she too directed her gaze upwards.

The raven-haired felt peaceful, a thing that was rare indeed in Konoha, but also a bit sleepy. To keep them awake she said “Tell me about your first trip to Diagon Alley.”

“I already told you that, didn't I?” Faith said sleepily.

“Not really, you told me how McGonagall showed up your doorstep and told you were a witch and all that but I want your first impression of the true magical world” Saeko replied while caressing her girlfriend's chocolate locks on her stomach.

Faith hummed in appreciation “Well, MG picked me up…”

“Wait, MG?” the Uchiha chuckled.

“Yes, problem?” Faith countered.

Saeko chuckled once more “Not really, it's just funny. Do go on.”

“Hm. I don't know what I was expecting but the Leaky Cauldron wasn't it” Faith continued, ignoring Saeko's smirk, “I was told how I was entering the world of magic so I prepared myself for something like from Buffy - the vampire slayer.”

Saeko interrupted “Let me guess, that's a TV show.”

“Yes, now hush.” The Puff said playfully, “After the dingy bar and the rubbish yard, always a nice touch, the moving wall was awesome. It calmed me down. It was proof the magical world really existed and I was not led to be a virgin sacrifice somewhere. The first thing I noticed were definitely the clothes the people wore – robes and hats? I remember thinking we were on a movie set.”

Saeko interrupted “Wait, didn't your mum come too?”

“Nope, she was working on something huge and couldn't get away. Anyway, our first stop was Gringotts” Faith continued her tale.

If Saeko didn't think her girlfriend had a flair for the dramatic she would've changed her mind sometime during the retelling. Granted, it was full of movie and book references that Saeko didn’t get, but she hadn't laughed this much in a long time.

When it was time to return to the Castle the raven summoner sighed, she had enjoyed this outing immensely. The two girls collected their bags, most of them being from Honeyduke's, and slowly made their way back.

Once in the Entrance Hall Saeko gave back the bags she was carrying for the Brit “You were right, Hogsmeade is not much but I enjoyed it anyway.”

 “Me too. Much better than last year” Faith winked.

“I'm glad” Saeko grinned, “Well, I'll see you tomorrow?”

The Hufflepuff nodded “Sure, I'll write you.”

The couple shared a kiss, a chaste one, both mindful of the audience. As they parted Faith murmured “I love you, see you tomorrow.”

“I love you too” Saeko replied. Hearing it was still new and more than a little strange, saying it even more so. She cared for the busty brunette a great deal but love? She had just turned fourteen and she was keeping quite a few secrets from the Puff – a big romance, like from the movies that Faith enjoyed so much, was pretty much impossible.

Still, she stole another kiss from the muggleborn, waved her goodbye and headed towards the Ravenclaw common room.

* * *

**Jamie** **'s room**

The Ravenclaw quidditch team sat on various places in their captain's room. Jamie had decided to hold their pre-match meeting there since it was pouring outside and their Common Room was too full and noisy. Plus she needed her charts.

The upper years had definitely more room but still had to share between two of them. Nothing much stood out – just endless shelves of books. Jamie's roommate had a lone poster but it was impossible to say what it normally showed since the object was missing - it clearly fled when the whole Ravenclaw quidditch team came through the door.

“So this is it,” Jamie announced when she finished outlining their strategy once again, “Tomorrow we play for the first time this season. I'm sure all of you had notice the pressure we are under. We are last year's champions and much is expected of us. We had trained hard, harder than ever, so I believe we will prevail.”

All players nodded resolutely. The blonde chaser smiled at their determination “Good. We didn't get to train today but we have practiced in the rain before. A little water won't stop us.”

“A little water?” Wayne said in a fake whisper, making a show of looking out of the window. The sky itself seemed to agree with his sarcasm as a thunder roared and a flash of lightening illuminated the darkness outside.

Jamie shot the fifth-year a glare and said sweetly “It won't stop us nonetheless, right?”

“No, ma'am!” was the team's quick reply.

“Excellent,” the blonde smirked, “Also check your equipment before going to bed – if one of you comes to me that he or she forgot to apply the water-repelling charm to their goggles…” she trailed out menacingly.

The Ravens dutifully nodded. Most of them had already triple checked everything from their brooms to their robes – it was just common sense.

“Very well, that's it then. Meeting concluded. Oh, just please try not to stay up too late” Jamie finished and waved them off.

The players slowly got up, bid their captain good night and went on their own business. James and Jared went to their respective rooms while the rest descended into the Common Room. With a nod Saeko separated herself from the group and went to sit with her year-mates.

“So, what's up?” the Uchiha asked as she sat down on the carpet next to Daniel.

The bespectacled boy shrugged “Nothing much, just discussing tomorrow's match.”

Caitlin nodded “Yeah, shame about the rain though. Sitting in the stands will be a pain if it doesn't let up.”

“You tell me” Saeko chuckled, “I can even tell you a bit of our strategy - it's called plan 'get it over with as soon as possible'.”

The group laughed and nodded sagely.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

For being such a studious House the Ravenclaws sure knew how to party. This time the shindig started as soon as the majority of the students came back to the Nest – it seemed no one really doubted their Team. Another factor was the weather outside – it was so dark and stormy it might as well be midnight.

Saeko sat in a comfy armchair near the fire – the sixth year who previously occupied it was more than happy to give it up for one of their quidditch heroes. The Uchiha was not in a party mood so she just sipped her hot butterbeer and graciously accepted the congratulations and pats on the back.

“I thought sulking in a corner was my area of expertise” Helena said with a smirk when she approached her friend.

The scarred teen shrugged “Not really in the mood to party.”

Helena dragged over one of the wooden chairs that were not occupied and sat down “Don't tell me you are mad that you were not the star today.”

“What? No!” Saeko replied, surprised, “I couldn't be more glad Frost caught the snitch so quickly, the storm was a pain.”

The blonde nodded empathically “I'll bet. But I admit it was a bit anticlimactic – you train for months, all the school is hyped up and then no epic battle. You just flew into the field like a bunch of valkyries and in fifteen minutes it was over.”

Saeko grinned, really proud of their performance “Yeah, Jerry was amazing. He said it was luck but everybody knows he's the best seeker this season. I really hope he won't quit next year.”

“You and half of Ravenclaw House. The second half would want to play in his spot” Helena remarked. Taking another sip of her tea the blonde smirked “But I admit I felt a little bit cheated we didn't get to see any crazy maneuvers.”

The Uchiha chuckled and nodded, their stunts were fun to plan for and executing them was exhilarating “Sorry about that. Though with the rain and low visibility we wouldn't do much anyway.”

Helena hummed “I guess. Also maybe it's best this way, if you were the star again Faith could get some grief. Or even better, she could be pissed at you.”

Saeko gulped “True. Nonetheless my plan is to stay clear of Faith for today. Hmm, maybe the next two days, let the Hufflepuffs calm down.”

“Smart move” the Brit smiled smirked.

As the kunoichi finished her butterbeer she caught an older year's robe and made her best pleading face “Could you please get me refill?”

The short haired girl looked in surprise but replied “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you” Saeko smiled brilliantly.

“I-I'll, butterbeer, r-right?” the girl stammered and upon Saeko's nod she jogged into the crowd.

“You really are milking this quidditch star thing to the maximum” Helena shook her head.

Saeko grinned “Of course. And you have been hanging around Ashley and the guys too much, you speak less formally.”

Helena was aghast “Oh, dear!”

The Uchiha laughed “Oooh, your face was priceless. By the way where are the guys?”

“Around. I fled when Ashley was being chatted up by a fourth-year. Maybe fifth-year” Helena said dismissively.

“Really? Tell me more!” Saeko sat up straighter.

Before the blonde bookworm could share, the girl from before arrived with Saeko's beverage. The kunoichi smiled charmingly again and thanked her. When they were relatively alone the blonde said “I don't know anything. Ashley liked the attention but I could say she was not interested.”

“Oh, pity” Saeko said in disappointment.

The two girls chatted a bit more before Daniel and Paddy joined them.

The party for Saeko ended when she felt a tug in one of her seals – it meant that Itachi wanted to speak with her. The kunoichi sighed and excused herself. She decided to go back into her room since no one would notice her disappearance. On her way up she spotted Duncan. The man avoided eye-contact which made Saeko grin and improved her mood greatly.


	35. 3- 35 Finding Fun

The combination of warm sun, full belly and History of Magic was better than chloroform, yet somehow the Ravenclaws managed to stay awake. The same could not be said for most of the Gryffindors who were happily snoring away while Binns droned on and on about Urg the Unclean.

That doesn't mean the Ravens paid attention, they long knew better. Most of the blue-tied students were working on their transfiguration homework. Helena had already finished it last night as did Peter so they were drawing and reading a comic book respectively.

Saeko laid her quill down with a sigh, the assignment for McGonagall now complete. She sealed it up and not knowing what to do next she looked around for inspiration. With another sigh she cast the _tempus_ charm and groaned at the numbers.

Not one to say idle the Uchiha unsealed a book on Chinese courses she had received for her birthday.  The text contained an impressive amount of information but Saeko just couldn't focus. Reading was one of her favorite pass times but sometimes too much was too much.

Saeko cast another _tempus_ and groaned as she did not even ten minutes ago.

She was bored.

Bored.

…

Boooooooored.

Finally she decided on action and unsealed a kunai, looked at it for a moment, then splayed her hand on the table and began stabbing the space between her fingers – she saw Guy doing it for another challenge with his 'eternal rival'.

That entertained her for a little while but she became bored again and the table might not handle much more. She ignored the incredulous looks thrown her way and thought of another thing to do.

Saeko unsealed her fan. Then a shuriken.

“Are you juggling?” Helena hissed in disbelief.

Saeko's eyes never left the sharp instruments she was handling “Trying to. Never done it before.”

The blonde just shook her head and returned to her drawing - a quite detailed portrait of McGonagall. The Uchiha was pretty impressed “Wow, that's really good! Hey, can you draw me? Something cool?”

“Maybe, we'll see if I'm in the mood sometime” Helena grinned, obviously pleased.

Saeko let out a loud laugh “You just sounded like a wife when her spouse asked for sex she doesn't want to put out.”

The Brit went scarlet but scoffed anyway “You wish.”

“Nice comeback!” Saeko grinned, impressed by the blonde again. She waited for her friend to go back to her art to have the last word but then she thought better of it and returned to her thinking of ways to escape History of Magic.

 _“Shadow clones, maybe? It works for Naruto… But he has a shit-ton of chakra to just throw away. But then again she doesn_ _'t really_ need _chakra at Hogwarts._

 _Nah, she wouldn't sink so low as to copy her rival._ _Besides, that would be cheating. And ultimately impractical.”_

When the bell rang Saeko almost let out a cheer. One could only hope things get better…

* * *

**Balcony on the 5 th Floor**

Faith was stunned. Saeko's message she received at breakfast said the ninja had a surprise for her if she would come to 'their' spot after all had gone to sleep but she did not expect this.

On the balcony's floor was a deep blue picnic blanket that had a sizeable thermos, two small glass bowls and a fruit platter. Faith looked at her girlfriend who sat on the low stone railing looking at her with a smile “You said Hogwarts never served chocolate mousse and you missed it.”

“This is amazing” said the brunette in wonder and carefully sidestepping the blanket she approached the kunoichi, “Thank you” she breathed out and kissed the Uchiha.

Saeko grinned “I aim to please. Now, shall we?”

The two girls sat down on the blanket facing the night sky. Faith looked briefly at her girlfriend “You chose a perfect night for this, the sky is so clear you can see the stars. And it's so warm. That is actually strange.”

“Ah, that would be a charm” Saeko explained, “It is November after all. Oh, and you don't need to worry about the professors or Filch – I've set up some Konoha privacy runes.”

“You can already use runes in practical application?” Faith asked, astounded.

Saeko shook her head “No, this is far too advanced for me. The rune arrays are pre-made, I have them from home.”

“Oh, so you are not so perfect then” the Hufflepuff teased.

“Meh” Saeko shrugged with a smile and poured her date the hot chocolate she had in the thermos.

Faith's eyes sparkled at the combo that was the chocolate dessert and beverage and immediately dived in. Saeko had to chuckle at her girlfriend's enthusiasm but also had to work on refraining on making comments at the nearly obscene sounds the Puff was making while enjoying the treats. Other than that the two girls ate mostly in silence, enjoying the night sky without the obligation to do something about it as they had to in astronomy.

Once Faith had finished the dessert, meaning licking every bit of chocolate from the bowl, she grinned “Thank you, I don't know how you did it but it was great. Seriously, thank you.”

To reinforce her words the Hufflepuff leaned in and placed a deep and passionate kiss on the kunoichi. Saeko hummed and whispered against the Brit's lips “You taste sweet.”

“Duh” Faith whispered back and used the hand she had on the Uchiha's cheek to bring her back for another kiss.

Sometime during their make-out session Faith moved to straddle the Ravenclaw. Saeko smiled slightly before putting her hands on the curve of Faith's ass and pulling the brunette closer to her. The Brit replied by threading her hands more firmly through the typical black Uchiha hair that Saeko had left unbound per Faith's preference.

Saeko ran her nails along the older girl's thighs and moved her mouth to caress the column of Faith's neck. The witch hummed her approval and moved her head to the side to give Saeko more space to explore.

The Puff tugged hard at the black hair in her grasp to make her girlfriend meet her lips once again. The kisses were not rushed, they were languid but still full of passion. When Saeko looked in Faith's eyes she gasped – they were dark, darker than she ever saw them, never mind the lack of light.

“Take it off” said Faith as she tugged at Saeko's shirt.

The raven summoner looked up and replied more excitement than confusion “Pardon me?”

“You heard me” the lighter brunette said huskily and took the hem of the blue shirt the Uchiha wore. Saeko raised her hands, far from protesting. When the shirt did indeed come off and Faith's lips latched themselves onto her neck Saeko's breath caught in her throat. Nonetheless she managed to rasp out “I thought you said not here and I can barely hold myself back right now.”

Faith looked back into Saeko's obsidian eyes “You took me on a date under the night sky. What could be more romantic, more perfect?”

Saeko did have some ideas but instead she threaded her fingers though the wavy dark brown hair and drew Faith into a scorching kiss. Deepening it she untangled her hand from the Puff's hair and slid them over Faith's back and under her shirt she trailed her sides, gliding over smooth, heated skin. When she heard no sound of protest Saeko drew Faith's shirt up, finally taking it off completely.

Trusting Faith to say something if she felt at all uncomfortable Saeko latched her lips onto the other girl's clavicle. The Brit's quiet moan was music to the nin's ears and gave her the resolve to take the clasp of Faith's bra into her right hand. Chanting in her head _'confidence is sexy'_ Saeko unhooked the garment and in one smooth movement, one she was very proud of, she laid the Hufflepuff onto the blanket and hovered over her.

As the couple kissed again Faith returned the favor and bared Saeko's chest. Before she could do more, the Uchiha looked into Faith's eyes once more. Liking what she saw she moved her lips, licking down the valley between Faith's breasts. The Hufflepuff groaned and closed her eyes for a second.

Determined to coax another sound from her girlfriend she licked one hardening nipple. Smirking at Faith's moan she took the nipple in her mouth and sucked gently. As she was rewarded with another sound of pleasure she brought her left hand to caress the neglected tit and sucked harder.

“Oh God!” Faith breathed out, placing her left hand on Saeko's neck to keep her in place.

With a gentle bite that made Faith inhale sharply and arch into Saeko's hand and mouth, the kunoichi switched breasts.

“Saeko, please!” Faith managed to get out among soft moans. The scarred girl went back up to meet her girlfriend's lips while keeping both hands on Faith's mounds, playing with them.

With one last peck onto the Hufflepuffs mouth she placed a kiss between her Faith's breasts and one lower, onto the deceptively toned abdomen. Trailing kisses even lower she encountered the fabric of Faith's pants. Keeping her eyes on her girlfriend’s face, looking for any sign of discomfort, Saeko brought her right hand down and slowly began to unbutton the jeans her girlfriend wore.

Faith brought her hips up to make easier to remove her pants. Saeko struggled a bit but finally managed to pull them down. Before she could do more Faith caught her hands, shook her head and said “You too.”

Saeko nodded and half-rose to take her own trousers down. When both girls were just in their panties Saeko laid back on her girlfriend, moaning at the sensation. She wedged her thigh between Faith's legs, moaning again at the wetness she found there.

In an unexpected move Faith took Saeko's panties in her fingers and slid them down as much as she could manage. Saeko's mind finally accepted what was about to happen and led her hands to divest them both completely.

The next few moments were filled by deep kisses, pecks and licks, letting their bodies adjust to the proximity of another naked body.

Faith, taking the initiative, flipped them over. Saeko's eyes went wide but let the lighter brunette get used to her tits firmness. When Faith brought her mouth into play Saeko unconsciously licked her lips as her breathing became shallower.

The Hufflepuff lightly nibbled one of Saeko’s mounds, flicking her tongue across the sensitive surface, before dropping her head to kiss lower. Murmuring in soft appreciation she traced her tongue across the toned stomach, around the navel, then descending lower still.

Once reaching Saeko's strip of hair Faith seemed at a loss. The raven summoner whispered “Come back up.” Faith obliged and the couple was swept away during their most passionate kiss up-to-date.

Saeko, always the assertive one, flipped them over so she rested on top of her girlfriend. She smiled and let her right hand caress the supple lips of her soon-to-be lover. She trailed her hand down, caressed the neck, clavicle, right breast and finally Faith's stomach. With another deep kiss she used two of her fingers to trail the wetness between Faith's thighs.

The Hufflepuff jerked up and groaned into Saeko's mouth. The kunoichi explored Faith's lower lips while their tongues and lips occupied themselves with another deep kiss. When Saeko rubbed Faith's newly found clit the girl abandoned the kiss and just moaned helplessly.

Saeko bit gently on Faith's neck as she sought the places that made herself moan when she pleasured herself.

Abandoning Faith's clit for a while Saeko circled the brunette's opening and then slowly pushed one finger inside. Faith tensed up but the sound she let out was one of pleasure.

Saeko kept her pace slow but when she deemed her lover ready she entered her with two digits. Faith mumbled something as she tensed up again and scratched Saeko's back.

The Uchiha reveled in the sounds her girlfriend was making. Wanting more she used her thumb to at first caress then rub Faith's clit. The Hufflepuff let out half a scream which made Saeko grin like a loon. Eager to get another reaction she used her mouth to tease Faith's left nipple.

Faith began to shiver “Oh, God, Saeko! Yes!”

Saeko sped up her pace and used her hips to give more force to her thrusts. She rubbed Faith clit with even more vigor and soon she could recognize the clamping that preceded her own orgasms.

Finally Faith's eyes shot open as she tensed “Oh, dear Lord!”

The Uchiha could not help a proud smile as her efforts were rewarded by a gush of wetness. Reveling in the bliss on the Brit's face Saeko kept her hand in place. Only when Faith seemed to relax completely she brought the fluid covered fingers to her mouth to taste her girlfriend. She hummed in appreciation at the taste.

When Faith heard the sound she opened her eyes and smiled at the kunoichi. She opened her mouth to say something but then she thought better of it and kissed Saeko softly instead.

The Uchiha grinned. Before she could say anything she found herself under the older girl who was sporting a wicked smile. As Faith braced herself on one hand she used the other between Saeko's legs and it was her turn to moan.

X

Saeko cursed the fact it was a week day and they had classes in the morning as she accompanied Faith back to the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, both fighting off sleep.

Finally Faith stopped near the kitchen corridor and face the raven summoner “Our Basement is not far, I'll be alright. You go before Filch or someone catches you.”

The Uchiha laughed “You don't want me to know where and how to enter the Hufflepuff common room, right? Smart.”

“Sorry about that” the witch blushed slightly, “It just doesn't seem right to just show you.”

“No, it's aright” Saeko smiled, “Well, I'll be going then. I… hm, tonight has been amazing.”

Faith nodded and leaned for a gentle goodbye kiss “It was. Too bad we didn't have more time.”

The kunoichi nodded, she too would've liked to explore some more or just cuddle “Yeah. Next time maybe?” she finished teasingly.

Faith laughed “Maybe. Goodnight Saeko, I love you.”

“Me too, sweet dreams” Saeko replied and pecked her girlfriend on the lips one more time.

The scarred jounin watched as the Brit disappeared behind a corner. Making sure no one was watching she _shunshin_ ed into a dark corridor not far from Ravenclaw Tower, too tired to climb all those stairs. Fighting off a yawn she answered the guardian's riddle and silently made her way to her room, deciding to leave her shower for the morning. Breathless and satisfied she succumbed to slumber.

X

**Next morning**

Saeko woke up with a huge smile on her face. She recalled the events that were cause for said smile and it transformed into a grin. For once Ashley was awake before the ninja and already half-way through the door. Saeko cleared her throat “Ohayo Ash-chan!”

“Mornin” the Brit mumbled, still not entirely coherent.

When the smaller brunette exited Saeko yawned and stood up to start her day. Once she was dressed and ready she went downstairs whistling.

Helena waved her over “You are more chipper than usual.”

“I might be” Saeko grinned and sat on a chair, shifting slightly since she was feeling a little sore.

“Well? Don't make me ask” pressed the blonde.

It might be a bit inappropriate but Saeko just couldn't keep it to herself so she smirked and replied “I don't kiss and tell.”

“Really!” Helena said, eyes wide, “Nice!” she continued when the ninja nodded with the now permanent smile on her face and presented her hand for a high-five.

“A high-five? Did Graham teach you that?” Saeko smirked.

“Caitlin did” Helena replied, “On that note a Gryff asked me out yesterday.”

The Uchiha grinned “Cool! Who, how, when? Whoever he is he has good taste.”

Helena smiled appreciatively “A Gryffindor fourth-year, Owen Riggs. I said no.”

“Why?” the ninja asked mildly.

“He's a pretentious prick. He's the son of one of my father's associates. Oh, and I hate his hair” the blonde declared.

“His hair?”

“Shoulder-length and wavy, he looks like a girl. I leave the girl loving to you” the blonde smirked.

Saeko nodded “Oh, I know him! He's not that bad looking.”

“I guess. I just don't like him” the Brit replied.

 “Fair enough. He still has good taste” Saeko said with a wink.

Helena grinned.


	36. 3- 36 In Heat

**Saeko and Ashley** **'s Room**

“Why are you doing it here? It's distracting” Ashley said with a roll of her eyes.

Helena who was reading as always just nodded while Caitlin smirked “Don't you usually train outside? That's where you always disappear, right? Before Faith that is.”

Saeko never stopped doing bench dips for her triceps “Too cold outside, this is just quick workout.”

“Todd and her quidditch training is not enough for you?” Helena quipped.

“We eased up a bit since the next match is in March” the jounin replied, switching to push-ups.

Ashley sighed “Pity.”

The Uchiha chuckled, still not pausing her exercise “Cheer up, it makes me look amazing and it's the reason why I kick your ass in DADA duels.”

“You are super quick, it's not really fair,” Caitlin said grumpily, “By the way, what was the spell you used last time? Against Aaron?”

“It was an old Chinese curse, I got it from a book my brother gave me. I wanted to try it out” Saeko answered.

Helena perked up at the mention of a book “Can I borrow it sometime?”

“Maybe, I'm not too sure about its legality” the ninja grinned.

The blonde nodded but Ashley said disbelievingly “You keep an illegal book here, at Hogwarts? In our room?!” she finished with a gasp. Then she grinned “Ballsy, I like it.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Caitlin spoke up, “You promised you'd teach me to pick locks.”

“Really? How did that happen?” Ash asked, a tad jealous.

“It was a bargain for a favour. How about after dinner?” Saeko proposed and switched to crunches.

The red-head smiled “Sweet!”

“Could I join you?” Ash asked hopefully.

“Sure, but I'll take a future favour” Saeko said jokingly but meant it quite seriously.

“Deal” the light brunette agreed.

Saeko stood up, her quick exercise finished “Just bear in mind that does not include any kinds of magical locks. Just plain muggle ones.”

“I figured” the Irish girl nodded.

Ash pouted “Aww.”

“I can throw in 'How to get out of handcuffs 101'” Saeko said while reaching for a glass of water.

The red-head asked “You have handcuffs?”

“Yup. My friend Anko gave them to me for my birthday. They are a bit fluffy but the lock is the same as in any pair” the scarred teen winked.

Helena uncharacteristically laughed out loud while Ash and Caitlin just shook their head. Saeko looked at her blonde friend with an arched eyebrow, hoping she would explain her reaction.

The tea connoisseur shrugged “This summer my Dad and I were at a client's house for business, I excused myself to go to the bathroom but I got the doors wrong. From the room I walked in I learned all too much about the man's… proclivities. And since the handcuffs were one of the most… how do I say it…”

“Vanilla?” Saeko proposed.

“…yes, one of the most vanilla things in there I was reminded of that sight” Helena finished.

Ash and Caitlin just gaped while it was Saeko's turn to laugh “That must've been something. Did you like it? It's always the quiet ones, you know.”

Helena looked scandalized but said nothing. The Uchiha grinned broadly “Ah, I can get you a pair of handcuffs, your own birthday is approaching. And the kink was born!”

The blonde rolled her eyes and went back to her book. Seeing she could not be teased anymore Saeko went through her things and selected a new shirt to wear “And on that note, I'm off to see Faith. I'll see y'all at dinner. Ta!”

“Don't forget your bondage!” Ashley called out to the kunoichi's retreating form, giggling.

* * *

**Great Hall**

The students chuckled at the sight of three Ravenclaw second-years that were turned bright blue, an obvious prank. Word around was that the three in question claimed that the Gryffindors were lousy in Potions in front of the Weasley twins. It seems they were proven wrong.

Other than that breakfast progressed as usual. Once the owls arrived the third year Ravens began discussing the news the Daily Prophet brought.

“So they finally caught him” Graham said with glee.

“Yup. Ulric Wilkerson – look at him,” Daniel said and held out the journal, “he even looks like scum.”

Saeko took the offered page “Yeah, it helps the aurors when the criminals look the part.”

“May he rot in Azkaban. Kidnapping, torturing and killing four women…” Caitlin trailed out with a shake of head.

Daniel took his Prophet back “Three. He didn't get the last one. She is at St Mungos.”

“Still, it's horrible they caught him so late” Helena chimed in.

Daniel jumped to the aurors' defense “He's in Azkaban now, that's all that matters.”

“I've read about the _dementors_ – that are really something. I approve wholeheartedly” Saeko said with conviction.

Ashley took interest “Do you have something like them in Konoha?”

The ninja shook her head “No, just regular cells. The prison doesn't even have an ominous name. But, hey, we had no escapes so far.”

“What's it called?” Daniel asked.

Saeko shrugged “Konoha Correctional Facility. As I said, nothing special.”

“Hey, if it keeps the criminal in, it's special enough” Caitlin reasoned.

Peter nudged Daniel “Did you ever think of becoming an auror yourself one day? You are always pretty invested when news like this come up.”

“Not to mention all that criminal novels you read” Graham chipped in.

The bespectacled teen put down the paper “I, I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I don't really have a plan yet.”

“Just a thought” Peter nodded.

“I guess it would be cool” Daniel said, clearly thinking about it seriously.

Saeko smiled “You are pretty good at DADA and great in transfiguration. Those are the basics, no?”

Daniel sighed “I suck at potions though.”

“If they got rid of Snape everybody's grades would shoot up” Ashley scoffed.

“I'll think about it. I guess I would love the investigative aspect” the bespectacled teen nodded.

Graham jumped in “I'd much rather be a _hit wizard_ \- much more action and cool uniforms.”

 “I actually agree with Graham” Saeko grinned – being a ninja was similar to being a _hit-wizard_ most of the time, “One can really let loose.”

“You can't be seen by muggles, that's quite a restriction” Caitlin countered.

Saeko shrugged “Not really, one can work around that.”

“I guess, you are the military brat in this group” Ashley grinned.

“Oh yeah,” Graham lit up, “Ash's right, I didn’t realize. **”**

The Uchiha smiled broadly “Yep.”

“So nice that all of you have a plan” Caitlin said tad bitterly.

“We are third-years” Helena contributed with a roll of her eyes, “plenty of time for grand plans.”

“Speaking of plans, I have a hot date” Saeko smirked.

The group groaned, all too used to this sentence by now. As the raven-haired was leaving she heard Graham say “Speaking of which, Helena, any plans for the evening?”

“Forget it” was the reply, followed by everybody's laughter.

* * *

**Transfiguration Classroom**

“ _Kuso_ , _kuso_ , _kuso_!” Saeko swore as she came barreling through the classroom door – the last thing you want to do is to come late to a McGonagall's class. She sat down beside Daniel and let out an elated breath.

The bespectacled boy murmured “You barely made it, where were you?”

From the Slytherin side of the room Aurora Gallaher fake-whispered “Gallivanting with that mudblooded whore of hers no doubt.”

“Jealous, Rora dear?” Saeko said with a smirk, “I'm sorry but you are too bitchy to be my type.”

Most of the Ravenclaws sniggered, even some Snakes hid a smile. Aurora let out an unladylike snort and opened her mouth to reply but the bell rang and McGonagall entered the room.

As the lesson progressed – the stern professor was explaining the mechanics behind the transfiguration from [hedgehog to pincushion](http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Hedgehog_to_pincushion) – Saeko was looking for an opportunity to get back to the Slytherin queen bee. The ninja did not appreciate the term 'mudblood', especially if flung against her girlfriend and fully intended to extract some kind of revenge. Just a prank, maybe more than one, poisoning the girl would be a massive overkill.

The opportunity came when Gallaher looked at the Uchiha, why she did not know, but she immediately activated her sharingan. Eyes met eyes and Saeko subtly vowe a simple sleep genjutsu. Aurora's lids dropped and the girl herself quietly folded herself on her table, asleep.

It didn't take long for McGonagall to notice “Miss Gallaher! Am I boring you?”

The blonde Slytherin's head jerked up, she was clearly confused from her short but deep slumber. When she realized the situation she paled “I, I…”

“Twenty points from Slytherin and see me after class for detention” the Scot said angrily, “I expected more from you miss Gallaher.”

The Snakes murmured their dissatisfaction and shot several irritated glances the blonde's way. Saeko savored her foe's confusion, embarrassment and anger as she would fine liquor. The Slytherin might eventually suspect her sleep was magically induced but since no one had their wands out… Saeko's mood improved immensely. This might've been childish but hey, she was 14 and her brother was always nagging she should lighten up.

The rest of the class went by smoothly, no more incidents aside those natural to transfiguration. As Saeko produced her own pincushion several times, with points to Ravenclaw, she thought that after the bell rang she should find Faith again, “ _This definitely deserves a reward.”_

When the bell finally rang Saeko nodded to her friends “I'll see ya at dinner” and took off in direction of the North Tower to intercept her girlfriend as she finished Divination.

One discreet _shunshin_ later Saeko leaned against a wall near the stairs that the fourth-years slowly descended. She spotted the Hufflepuff she was looking for and smirked. _“Man, I feel like I'm in heat lately. I might be a hormonal teenager but I'm a ninja! I have more self-control than this…”_

“Hey. Did MG let you out early?” Faith asked when she reached the raven summoner.

 _“Ok, I don_ _'t, maybe next time…”_ the Uchiha thought. She grinned at her girlfriend “Something like that. Can you spare a moment for me?”

Faith smiled coyly “Always.”

Once they found and empty room Saeko locked the door and slapped a seal on it. Wasting no more time the scarred teen pushed Faith against the wall and kissed her, hard.

Faith's hands reached for the black braid while Saeko's went under the Puffs vest. “ _Kami_ how I hate uniforms sometimes. Take it off.”

“Frisky aren't we?” said the light brunette with an arched eyebrow.

“Aye, we are. Off, now.”

X

**Raven Dorms**

Saeko crept up into her and Ashley's room as quietly as she could, hoping not to wake up her roommate. She was unsuccessful.

“Where were you? “ Ashley's sleepy voice could be heard from the darkness.

“Meeting with Faith” the ninja whispered.

“Slut” the Brit said with an amused snort.

The Uchiha laughed “I'm just gonna grab a shower. Goodnight.”

“Night”


	37. 3- 37 Delightfully Dull December

Saeko had Faith backed up against the rear wall of 'their' balcony, kissing her deeply and without rush. The ninja wore just a button down shirt despite the cold which now hung open, displaying her bare breasts – she had forgone the bra since the nature of the meeting was basically a booty call.

Faith's top had been discarded and lay on the stone floor along with her jacket and bra. Enjoying the freedom to explore Saeko scraped over the Puff's ribs, causing Faith to disconnect their lips and catch a breath. The kunoichi moved her hands and caressed the underside of Faith's breasts, eliciting a quiet groan.

With one final tug on Faith's lower lip Saeko moved onto the exposed neck, her hands roaming over the Brit's soft flesh of her tits and stomach. Faith tilted her head to the side to give more room to play and Saeko let out an appreciative hum.

Moving lower still Saeko used her tongue to tease the hardened nipple. Faith moaned in response and fisted her hand in the black hair. Trading one stiff peak for the other caused the light brunette to buck slightly under the ninja's touch.

“Patience, my dear” Saeko murmured patronizingly.

“You are evil” Faith breathed out.

The Uchiha chuckled and captured the dark pink nipple between her teeth and bit down gently. At Faith's whimper she soothed the peak with her tongue. Switching tits again Saeko sucked hard, getting something akin to a mewl in return.

While Saeko's mouth was occupied her fingers went to the Puff's belt. Few seconds later the ninja returned back up and brushed her lips against Faith's. The light brunette's eyes snapped open and she breathed out “Please!”

Saeko smirked smugly and slowly kneeled. Faith moaned at the sight of her girlfriend kneeling, taking her pants down with her. Getting rid of them completely Saeko tenderly kissed Faith's stomach while she took off the last barrier between her and her prize.

Nipping at one thigh the kunoichi urged the leg on her shoulder. Faith looked unsure but Saeko looked up “Trust me.”

Saeko lowered her mouth to the slippery folds and took a long lick. Faith let out the loudest sound yet. The ninja couldn’t help her grin as she proceeded to eat out her girlfriend.

“Oh, God!” the Brit exhaled and threaded her fingers into the Uchiha's black hair and pressed Saeko closer to her.

The kunoichi let her tongue explore, not minding the whispered pleas. Finally relenting Saeko's lips found Faith's clit. Alternating rough licks and fast flicks was rewarded by an almost violent thrust upwards, needing more.

Despite almost getting lost in the whimpers of her lover Saeko dove in deep, letting her tongue caress Faith's insides. The witch scratched the wall behind her, maybe trying to ground herself in some way.

Saeko moved back to Faith's clit and teased it lightly. Another loud sound made her grin and move to finish. The ninja's lips closed over the bud and she sucked, hard.

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!” and a gush of wetness were her answer. With a surge of pride the nin tried to prolong her girlfriend's orgasm as long as she could.

When the shivers of pleasure subsided Saeko asked playfully, her voice deep and scratchy “Another?”

 “I don't think I can” Faith breathed out, her eyes closed.

“You think or truly cannot?” the Uchiha smirked wickedly.

Not waiting for an answer Saeko thrust two fingers in her girlfriend's heat, curling upwards, staying clear of the clit, knowing it would be too sensitive right now. Faith let out an incoherent sound and let her head fall back on the wall with a thud. Slowly and steadily she was brought to one more peak, less explosive than the previous one but no less pleasurable.

When Faith recovered she opened her eyes and whispered “No more please.”

Saeko merely smiled and gently kissed her girlfriend's abdomen in reply. Still holding the lighter brunette up the ninja stood and connected their lips in a kiss.

“I love tasting myself on you” Faith hummed.

The scarred Uchiha hummed as well “I love when you talk dirty to me, but right now I would love your mouth doing something else.”

 “So demanding”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko tried knocking at Helena’s door but since no one answered she made her way downstairs in search for the blonde. She grinned when she spotted her friend with their little poker group, talking while shuffling cards.

“Konbanwa” the Uchiha smiled at her classmates before turning to Helena “Could I bother you for some tea? The strong one you brewed me last week?”

“I could but you wouldn't sleep much tonight. Why do you need it for? We have no homework due tomorrow“ the blonde witch said with a confused frown.

The brunette shrugged “I'm working on the DADA essay Deirdre gave us today.”

“Still?” Ashley interjected, “You were working on it before dinner for at least two hours.”

“It's just too fascinating a topic” Saeko grinned in delight.

Daniel looked at his friend shrewdly “How many pages did you write?”

“Oh, twenty? Twenty two? Maybe” the brunette said sheepishly while thinking _“Ooops.”_

The group face-palmed. Peter smirked “Fascinating my ass, you just want to impress Deirdre.”

“I'm already her star pupil. The assignment is about fire! Fire! Of course I went a bit overboard” the Uchiha defended.

“Pyro” Ash grumbled good-naturedly. The group nodded sagely.

Daniel patted the spot next to him and said with a patronizing smile “Why don't you play with us for a while. Then you can go back to the essay and shorten it in half. It's still more that it was required but I guess that's it for your restraint in the matter.”

Saeko did her best puppy dog eyed expression, complete with the tearing up but Daniel didn't budge. Finally she sighed sadly “Alright. I guess it's reasonable. I might continue the project on my own though.”

Ashley rolled her eyes but said nothing. Helena smiled approvingly and began dealing cards while the group formed a more regular circle.

Saeko counted the chips she received from Daniel, just a force of habit more than suspicion. Her two cards were an eight of spades as well as a nine of the same color. Her long hours on both the Clan Council and Village Council helped her contain her satisfaction with her draw.

“Speaking of homework” Caitlin began while frowning at her cards, “You could help me with the Divination one.”

“Really? What's it about?” Graham asked.

Helena rolled her eyes, her distaste for that subject was well-known, and revealed the _flop_. During the betting Caitlin answered “We are studying the Zodiac now. We are supposed to make a profile on our classmates or whoever, one for each sign and then compare it in class just before Yule, thus making a common profile.”

The next card was turned, a king of hearts.

“What does the profile consist of?” Saeko asked.

“We are supposed to extrapolate main character traits and attributes” Caitlin sighed.

Daniel arched his eyebrow “Why do you need us then? Aren't you supposed to do this by observation?”

“In theory, yes, but it would be easier to do it in a group” the red-head pleaded.

The Ravens looked at each other and ultimately agreed. It might be fun after all. The _river_ was turned and the final betting round ensued among the remaining players.

Ashley, who was most definitely trying to bluff through the round, asked “How do we start then Kate?”

The ginger smiled and retrieved a journal from her bag “The standard Zodiac signs are determined by birthday.”

After Daniel's victory with a full-house the games progressed as Saeko was identified as the lone Scorpio of the group. Doing Caitlin's assignment was surprisingly fun and strangely enlightening - it's always interesting to know what other think of you. The Uchiha relished in hearing she was resourceful, observant or fiercely independent. _“I guess I do deserve the obsessive, suspicious and manipulative labels as well.”_

Caitlin was ecstatic about the amount of work they managed to do, only few other signs remained which she could do on their own. “Thank you guys, I owe you.”

“On that note I'm going upstairs to my essay. Apparently I have some shortening to do” Saeko said with a smirk as she counted her chips.

“Good girl” Daniel said patronizingly, trying unsuccessfully to contain his grin.

“Cheeky bastard” Saeko replied with a small smile.

* * *

**Infirmary**

“I'm so, so sorry” Saeko said again as she led Jamie Todd towards the school infirmary.

The quidditch captain smiled weakly “It's not your fault, I wasn't paying attention.”

Madame Pomfrey looked up from the file she was reading, stood up hastily and went towards Jamie who was bleeding “Sit down over here my dear. What happened?”

“A minor quidditch accident” the blonde said, sitting heavily on the indicated bed.

The nurse looked sharply at Saeko, her stare demanding answers. The scarred teen obliged sheepishly “She got hit by a bludger just behind her ear. Subsequently she fell from her broom but we were flying low. Still she broke her leg but I fixed it…”

“FIXED?!” Madame Pomfrey exclaimed and went to check Saeko's work. A diagnostic spell later the elder woman nodded “Everything seems in order, you did well dear. Anything else besides the head wound?”

Saeko shook her head “No ma'am.”

Jamie nodded “Just some scrapes and bruises.”

“I'm really sorry, I was positive you saw it approaching.”

“It's alright. It happened, get over it” the chaser said in mild annoyance and patted Saeko on her arm, “I'm ok.”

The Uchiha nodded and let the nurse do her job. When Madame Pomfrey was done she stood up to fetch some potions to accelerate the healing of the scrapes and bruises Saeko asked “Lauren's not around?”

The healer shook her head and handed two small sized bottles. Jamie frowned at the smell but drank them quickly. Madame Pomfrey smiled tightly “Good. Now I hope you will be more careful next time.”

Both thanked the elderly nurse and made their way out of the infirmary. Saeko escorted her captain to the Ravenclaw Tower despite the blonde's insistence that she was perfectly alright.

“Please don't tell me you are going to tuck me in” Jamie joked when the raven summoner pointed sternly at the chaser's bed.

Saeko smirked “If you say pretty please. If you really wanted I could even sing you to sleep but that sleep would probably be of the permanent kind.”

The fair teen chuckled “Funny. Now please get out.”

“Alrighty” the Uchiha smiled. With one foot out of the door she turned back “Once again, I'm sorry. Sweet dreams.” Jamie smiled and made a shooing motion. The Uchiha smiled as well and closed the door behind her.

Since Ashley informed her that the group would be in the library while she was on the quidditch pitch Saeko decided to head there. As she went through the Common Room she noticed her favorite prefect surrounded by a mountain of books. “Hello Geoffrey. Tough homework?”

The seventh year jumped in surprise “Oh, hello Saeko. I'm preparing for NEWTs.”

“Already?” the Uchiha said, impressed.

Geoffrey sighed and rubbed his eyes “Yeah. We are already in the middle of the term and those exams dictate our future.”

“You need top marks for the Ministry, right?” the raven summoner said knowingly.

“Indeed” the prefect said and rubbed his tired eyes, “I already failed to achieve the Head Boy status so I need to compensate.”

Saeko nodded “Still bitter about that, huh?”

The older Raven shot her a glare but shrugged “A bit, yes.”

“It won't matter, the Ministry will be lucky to have you. Which department interests you anyway?” the girl asked.

“At first I wanted to join the Unspeakables, for the research you know, but now I think the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes would suit me best” Geoffrey mused.

The Uchiha hummed “Sounds good.”

“Yup” the boy nodded, “But I need to study for it.”

“Is that a polite shove off?” Saeko chuckled.

Geoffrey smiled sheepishly “I really need to finish this.”

Saeko shrugged “If you say so. Though, you should take a break from time to time so you don't burn out.”

“Don't worry,” the seventh year smiled, “I get so intense about it only on weekends.”

“Okay,” Saeko smiled, “Take care.”

The prefect nodded gratefully went back his books. The Uchiha sighed, remembering how the Hokage and her brother were worried about her over focus, but nonetheless she left him to his own devices.

According to her previous plan she made her way to the Library. She nodded to Madame Pince who shot her a preliminary glare. Saeko chuckled quietly and went to look for her friends. She went off course once again when she spotted a familial red-head.

The Uchiha plopped down on the chair next to her Slytherin friend and exclaimed “Two people today blew me off, you are going to entertain me.”

“Really now? I see you don't save your innuendo for Gallaher” Lauren looked up from the Runes textbook.

“Huh? I hadn't noticed.” _Anko would be so disappointed._

“Happy accident then?” the Snake smirked, clearly amused.

“Those are my lines! Did we body swap or something?” Saeko said in mock horror.

“You wish” Lauren kept her smirk.

The scarred teen cocked her head to the side and stared appraisingly at the red-head with a smirk of her own “To answer that I would need to do a thorough assessment.”

“In your dreams” the Slytherin shook her head in mock exasperation.

“Already there” Saeko winked.

“What would Faith say?”

The Uchiha pouted “Spoilsport. So what are you doing?”

Lauren held up the runes book “Knitting a sweater.”

“You are hilarious today” Saeko rolled her eyes.

“I try. So did you need something?” Lauren asked.

The Leaf nin shrugged “Not really. How are Lexie and Soldy?”

“Good. They are behind on the Potions homework and freaking out a bit” the red-head said while putting her book down.

Saeko nodded sagely “That I do understand. I imagine Snape is even tougher on you about this stuff when behind closed doors.”

“He is. And he's been in a mood lately - the Weasley twins are apparently waging a campaign against Slytherin. It's been very annoying since they don’t discriminate” Lauren sighed.

“Well, at least you can get a breather during Yule” the Uchiha smiled.

The Slytherin grimaced “No such luck, I'd be better off staying here. My family hosts a party. Formal robes and all that.”

Saeko couldn't help but chuckle “Sucks to be you.  Meanwhile I'll be with my friends in a bar.”

“Bitch” Lauren said with no real fire.

“Such strong language” the Uchiha smirked, “It doesn't go well with formalwear.”

The red-head glared.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“Finally some snow! I thought we would just be freezing and have nothing from it!” Ashley exclaimed in delight as she danced on the white surface.

“Yeah, me too” Saeko said, clear that she hoped it would be so.

Helena frowned “Why are we here? You know I hate the cold. If you want any adventures in winter wonderland you should've asked Caitlin or the boys.”

“They are coming too,” Ash said with glee, “I just couldn't wait any longer.”

“Yeeey” the blonde's voice dripped with sarcasm.

As the smallest Raven began to amass snow for a sculpture or something of the sort Saeko asked her blonde friend “Where are you going over Christmas anyway?”

Helena shrugged “I don't think so, just a quiet Yule with the family. There are several parties but I think I will have to attend only the one at Malfoy Manor.”

“Malfoy is the pureblood bigwig, right?” the brunette said in realization. _“The one that is close to the Minister. Glad Fudge had enough brain not to say anything about his contact with Konoha. Well, even if he hadn't a subtle bit of fuinjutsu takes care of that now.”_

The tea aficionado nodded “That's him. He creeps me out a bit.”

“Really? How so?” Saeko asked, tad bit surprised.

Helena shrugged “He's too smooth, sleek.”

“I think I understand” the ninja nodded, Jiraiya did say something similar.

“Do you know where is Ashley going? Some ruins again?” the blonde asked and looked over to the laughing brunette frolicking in the snow.

Saeko sat down on her cloak “She said she was going to her grandparents for the holidays. But I wouldn't put it pass them to go somewhere 'cool' again in the summer after their teaching tour is over.”

Helena hummed “And you?”

“Same old, same old. I'll see when I'm back in Konoha. Maybe Hokage-sama will have some nice mission for me to do.”

“No holiday relaxation” the blonde chuckled.

Saeko laughed “Being here is mostly a vacation, one I am enjoying immensely. Now I just have to go back to work for a while.”

Their discussion was interrupted when the rest of the Ravenclaw third-years, even Michelle and her crew, joined them. Peter, Graham and Caitlin immediately joined Ashley in the snow. The brunette's enthusiasm caught even the reserved Aaron, the resident loner, and soon the Ravens were roped in an epic snowball battle royal.

The sky began to darken when the Ravens collapsed in the snow, exhausted by the fight. “I so won!” Peter declared wheezing.

“You most definitely did not!” Catlin countered.

“What is the measure of victory in a snow fight anyway?” Saeko asked, genuinely curious. In a real fight victory is quite tangible after all.

“No clue” Ash giggled, “But I won nonetheless.”

Helena snorted “Sound about right. And if anyone won it was Angela.”

“No way! Angela was behind cover with Michelle for the whole time!” Graham exclaimed.

“Nah, I agree. Good work Angie” Michelle said to her friend.

“Matters not, I'm starving!” Patrick interjected with a thick Irish accent.

Ashley grinned “All in favor for dinner say 'aye'.”

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

“Aye!” came in chorus.

“Alright troops, let's get some grub!” Ashley said with an accent Saeko could not recognize.

* * *

**Outside Great Hall**

Saeko was waiting for her girlfriend to show up. They did say the goodbyes and Merry Christmas the day before, during a _private session_ , but leaving for the holidays without one last peck would be bad form.

Dressed in the traditional Uchiha garb, a wide-collared shirt with the clan's crest and with the huge sealing scroll on her back Saeko was quite visible so she didn't bother looking for Faith, certain the Brit would come to her.

“Hey” the Hufflepuff in question greeted.

“Hey” Saeko replied with a smile. To be perfectly honest she couldn’t wait to go back to Konoha and would prefer to portkey out right away.

“Aren't you going to be cold dressed like that? No jacket, no scarf” Faith sighed.

The jounin shrugged “No, not really.”

“Well, I do like the shirt, it shows your collarbones. Thank you for wearing it, it makes me kinda proud” the brunette grinned.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “How so?”

“You did notice…”

“Notice what?”

“Never mind” Faith said innocently and promptly changed the subject. The kunoichi just shrugged and humored her girlfriend as she was talking, Saeko's mind already in Konoha.

When it was time to head for the station Saeko and Faith parted ways, both of them joining their friends for the train ride.

Once the third-year Ravenclaws boarded the train they sought out a compartment. They didn’t have much of a luggage with the exception of Saeko who thought prudent not to leave ninja or illegal stuff lying around the Tower while she was away. Helena immediately whipped out a deck of cards and looked at the group with a raised eyebrow.

“Nah, not really in the mood” Graham shook his head as he sat next to the blonde.

“Me neither” Saeko agreed and sat down as well.

Helena shrugged and stashed the cards “Pity.”

Caitlin reached up to store her backpack. As she looked down she grinned at the sitting ninja and subtly pointed something to her friends who were still standing.

 “Is that a hickey?”

…

“Oh! That’s what she meant!” Saeko’s eyes widened with realization.


	38. 3- 38 Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer Summon

It felt great having the jounin uniform on again. With the comforting weight of the Konoha flak jacket on her chest and her tantō on the small of her back she made her way to Itachi's office.

She didn't even have to knock “Come in, imouto.”

“Tadaima, oniisan” Saeko grinned at the figure hunched over paperwork.

The man looked up, smiled and made a motion for the kunoichi to sit down. “I had some late lunch delivered for us, Hokage-sama is not expecting us until later.”

They ate mostly in silence since Saeko would be giving a thorough debrief later, but the girl still managed to coax some village gossip from the usually taciturn ninja.

“No dessert?” the kunoichi pouted. When Itachi did not react in the slightest Saeko crossed her arms “No, really, I come back after four months and I don't even get dessert?”

The ANBU Captain sighed “What did you have in mind?”

“Dango!” Saeko grinned broadly.

Ten minutes later the scarred teen was snacking on her second skewer “You are the best niisan!”

“Hn”

“I love you too. Speaking of which, how is Eel?” the Raven inquired.

“Hn”

Saeko sighed “Now you are doing it on purpose. Come on, how is my future sister-in-law?”

Itachi sent his sister a mild glare “She is a valuable teammate. Now, if you are finished you should make your way to the Hokage Tower.”

“Very well,“ the girl acquiesced, “but you can't escape the topic forever. Hey, is there a chance I could meet her? Preferably mask off.”

“No” Itachi replied as stoically as ever.

The girl shrugged “Thought so. Pity.” She stood up and bowed slightly to her Clan Head “Is there anything else?”

“No, the Hokage is waiting” the older Uchiha said with a small smirk.

Saeko bowed again and left the office. As she made her way through the Uchiha district she nodded to several people who greeted her. One of the Clan elders even stopped her to talk. The Ravenclaw was lucky that summons from the Hokage were a viable excuse to flee politics.

Once out of the Compound she used _shunshin_ to get to the Hokage Tower. She passed Maito Gai and his team who clearly just got assigned a mission judging by the shouts about youth.

She approached the Hokage's secretary, a stern older woman, “Jounin Uchiha Saeko, Hokage-sama should be expecting me.”

“He is. Currently he is in a meeting with the elders Homura and Koharu, he'll be with you in a moment” said the grey-haired secretary.

Saeko nodded ad sat down in on the provided chairs. “ _I could_ _'ve teased Itachi-nii some more. And I really should've brought something to read_ ” the girl thought. Instead she lost herself in a daydream which figured a certain naked Hufflepuff.

“The Hokage is ready for you” the secretary roused the Uchiha from her cloud.

“ _Damn, I didn't even notice the two mummies leaving the room_ ” Saeko thought and entered the Hokage's office.

“Ahh, Saeko-kun, welcome back” Sarutobi said with a smile as he took out his pipe.

Saeko stood at attention “Hokage-sama.”

“Report” the Professor ordered.

In the next hour Saeko briefed the Hokage on the new spells and other things that could benefit Konoha as well as passing the scroll with all the relevant information.

“Good work, Saeko-kun” Sarutobi concluded. Saeko merely nodded. “I think this mission is more than a success, you even look happy, more relaxed.”

The Uchiha smiled “I guess. Tough I must confess I enjoy being a student of Hogwarts immensely. I learn so much every day. Not everything is combat related but…”

“No matter” the man waved off Saeko's concerns.

“Do you have any news about Akatsuki and Naruto?” the girl inquired.

Sarutobi shook his head “No. But no news is good news on that front.”

“True” Saeko nodded, “Jiraiya-sama did send me some names of suspected Akatsuki members. I have prepared some mahoujutsu to counter their abilities like you asked, but the info I got was very sparse. I'm not S ranked yet but I think I could take the majority of them.”

The elder nodded “When the time comes I will be sending my best jounin and ANBU after them, you are among them. This is premature though.”

“Yes sir” the Uchiha nodded. “Do you have any special orders for me?”

The Hokage smiled “Not at the moment, do enjoy your holiday.”

“Holiday? I'm taking a mission tomorrow, I can't dawdle when I'm aiming for your job” Saeko smirked.

“I expected nothing less” the monkey summoner smiled.

With this dismissal Saeko bowed and turned to leave. Her hand paused on the door “Did Tsunade-sama react in any way about the formulas I sent?”

“She did not” Sarutobi sighed, disappointed about his student's attitude.

The brunette sighed as well “Damn, I hoped to have a sannin in my corner since Naruto has Jiraiya.”

Sarutobi chuckled “It's not a competition.”

“Of course it is.”

The man just chuckled once more and shook his head.

* * *

**Outside Hokage Tower**

Not long after returning to Konoha Saeko had been swooped by Team 10 for a quick mission. Shikamaru just spotted her on the street, looked at Asuma and said “ _You said back-up, I found back-up_.” Next thing she knew she was all suited up and going on a simple detaining mission.

Only three days later Saeko had another B-rank under her belt and without a drop of blood for a change. When the team broke up after getting their payment the two jounins trailed behind.

 “The brats really grew up” Asuma said with a sigh.

“They did. Chouji and Ino the most. Hell, even Shika seems more motivated” the brunette smiled.

“I wouldn't go that far” Asuma laughed. “I did well.”

“You did. But don't you regret not having a student you could really teach, truly shape? Pass your techniques, be known as their sensei? Ino-Shika-Chou is just that – Ino-Shika-Chou” the kunoichi asked.

Asuma thought for a second but then shrugged “No. They were great students and they are an even better team. I'm proud of having a hand in their education. Besides, most of my techniques are built around wind chakra. I could count people with fūton in Konoha on one hand. Maybe if I'm fortunate enough to have a family I could pass my techniques then.”

“Fūton's great, though I must confess that despite having the affinity I use wind mainly for my blade and to augment my fire techniques” Saeko said. Unlike most of her clan she stuck with her perfected techniques – mainly fire for offence and earth for defense. She was more than good with the other elements as well but she used them to surprise her enemy or to counter enemy elements.

Asuma smirked “You _are_ known for having the hottest flames in Konoha Amaterasu-chan. If I'm not mistaken Uchiha Madara had the same affinities.”

“Yup. It boosts my standing in the clan considerably. But I'm training all elements as any good Uchiha should. While we are on topic, do you have any good tips?” the brunette asked.

“Don't you have a huge library in your compound? Books on every ninja discipline and justus that would make many ninjas drool?”

“Sound about right” Saeko smirked.

Asuma chuckled and took a pack of cigarettes from his flak jacket. He offered one to the girl. Saeko just waved her hand in negative and the Sarutobi shrugged and lit up his cigarette. Letting out a perfect smoke circle he looked sideways at Saeko “You know, this is my best and favorite fūton exercise.”

“Smoking?” the scarred kunoichi arched her eyebrows.

“I coat my lungs with a thin layer of wind chakra to protect them” the bearded shinobi explained.

Saeko was impressed “Focusing elemental chakra internally and only in one place. That is really something.”

Asuma grinned proudly and offered the pack again “Smoke?”

The raven summoner was hesitant but also curious “Alright. Any tips?”

“You are a genius, figure it out” the former Ninja Guardian grinned.

Putting the cancer stick between her lips she lit it up with a small katon jutsu and inhaled tentatively. After a small coughing fit she tried again, ignoring Asuma's chuckle.

“Good, good” bearded shinobi grinned. In an instant the grin vanished and was replaced by sheer fear “Please don't tell Kurenai!”

“ **♫** Blackmail material♫” Saeko sing-songed and took another drag.

* * *

**Takeji** **'s Bar**

Saeko entered the crowded place, looking for her most unlikely friend she had in Konoha. Anko wasn't hard to find, one just had to follow the noise.

“Finally! You owe me booze Uchiha!” the snake mistress bellowed when Saeko joined her at the table. Genma and Ebisu greeted her as well in a less perky fashion but were also adamant that the first round was on the brunette.

Saeko sighed and stood up again to head for the bar. Nodding to her colleagues and acquaintances as well as her clansmen on her way she bought Anko's favorite sake, being an awesome friend and all. She returned to the tokubetsu jounin with her offering.

“Aaah, I love this stuff from Kaminari no Kuni” Anko smacked her lips.

Genma took the bottle and poured the alcohol. He grinned devilishly “Me too, I sure missed you Saeko.”

Saeko laughed “You know next round is on you, right?”

The senbon chewing ninja pouted. Ebisu fiddled with his glasses “Sounds fair. Saeko-san did just return from a long solo mission and is departing again soon.”

“Yes, you should be totally paying for me as a welcome back, not the other way around” the witch took her glass triumphantly.

The purple-haired kunoichi just scoffed “Pff, you are loaded Uchiha, you can afford it.”

“Doesn't mean that I should” Saeko countered and raised her glass, “Any idea for a toast? By the way where is Raidō?”

“On a mission. Sooo, to Konoha?” Gemna proposed.

Ebisu shrugged while Anko seemed to disagree “Nah, to the Uchiha brat, may she return safely again.”

“Aww, you do care” the raven summoner chuckled.

“As long as you know that you _are_ a brat” the purplette smirked, “To the brat!”

“To the brat!” Genma echoed loudly as he evaded Saeko's elbow to his gut.

The bespectacled jounin looked at his friend disapprovingly and just raised his glass at Saeko and drank quietly.

Saeko took a dainty sip from her glass and said good-naturedly “It's brat-sama to you. Being full jounin and all.”

“Bah” Anko rolled her eyes, “So, still can't tell me what this mission you do is about?”

“Nope. So what's new in Konoha?” Saeko asked eagerly. Ino did help her catch up on the gossip while she was on mission with Team 10 but Anko _knew_ stuff.

As the group conversed Saeko couldn't help but notice that she really missed this, talking with other ninja, people who understood this life. Even during their most light-hearted conversation – Ebisu ranting about Konohamaru and cursing Naruto's influence – some kind of edge was still present.

Sometime during the evening Takahiro entered the bar. Saeko immediately snagged him and asked if Yuuko was around since Anko did not know.

“She's doing some kind of Yamanaka camping” the doton user answered.

“Camping? Saeko asked, bewildered.

Takahiro shrugged “I don't really know. All I know she is out of Konoha with some other Yamanaka, doing mental stuff.”

“Oh, pity” Saeko nodded her acknowledgement.

The muscled teen smirked “You can bang her when she comes back.”

The Uchiha just rolled her eyes. Takahiro took his beer and said “I'm here with friends, you wanna join?”

“I'm as well. See ya around then. Oh, and your new goatee? Please do shave.”

X

**Saeko** **'s Room**

“Little sister?” Itachi called after knocking.

Saeko jerked up “Whaa-?”

“Little sister?” the Clan Head repeated with a hint of worry.

The girl groaned, clutching her head in pain. With as little movement as possible she grasped the glass of water she had nearby.

Itachi finally entered the room unprompted. One look at his sister he sighed in exasperation and averted his eyes “Ah, I wondered why you didn't show up at our training.”

“Uugh, hangover. Speak quietly” the girl whispered.

“Hm, I could get here Maito Gai for training” Itachi uncharacteristically grinned.

The Ravenclaw looked at her brother utterly horrified “You sure you are not T&I?”

“What, not youthful enough?” the shinobi teased.

“Definitely not” Saeko said while cringing in pain.

Itachi smiled benevolently “I'll get you some painkillers. You rest up. But I fully expect you for training before dinner. And I sincerely hope this will not be a recurring event.”

“No, I'm not drinking ever again” Saeko whined.

The ANBU chuckled “I'm sure.” With that sarcastic comment Itachi left.

Saeko finished her water and stood up to get some more. Her head spun around and she quickly crawled to her bathroom where she proceeded to puke her guts out.

_“I hate Anko. And sake. But mainly Anko. And her stupid drinking games.”_

* * *

**Hokage** **'s Office**

“Hokage-sama summons you for a mission” said a masked ANBU as soon as Saeko opened the doors.

The girl nodded and immediately went to retrieve her mission kit. Leaving a note for her brother she ran to the Tower via rooftops. Once she was outside Sarutobi's office she was immediately let in.

“Uchiha-kun, good. Now that the team is complete I'll brief you” the elder began. Saeko stood at attention while looking at her soon-to-be teammates. One other jounin, one tokubetsu jounin and five chuunin. This meant something big.

“Jiraiya-kun sent word about an abandoned Orochimaru lab in the Land of Vegetables. We don't know what happened but there should be no to minimal resistance. You are to retrieve anything useful my old student might've left behind and then destroy the facility. This is an A-rank, jounin Mimura is in charge with jounin Uchiha as your second. Any questions?”

“What if we run into Orochimaru?” asked a male Hyuuga.

As always as the traitor came up in conversation Sarutobi sighed and closed his eyes “Jiraiya is sure Orochimaru is currently somewhere in Grass. Nonetheless if you do encounter him, jounin Uchiha will be the one to engage.”

The group nodded their assent. Saeko did as well but a small shiver of fear trickled down her back. Orochimaru was powerful, his S-rank well-earned, and it would be the first time fighting someone of his caliber if you discount Itachi. Though, she was confident that if everything failed the Mangekyō Sharingan would grant her victory.

Since there were no more questions the team made their way to the Konoha gates at top speed. Once there the captain, a bearded shinobi in his thirties, addressed them “I was informed that Orochimaru's base would be quite big but composed of mainly narrow spaces. We will be mostly fighting in close quarters. We will split up to cover more ground once inside – Uchiha, you will be taking Hyuuga Sayuri, Nara Fumie and Uchida Shin.”

Saeko looked at her team – why a Hyuuga was obvious. It was confirmed when the pale-eyed woman introduced herself as a taijutsu specialist and scout. The Nara will be useful as well since the base will probably flooded with shadows. The only man under her command was heavily scarred and very buff with a slightly insane glint in his eyes. Uchida Shin specialized in traps, shinobi tools and explosives. He will be the one to bring the base down when the Konoha shinobi will be finished with it.

The second team was composed by Mimura Hamaki , a tantō user like Saeko with several tricks up his sleeves, another Hyuuga who doubled as the team's medic, a Kurama genjutsu specialist and Uchida Fumiaki - Shin's younger brother.

The brunette nodded and introduced herself as well. By the way the team behaved it was clear they all worked together at some point. Saeko thought she was added as a failsafe against Orochimaru or anyone else who would require a heavy hitter. Her hypothesis was validated by the fact that all other members specialized mainly in close range while the Uchiha preferred burning infernos that would be discouraged in tight spaces like those they were about to enter.

X

**Land of Vegetables**

The information they got from Jiraiya seemed good so far. The base was just like described so Saeko readied her tantō and wand but also ready to cast a genjutsu at a moment's notice with her sharingan.

“I have some chakra signatures but nothing that would indicate Orochimaru” said the Hyuuga. Saeko was relieved but also a bit disappointed – if she won and survived the encounter with the traitor her run for Hokage would be easier by far.

The resistance so far was minimal and swiftly taken care of. Saeko's team made their way to what seemed a laboratory. It was dimly lit, someone was clearly still around.

“Look around for anything useful but don't let your guard down” the Uchiha instructed.

The team merely nodded and split up to look through the papers that were left behind. Saeko did not join them, she waited for their enemy to show up. It was not probable she would be so lucky as to capture a scientist – the base was abandoned with just some of Orochimaru's failed experiments lurking in the shadows.

After sealing off some objects of interest they moved to another room. As the team entered they found approximately four bodies all chopped up. But none of them were human. The parts were weirdly shaped and colored, one head had distinct horns for example.

“Someone is here. My orders stand” the brunette said quietly.

Half-way through the new paperwork the Hyuuga chuunin alerted “Incoming. One strange signature, quite large.”

Saeko’s eyes immediately turned red and soon she could hear a cocky voice said from the other end of the room “I want those papers.”

“Oh? Why do you need them?” Saeko asked amiably.

The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadow. He was a pale blue haired teenager with pointy teeth like the Kiri ninja favored but he had no headband. _“A missing nin perhaps? Or one of Orichimaru's pets.”_

“Konoha ninja, huh? I guess I can't persuade you to leave the papers” the teenager murmured and turned to flee.

“Keep on looking through stuff, I'll pursue” Saeko said and ran after her target.

She didn't have to go far, the teenager was obviously intent on taking them all out, preferably one by one. Saeko was quick and slashed him with her tantō. The pale boy liquefied under her strike.

“Ah, ah, ah, that was just rude” the boy chided her with a smirk on his face.

Saeko indulged the talkative teen “Hōzuki clan, huh? Kidnapped by Orochimaru? Surrender and maybe we can find the answers you seek.”

“No dice. I'll just chop you all up and I'll find them myself” the shinobi showed his shark-like teeth.

The Uchiha didn't answer and quickly cast the first lightening spell that came to her mind, knowing the Hōzuki clan's weakness.

He barely evaded, surprised by the velocity of Saeko's reaction. She immediately followed with an illusion but it was her turn to be surprised at how quickly the boy shook it off.

“ _Suiton: Mizudeppō_!” the shinobi said as water concentrated on his fingertips.

Saeko danced between the water bullets with ease but before she could get close to her opponent the Hōzuki jumped back and tore a heavy pipe from the wall nearby. It must've been very heavy since he used a clan technique Saeko remembered hearing from Fugaku once upon a time, a technique that increased a Hōzuki's strength and enlarged limbs.

The Uchiha would've rolled her eyes if this were just a spar. Instead she stomped heavily and initiated a small localized earthquake. The man lost his balance for a few moments but that was all Saeko needed. She thrust her hand into her semi-liquid opponent “ _Raiton: Jibashi!_ ”

Despite the horrendous scrams that would make civilians cringe she liked this technique, it was quite a pretty sight with all the lightning bolts and all. Her opponent's watery body made it all the more efficient. When she stopped the technique the Hōzuki dropped down in a jello-like heap.

Saeko contemplated using a powerful fire to evaporate the shinobi but she guessed Konoha's T&I would have some questions. As if called the rest of her team entered the room. The Uchiha looked at Uchida “Be a dear and seal this goo. Maybe in a jar or something.”

Her team was quick and efficient and soon cleared the whole north side of the facility.

“Report” Mimura Hamaki ordered, his team already outside.

The Uchiha nodded “We had some run-ins with weirdly shaped subjects, collected some paperwork but I don't have high hopes and we have a prisoner that was coherent enough to know something.”

The second jounin hummed “Same as us then, minus the prisoner part. Where do you have him?”

“He was a Hōzuki or an Orochimaru experiment that replicated the bloodline so we have him sealed” Saeko replied.

Mimura was surprised “Intriguing. We also encountered some ninja with Oto headband, normal troops, not those monsters. They appeared to be looking for something.”

“Maybe the Hōzuki? He seemed to be a valuable experiment contrary to the rest of the things we found on the base” Nara Fumie mused.

Both jounin nodded. The man smiled tightly ”That seems possible.”

After a beat of silence Uchida Fumiaki chuckled “If there is nothing else me and bro can blow this place up.”

The bearded jounin looked around, seeing his team had no objection he nodded at the Uchida brothers. Both Shin and Fumiaki grinned and said simultaneously “Booom!”

…

**_BOOOOOM_ **

…

The explosion was quite spectacular, the demolition specialist really went all out.

“Well, one thing is sure, Orochimaru is not coming back here” the Kurama smirked.

The Uchida bothers grinned. “We only followed orders” Shin remarked.

“Our work here is done” said the captain, “Let's go home.”

“Hai, taichō!”

 

* * *

**Omake**

Shizune finished reading another scroll her shishou had received from Konoha “Tsunade-sama, this is remarkable! If you don't want to return to the village we could at least send a slug – I have many question and I'm sure you do too.”

The busty sannin just waved her hand in dismissal “That can wait, I can figure it out myself. Now, I'm going to the bar for a refill.”

“Tsunade-sama! You already had enough!” said the brunette with a frown.

The blonde just shrugged and went for the door. Shizune sighed “Just don't gamble please, the samurai in Tetsu no Kuni are even less forgiving than ninja.”

“Bah” Tsunade said and stepped outside onto the snow.

X

It was very late when the dedicated apprentice decided to check up on her master. She found Tsunade not far from their hotel, the blonde was obviously returning home from having imbibed at the local bar.

“Tsunade-sama!” Shizune exclaimed in worry. The sannin lay on her back on the snow, seemingly unconscious.

A groan could be heard from the downed kunoichi “The fuck happened?”

The brunette helped her teacher back on her feet “Maybe you just had too much to drink. Oh, no never mind, something hit you.”

“The fuck” Tsunade repeated.

“Shizune peered closer at the mark on her master's forehead “It looks like a hoof.”

“What?!”


	39. 3- 39 New Habits

The train station was still mostly empty. Saeko was not surprised - she had arrived two hours before the scheduled departure after all. She made her way to the only café on the platform, right next to a small shop and the conductor's office. Deciding to be adventurous she ordered the most expensive green tea on the menu.

The waitress was very pretty and young, the Uchiha vaguely remembered seeing her at Hogwarts not long ago. But even that fact did not make it up for the quality of the supposed tea. “ _Helena would shit a brick at one whiff_ ” Saeko thought with a chuckle but thanked the older girl nonetheless.

“Can I get you anything else?” the waitress asked with a smile.

“No, thank you” the brunette replied in kind.

Once the older girl left Saeko took out her new purchase. Since her mission with Asuma and his team she took up his nasty hab.., _ergm, fūton exercise_. Not liking how cigarettes made her hand smell she decided on buying a pipe. Not copying Hokage-sama hers was long and sleek, a small bowl of metal, a stem of bamboo, and a mouthpiece of glass. Much more lady-lake, she thought.

The departure getting closer the number of people on the platform increased exponentially, making people-watching more enjoyable. Saeko was studying a balding parent that reminded her heavily of Fugaku when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Graham with a light backpack strolling leisurely along the platform. Saeko let out a sharp whistle.

Graham turned and smiled when he saw this friend ignoring the frowns of other passerby. Sitting beside the brunette he sing-songed “Hey, Saaa-eko!”

Saeko inclined her head “Good mood today?”

“Yep” the boy replied, popping the p.

“Any special reason?” the Uchiha asked.

“Meh,” Graham shrugged, “not really. It's just a nice sunny day, I got awesome presents, there were no family arguments and so on. Hey, since when do you smoke?”

The scarred kunoichi let out a perfect smoke circle “Obviously since the holidays.”

“Smartass” the boy rolled his eyes but also a grin, “It looks wicked.”

Saeko hummed “It's bad for you, don't even think about it.”

Graham pouted “That's hypocritical.”

“Never said it wasn't. Man, my brother was pissed.” _Poor Asuma, between Itachi and Kurenai… I so owe him. But hey, it_ was _his idea in the first place_ ' Saeko thought.

The boy gulped, clearly envisioning someone's reaction. Finally he cleared his throat “Grams would kill me.”

Saeko chuckled.

Without prompting Graham began telling her about his _wonderful holidays_ while the ninja sipped the sub-par tea. She was not really that interested so she continued her people-watching while nodding at the appropriate times, just like she did during the Clan Council meetings during some of the more winded speeches.

She resurfaced from her thoughts when Graham began almost hopping on his seat while talking about homework. Homework! The thing the boy, according to him, loathed the most in the world.

“I didn't know the muggles could travel underwater, it's so awesome!” the pureblood said with huge grin. Despite griping about Muggle Studies he sure was excited about his homework about muggle transport.

“How did you choose these… submarines, anyway?” Saeko asked.

Graham couldn't stop smiling “My uncle's wife is muggleborn. I was complaining about the assignment and she suggested this. Did you know that muggles have means to reach the moon?”

“Cool” the ninja said, impressed.

“Actually, speaking of my uncle he gave me something you could be interested in” Graham said mysteriously with a sly grin.

Saeko arched her eyebrow “Hoo? What is it?”

“Not here. But it's the last edition of Playwizard, a Christmas special. With additional pages!” the boy said lecherously.

The kunoichi laughed, Graham was never subtle about his interests “I'm looking forward to it.” Graham grinned and practically hopped. Saeko just shook her head with a smile.

“Hey, is that Daniel over there?” the ninja pointed to the gate.

“DANIEL!!!!!” Graham shouted for all the platform to hear.

Saeko sighed “Kami, what an idiot.”

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko unpacked the few things she took to Konoha with her, mainly books and scroll that might land her in trouble if someone got the hand on them. Once done she made her way back to the Common Room, leaving her roommate behind to play with her guitar.

Hands in her pockets the Uchiha descended the stairs and looked around for someone to bother, most of her friends were in their rooms or doing their own things. The ninja spotted Geoffrey besieged by books and decided against bugging him. Instead she smiled as she spotted a familial blonde reading a book.

“Missed me Jamie?” Saeko asked.

The chaser looked up and smirked “Oh, I never noticed you went away.”

“You wound me” Saeko chuckled.

“How were your holidays?” Jamie asked while putting a bookmark in her book and closing it.

Saeko shrugged “Not bad. We actually celebrate neither Yule nor Christmas so it was just going home for a bit, nothing special.”

“Oh, I didn't know that. That said I did stay here so not much difference” Jamie nodded.

“Something exciting happened while I was away?” Saeko asked for gossip.

Jamie shook her head “It was pretty quiet.”

“Oh, pity” the ninja sighed.

“Well, if you really want something, I guess I could tell you that a sixth-year Gryff asked me out” Jamie said with a slight smile, obviously pleased.

Saeko perked up “Really? Who? When? How? What did you say?”

The Captain grinned “Adrien Kessler, two days ago, we began talking during Christmas, I said why not.”

“He's a Gryff in your year, is he not?” Saeko asked. At Jamie's nod the ninja hummed “He looks like a decent bloke. Handsome too, I guess. Good catch.”

The platinum blonde just smiled.

“Uh uh, you are so telling me more” Saeko said sternly.

“Maybe when there is something more to say” the chaser replied.

Saeko nodded, accepting her answer, for now anyway. _“I'm certain Jared and Frost will help me with a little background check. Just to be sure”_ she thought while concealing a smirk. Jamie was a good friend after all.

Jamie smiled appreciatively “Good, now quidditch. Next week we resume our training. January will be mainly PT and strategy but we'll fly as well.”

“Alright” the Uchiha nodded. Looking out of the window she suddenly changed the subject “What time it is?”

“Dunno, use your wand. Why? Do you have someplace to be?” the blonde shrugged.

Saeko cast the tempus charm “Hmm, I'm meeting Faith in a bit. She is already pissed I haven't met her in the train or immediately after dinner.”

Jamie arched her eyebrow “Why didn't you?”

The brunette shrugged “I was with the guys and so was she. I'm meeting her one-on-one now, that's much better, no?”

“If you say so. And why not meeting her after dinner?”

“I wanted to unpack, I had some sensitive stuff in my luggage. And I sent her a raven about it” Saeko answered with another shrug.

The blonde shook her head “No wonder she's pissed, that was quite insensitive.”

Saeko frowned “It was logical and practical.”

Jamie chuckled “Ooh, I read this book, I know how that ends.”

“From that comment I take it I have to apologize” the scarred teen commented with a roll of her eyes.

“Yep.”

“I don't really get why” Saeko frowned.

The chaser sighed “Did you at least get her a good present?”

“Sure, an awesome one” the Uchiha replied confidently, “That said I need to go.”

“Good lu-uck!” Jamie sing-songed.

Saeko just waved and went back into her room to fetch the aforementioned present. As always she didn't send anything during her stay in Konoha, she wouldn't have her summons dimension travel for such a trivial reason.

One look at herself in the mirror and a quick bye to Ash who was still fiddling with her guitar she went to her and her girlfriend's usual spot.

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Aaaah, coffee” Ashley practically moaned as she brought her mug to her lips.

Helena looked up from her breakfast to look at the small brunette “That's new, you always had tea. Now that I think about it I didn't even know Hogwarts even served coffee.”

“It's the nectar of the gods” Ashley said with her eyes closed, still savoring the dark beverage.

Peter chuckled “It's my Gram's fault, she's practically addicted to that stuff, everybody else drinks tea. We stayed there only a few days but somehow Ash got corrupted in her wicked non-English ways.”

“I can't believe something this good was kept from me” Ashley mumbled.

Saeko grinned, Ash was being soo adorable “Your grandmother in not English?”

“Nope, a Salem witch born and bred” the boy explained.

“So you're a quarter yank” Caitlin smirked. Peter just rolled his eyes in reply.

When the discussion turned to muggle music, Ash and Paddy being the most active in it, Saeko turned to Helena to discuss the potions essay about the antidotes for uncommon poisons that had to write over the holidays. It was by far the most difficult homework Snape had given. Both Ravens had to read plenty ahead to even hope for a good mark.

Once the group finished eating they slowly made their way to the DADA classroom. Graham sighed “Marlin I hope we don't have to duel today, I ate far too much.”

“Yeah, that's so not gonna happen” Caitlin smirked, “If you puke it's your own fault, you shouldn't eat like a pig.”

“I concur” Helena said with a frown, “Do keep your distance from me if you feel like vomiting.”

Ashley frowned as well “That's disgusting, could we please stop talking about it. And Graham is going to be fine, right?”

“Of course” the boy in question said without much conviction.

Saeko chimed in “I've been telling you about the horror that is English breakfast for three years already. Kami, who in his sane mind would eat beans with tomato sauce on a toast so early in the day.”

The Brits just shrugged, the Konoha nin griping about their eating habits was nothing new and all of them had learned to ignore her.

As the Ravens entered the classroom dedicated to Defense against the Dark Arts they found Miss McKenna already there. As always she was dressed purely in black dueling armor that Saeko couldn't help but appreciate.

When the bell rang the teacher addressed the class “Since this is the first lesson after the Yule break we will see how much you remember from last term. During your duels you are permitted to any spells, any strategy you wish with only the usual restrictions. Are you all ready?”

The class murmured their assent. The red-headed professor nodded with a small smirk that usually meant nothing good will be happening. “Ok. First up Daniel Fairbanks versus Margery Taylor.”

Daniel and the Hufflepuff girl drew their wands and went up the little stage in the front of the classroom. The two combatants gave their opponent a small bow and as soon as the Scottish teacher said “Go!” they sprung into action.

The duel didn't last long. Since Daniel was thinking about becoming an auror in the future he had a distinctive advantage and quickly overpowered the Puff. The Ravenclaw had no problem moving around while his opponent stayed stationary for the most part of the fight, relying on a surprisingly advanced shielding charms. Good defense or not, Daniel was declared the winner.

Deirdre nodded at both of them and called for another duo “Archibald the III. Connoly versus Aaron Sadiq.” Most of the student had to suppress a small laugh, the teacher always relished in saying the pureblood's full name despite how ridiculous it sounded.

Aaron proved his position as the number 2 in their year and completely destroyed his opponent.

The next two duels went to Hufflepuff's favor but then Helena reclaimed victory for the House of the Witted. It was a bit unusual that Miss McKenna pitted the two Houses against each other, usually preferring to match skills not minding the student's allegiance.

“Saeko Uchiha versus Chloe Siler” was the next duo to be called.

The kunoichi summoned her wand and with a confident smirk she swaggered onto the stage. The petite Hufflepuff followed with a determined expression. The two teens bowed to each other and waited for the signal.

“Go!”

Saeko let her opponent make the first move, to let her show off her skill before the ninja's unavoidable victory.

“ _Incendio_ ”, “ _Tarantallegra_ ”, “ _Expelliarmus_ ” Chloe casted in quick succession, making hard to evade them. For normal people that is, not to ninja.

The Uchiha blocked the next charm heading her way, the tickling charm, with a simple shield charm. Deciding to finally attack Saeko sped up so she could catch the other girl on her unprotected side and cast “ _Obscuro_.”

Immediately a thick black blindfold appeared over Chloe's eyes. Not letting up Saeko used the _confundus_ charm that hit her opponent right in the chest.

The coup de grace was the _incarcerous_ spell that bound the defeated Hufflepuff in rope. This was one spell that she had modified for fun when she was bored one day in Ravenclaw Tower and thought about her friend Anko. Saeko nicknamed the charm 'Shibari'.

The end result was quite scandalous. “Yield!” she ordered.

Before the downed girl or the teacher could react to the Uchiha's victory Helena burst into laughter. Saeko flashed a grin into the blonde's direction.

Seeing as Chloe Siler was too _confused_ to surrender Miss McKenna ended the fight and lifted the charms off the Hufflepuff.

Saeko went back to her friends, mainly Helena who was now chocking on her laughter and couldn't stop.

The rest of the lesson went on in a fairly regular manner, the Ravenclaws being the overall winners of the duels thus getting thirty points for their House.

When the students were finally let out they began to discuss their respective fights. Naturally Helena immediately complimented the 'rope bondage' that the Uchiha prodigy inflicted on her opponent.

“Yeah, what was that about” Ash said in a mildly disapproving tone.

Graham grinned “It was awesome. I even saw Deirdre smirk.”

“It was just a silly joke” Saeko replied with a full blown grin.

“Maybe you should apologize to Siler” Ashley proposed.

Saeko looked around, not seeing the girl anywhere “Do you know where she went?”

Peter shook his head “No. I saw her go scarlet and flee with some other girls.”

“Aw, I didn't mean to be mean. I'll send her a raven” the kunoichi sighed.

Helena who was still smiling shrugged “It could've been worse. I wouldn't worry too much about it.”

“Yeah, it missed the riding crop” Graham chimed in with his usual broad grin.

Deciding to go with the joke Saeko drew her wand once more and conjured a whip. As the group laughed Helena commented “At least it wasn't a ball-gag.”

“A what?” Ashley asked.

“Nevermind”

* * *

**Library**

Saeko strolled into the Hogwarts library, intent on trolling for some spell books with an interesting title. Once she had found out a tome called 'Credibility of Crazy Crocheting Crickets' that despite its ghastly name contained quite a few amazing potion formulas that meant to confuse the senses. Saeko did wonder why it was not restricted since some potions were obviously narcotic and hallucinogenic.

Not far from the entrance the ninja spotted two of Faith's friends. Since they noticed her too she made her way towards them “Afternoon Abby, Serena.”

Both Hufflepuff greeted her as well. “Is Faith around?” the ninja asked.

“No, she's with Sofia working on a Herbology assignment back in our Common Room” the petite blonde replied.

“Oh, pity” Saeko said, “I'll leave you to it then.”

Abby stopped her “Hey, can I ask you something?”

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Sure.”

“Are you really into that stuff?” the dark-haired witch continued.

“Stuff? Elaborate” the scarred teen prompted.

Abby subtly looked around while Serena just rolled her eyes “She means BDSM.”

Saeko looked at the duo in surprise that quickly morphed into understanding. She chuckled “No, not really. Never tried it though.”

Both Puffs nodded. The blonde continued “Just so you know some rumors began floating around after your performance in DADA the other day.”

“I saw Faith yesterday evening and I told her about it, it was a good joke. She said nothing about it. Does it bother her?” Saeko said worriedly. In hindsight that stunt wasn't the best idea she had.

Abby shook her head “No, she was alright with it. The only thing that seems to bug her is that people think she is the submissive.”

Saeko let out a loud laugh that couldn't seem to stop. Finally she wiped her eyes and said “That's my girl.”

The Hufflepuffs just shook their head. Despite their clear disapproval they seemed to be relieved their friend was not a pet in some bondage game.

Her mood much improved Saeko excused herself and went on with her scavenging mission, making note to send a raven to her wonderful girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: for the image of the pipe just google 'Chinese pipe'  
> AN2: Smoking's bad, just so you know :-)


	40. 3- 40 Need to Know

**Flitwick** **'s Office**

Saeko knocked on her Head of House's office door. She as all her classmates received a summons much like their first year at Hogwarts.

“Come in!”

The kunoichi promptly entered and smiled at her favorite professor excluding Deirdre. The diminutive wizard smiled as well “Do sit down miss Uchiha. Tea? I even have biscuits.”

“That would be lovely” Saeko said while sitting down on the provided plush chair.

True to his word professor Flitwick put tray with tea and tasty looking snacks in front of the brunette who thanked him and immediately took one.

“So” the Charms Master began, “How are you Electives going? Are they what you expected?”

Saeko replied when she finished chewing “Both Care and Runes are very good, I'm very satisfied.”

“Mr. Sadiq inquired about adding another elective to his curriculum” Flitwick trailed out.

“As I said, I'm satisfied. At least from the possible electives” the brunette declined.

“What would you add?”

Saeko thought for a moment “Hmm, perhaps dueling.”

Flitwick smiled broadly “Ah, yes. Miss McKenna was very complementary with the assessment of your abilities. If circumstances were different I would recommend a career in dueling.”

“If I were not to return home upon the completion of my Hogwarts year I might consider it. Alas I have other responsibilities” the jounin smiled at the compliment.

“I understand. Normally during this meeting I also discuss possible career options with my Ravens but you were quite adamant you already have a path chosen” the part goblin prompted.

Saeko inclined her head slightly “Indeed”

“Politics was it?”

“Ultimately yes.”

Flitwick nodded “Any concerns or suggestions you might have? About the staff, your housing, classes?”

The brunette shook her head “I can't think of any. Perhaps only speeding up some lessons - most of Ravenclaw are quite ahead and it shows. But I understand how that would be difficult.”

“Indeed” the charms master chuckled, "This is the most common concern among my students. I confess I like to boast about that during staff meetings.”

“As you should" Saeko smirked.

Both shared a short laugh. "Lately I have more to boast about it seems" the part-goblin said and glanced at the quidditch trophy that sat next to the House Cup that Ravenclaw won just last year.

The Uchiha beamed "We will try our very best to enable you to do the same next year.”

Flitwick smiled “Is there anything else that you would like to speak about?”

“No sir” Saeko replied and stood, waited to be dismissed.

“Have a nice evening then. And keep up with the good work, it looks like you are well on your way in being number 1 again this year” said the professor with a hint of pride for his student.

Saeko smirked and nodded in thanks. Of course she would be number 1 again, she was an Uchiha.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko sat behind a table in the Ravenclaw Common Room in the _Gendo pose_ eyeing the two older-years before her. Jared and Frost shifted on their seats, uncomfortable under the Uchiha's gaze.

Finally the brunette spoke “You both know why you're here. We have a mission, it's an investigative and stealth mission of great importance. Will you accept it?”

“Yes”, “Aye” were the replies.

The Uchiha nodded “Out target is called Adrian Kessler, sixth-year Gryffindor. Are you familiar with him?”

“Yes”, “Aye.”

“Excellent. As you well know the target wishes to date our Jamie. Before we allow this he must be thoroughly vetted and approved” Saeko announced and both boys nodded. This was a serious matter after all.

Jared suppressed a smirk and asked “What is our battle plan Commander?”

“The plan has two phases. In the first phase we collect information from indirect sources such as the Hogwarts gossip queens and kings, Kessler's year mates and our spies in Gryffindor” the Uchiha began.

“We have spies in Gryffindor?” Frost asked eagerly.

“Not yet,” Saeko admitted, “Phase two will begin when I feel we have enough information about the target's character. Stage two is 'The Confrontation'.”

“Ooooh” Jared exclaimed theatrically. With this the atmosphere was broken and all three quidditch players dissolved into loud laughter.

Only when Geoffrey sent a glare their way and shushed sternly they calmed down. Frost was the first to recover “In all seriousness what do we know about that guy?”

“Shouldn't you know something, being in his year and all?” Jared probed.

Frost frowned “I think, think mind you, that he tried out for keeper but Wood was better.”

Saeko nodded “What else?”

The two boys shook their head. The ninja sighed “The mission stands then. I'll ask Angela and Caitlin, those two seem to be always well informed.”

“I could ask Juliet, Jamie's best friend, but that would be a bit suspicious” Frost mused.

“No, that's a good idea. We are just concerned friends after all. Do it” Saeko ordered with a smile. The seeker did mock salute.

Jared tapped his chin in thought “Hey, why we don't get Rory, Wayne and Cameron involved?”

“Too crazy” the brunette snorted.

“Saeko's right, those three don't know when to stop” Frost nodded.

After a beat of silence the trio smirked and stood up as one. Saeko took command once more “Meeting adjourned then. Remember, the day after tomorrow before dinner we share our findings.”

“Yes Commander”, “Aye Commander.”

“Dismissed” Saeko said resolutely.

The trio finally burst into laughter once more and went to do their assigned tasks.

X

**Thursday (aka two days later)**

“So?” Saeko prompted when her fellow quidditch players said nothing.

The two boys shared a look and Frost reluctantly started “Juliet thinks I want to date Jamie and that I'm jealous of Kessler.”

Jared chuckled while the Uchiha managed not to let her amusement show. Frost made a face but dutifully continued “Other than that I found out that he indeed tried for keeper, that he's an average student but with particularly high marks in Care for Magical Creatures. He's half-blood and all in all a very upstanding guy. The people I talked to say he's really reliable, friendly and kind. The word chivalrous came up more than once.”

“Hm. You Jared?” the ninja turned to the beater.

“Well, I found out pretty much the same. No scandals, he's very liked both in his House and outside. Even the Slytherins have nothing much against him” Jared reported.

Saeko rolled her eyes “He sounds kinda boring. But also harmless I guess.”

Both boys nodded, he did seem a bit dull. The seeker spoke up “What did you find?”

“That he's very handsome and plenty of the girls, in particular the younger Gryffindors, are displeased he's not single any more” Saeko said with a shrug.

All three of them sat in silence for a while, processing the information. Finally Jared summed it up “Soo I guess he's alright?”

“Seems to be” Frost agreed.

“She could definitely do better but yeah” Saeko nodded.

Jared smiled “So we approve. Until he screws up that is.”

“Hai” “We do.”

Before more could be said a Jamie's voice said cheerfully “Hey, guys, what are you doing?”

“NOTHING!” the trio said and snapped at attention.

The blonde just frowned “Hm.”

Saeko put her most charming smile on and asked “Are you going running taichō?”

“Just returned” the blonde said while pouring herself a glass of water from a nearby pitcher.

Saeko, Jared and Frost sighed in relief when their Captain began talking about the schedule for the next few trainings.

_Distraction success!_

* * *

**Summoner** **'** **s Realm**

The caws of her summons greeted Saeko as she appeared in a poof of smoke. The girl smiled and waved at the ravens nearby. She looked around and made note that nothing seemed out of order even if last time she was there she and her brother had an epic spar. A fight might even be considered a better term for it. The terms had been no genjutsu, no spells and naturally no summoning. The memory immediately brought a large grin on her face. It was such a _rush_! At the end of the spar both Uchiha were completely drained, a feat neither managed in a long time. The victor could not be disconcerted since both of them held back their most powerful techniques –for respect of the land of ravens and to not accidentally kill each other.

Saeko was extremely satisfied with the result even if it landed her in the infirmary in the tender care of Madame Pomfrey.

****

**_*Flashback*_ **

_The injured girl was glad the reverse summoning had her appear right in front of her bed in Ravenclaw Tower on which she immediately let herself fall on. She ignored the pain that manifested all over her body and closed her eyes, intent to let sleep claim her._

_She was half out of it when the Uchiha heard a worried gasp “Saeko! Oh my god, what happened!”_

_Saeko opened one eye and replied tiredly “Training.”_

_“If anyone else said this I would scoff and demand the truth” Ash shook her head, even if her eyes betrayed her worry, “We have to get you to Pomfrey. You look like you took one hell of a beating.”_

_“You should_ _'ve seen the other guy” Saeko chuckled despite the pain that it caused her. It was true too – Itachi did not fare much better when the spar ended. To Saeko's great satisfaction she managed to punch her brother right in the eye among other things, quite an insult to a dojutsu user. “_ Oh yeah, that bruise will be most delightful _” the brunette thought with pride._

_Ashley merely shook her head “Idiot. I_ _'m serious about the infirmary.”_

_The kunoichi sighed but acquiesced “Probably a good idea.”_

_“I just talked with Peter downstairs, the two of us together could help you get there” the Brit planned with a frown._

_Saeko stood up but not without difficulty “_ Probably some cracked ribs _” she thought as the perfect Uchiha poker face concealed a wince. Out loud she said “No need, I can walk myself there just fine.”_

_Ashley went to protest but Saeko_ _'_ _s glare made her sigh instead “No Peter then. But I_ _'m going.”_

_Thinking it was a good compromise the brunette nodded. Pausing at the door Saeko had an idea that would prevent any questions that might be thrown her way. “Ash, I'm going to weave a small illusion_ _that will make me appear completely fine. I'll drop it once I'm in the infirmary” Saeko shared with a tone that bore no argument and used a_ henge _._

_Neither girl spoke as they made their way to the Hogwarts infirmary. Out of the corner of her eye Saeko noted the worried glances of her friend. Ashley also walked half a step behind her as to catch her if she were to fall. It made Saeko smile._

_Once the duo entered the feared nurse_ _'s domain Saeko dropped the_ henge _._

_Madame Pomfrey immediately appeared in front of the Uchiha with a stern expression and quickly surveyed her. The elder looked at Ashley as well but as she was uninjured she returned her gaze to the kunoichi and ordered “On the bed.”_

_Saeko obeyed and sat down on the white sheets. The nurse drew her wand for presumably a diagnostic charm “What happened?”_

_“A scuffle with my brother” the Uchiha deadpanned._

_The nurse looked into the obsidian eye but said nothing. Everybody knew there was only one Uchiha currently at Hogwarts._

_“So what_ _'s the verdict doc?” Saeko asked._

_As the brunette expected it were the common spar injuries - a_ _minor burn on her calf from a rookie mistake, some small cuts from when Itachi managed to sneak a shadow clone on her to throw some shuriken and sore throat from firing katon and fūton jutsu. The worst injury were the aforementioned cracked ribs, three to be exact. Oh and the exhaustion from the chakra drain and the physical strain._

_Madame Pomfrey managed to fix everything quite quickly but ordered the brunette to stay in the infirmary in bed for at least an hour to let her ribs settle. Saeko saw no point in arguing, she was quite tired after all. As she thanked Ashley who decided to return to the Tower she closed her eyes to get some sleep._

**_*Flashback End*_ **

 

The plan for today's stay in the summoner's realm was quite different. Saeko intended to try out a curse if she found a willing target. She grinned as she spotted Styrke, her favorite combat summon, and waved enthusiastically “Hey buddy, would you mind helping me with something?”

“Sure” the big raven replied and landed on a nearby branch.

Since procuring a rather dark old text concerning the now called _unforgivable curses_ she was itching of trying the _Imperio_. To be honest she did not expect to actually use much the other two curses – _Crucio_ was practically useless since her prisoners went to the T &I and she was never one to cause pain just for kicks. As for _Avada Kedavra_ , well, the text said something about degrading the soul and other dangers so why use it if you have plenty of jutsu and kunai.

_Imperio_ on the other hand was great. It was like a genjutsu that no one in the Elemental Nations would know. Just one flick of wand and her enemies could attack each other or her targets could just fire all their bodyguards and open a window. The down point though was that a strong will could resist its effect and she would qualify most ninja as strong-willed or at least stubborn. Still, it was worth learning.

That intent is the main ingredient. _Imperio_ was forbidden but not that particularly difficult – one just needed firm resolve and plenty of power. Saeko definitely had both.

It was not a surprise the raven managed to resist her first try. Saeko was reluctant of using much power on her loyal summon and friend. Once Styrke relayed the sensation of being under the influence of the _Imperius Curse_ Saeko instructed him not to resist her next try. Soon the black bird was doing cartwheels in the air and imitating chicken sounds.

Saeko smiled and cancelled the spell “Excellent. You still good buddy?”

“Yes, it's very unpleasant though” Styke replied.

The Uchiha nodded “I'm sorry. One last experiment and I leave you in peace?”

Styrke gave the avian equivalent of a shrug “Ok.”

“Thank you. Now I will cast it again just with more power. I want to know when you are still able to resist it and when or if the magic overpowers your will” Saeko explained.

The raven was definitely uncomfortable but agreed. Saeko pointed her wand on her target “ _Imperio_!”

Since her friend was still lucid she increased the power, then again and again. When finally Styrke obeyed her magical command and took flight Saeko sighed and cancelled the spell.

“Powerful” the raven mused as he landed again.

“It should be, I almost put everything in it. Then again you are a powerful summon with an iron will and a vast knowledge of genjutsu. Still, I expected less effort to be necessary. Now if I only could cast it on a civilian and then an average ninja for comparison” Saeko said with a frown. Pity Itachi hadn't brought her the text before the new semester – she could've used it during the Yule break. Now she would have to wait. “No matter, the experiment is over for now. Thank you very much Styrke.”

“It was no problem” said the summon and flew away.

After a brief deliberation Saeko unsealed her gunbai, her battle fan – she hasn't used it in a long time and it was something she wouldn't do at Hogwarts. Especially when she channeled wind through it. There were not many katas for this specific weapon but the Uchiha designed some exercises for it herself.

She continued swinging the weapon Madara was known for till it was time to return to Hogwarts.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

Saeko was sporting a huge grin as she stepped though the passageway that the Eagle Guardian revealed upon her correct answer to the riddle. It was already pretty late so she wasn't surprised the Common Room was mostly deserted. One of the night owls was Daniel who was staring emptily into space looking disturbed.

Being curious and a little worried Saeko made her was towards her friend “Isn't past your bed time Danny?”

The bespectacled boy jerked back into awareness “Oh, hey.”

“Are you alright?” the Uchiha frowned.

“Yeah, sure” the boy replied while looking out of the window in surprise “I didn't notice it was so late already.”

The brunette eyed Daniel and said skeptically “Really.”

“Yeah” the boy chuckled, “I was finishing a book and the needing took me really by surprise. I guess I needed to digest it.”

Saeko laughed, relieved “That does sound like you. Was it one of your mystery novels? It wasn't the evil twin?”

“I think you have it confused with telenovelas” Daniel said with a grin.

“Really now,” Saeko trailed out, “Then the butler? It's always the butler.”

Daniel snorted in laughter “Nah, it actually was a sweet old lady that everybody loved. And that was not even the half of it! It was a truly splendid story.”

Saeko smiled at his enthusiasm “I noticed. I saw you Monday walking and eating with your nose in that book.”

“What can I say, I was eager to solve the case” Daniel shrugged with a smile.

The Uchiha grinned as well “You know, you reminded me of a colleague back home – Hatake Kakashi. He too can't be seen without a book in front of his face.”

The boy hummed “What does he read?”

“Porn” Saeko dead-panned.

“Wha-!” Daniel did a spit-take and began coughing as a result.

Saeko smirked “Well, erotica if we are being precise.”

When the Brit calmed down he said with a nearly invisible blush “Well, for your information I'm not reading that.”

The scarred kunoichi shrugged “To each its own. But so you know, Jiraiya-sama writes masterpieces.”

“You read smut” Daniel half-stated while his eyebrow shot up.

“Sure” Saeko said with a lewd grin, “I could get you a copy if you are interested, I know a handy translation spell.”

Daniel shook his head in vehement denial “Try Graham, that's right up his alley.”

“True” Saeko replied, her grin still in place.

After sitting a moment in silence Daniel stood up “Well, it's late. I'm heading to bed.”

“Hm, you are right. I'm actually quite tired” the ninja said as she stood as well.

“Been training again?” the boy asked barely suppressing a yawn.

“Nope, been meeting a lovely Hufflepuff.”

Daniel looked like he was itching to say something. Finally he blurted out “Better than the books?”

Saeko shot him a megawatt smile “Most definitely.”


	41. 3- 41 Keep Calm and...

 

Seeing it was raining quite heavily Saeko decided to forgo training for the day and stay indoors. Not really in the mood for company, neither human nor raven, she informed her friends she would stay in her room and not to be disturbed for the next few hours. Once in her room the kunoichi sat down on Ashley's rug with her legs crossed, her back straight, and closed her eyes.

There were many different methods to meditation. Some ninja focused on their chakra core, some channeled their chakra outwards, the Yamanaka and those in T&I focused on their mental defenses or mindscapes.

Saeko focused on her chakra as it roared thought its pathways and into her chakra core. To the girl her chakra always felt… blue. Magic on the other hand tended to stay in its core and shot out when a spell was used. How it related to potions or herbology Saeko had not yet discovered but to be honest she did not particularly care, it worked for ninja and that was enough for her. Now that Saeko had cultivated the magical energy it could be felt quite distinctively, it was like a slow burning silver fire in her chest.

Concentrating on her gut where her chakra core resided she followed the major pathways and channeled the energy to run faster and in larger quantities in different part of her body. During combat ninja did that on an almost instinctual level, it speeded them up, gave them more strength, protected the more frail parts of their body. Hyuuga and Uchiha learned to channel chakra through their eyes as soon as they were able.

Saeko liked to use chakra to enhance her hearing. In a combat situation it could be augmented only by a small margin but while meditating… The girl smiled slightly as she could hear Helena's roommate trying out the freezing charm, stubbornly repeating it over and over. The mild hum of her housemates that she could hear three floors down in the Common Room was quite relaxing. She could hear some other student somewhere upstairs playing a soft melody on a flute or something similar. Another was arguing with his older brother from the sound of it. Saeko could hear that and more, so much more, and all that was forming quite a symphony combined with the sound of raindrops against the Castle walls and windows.

It was truly calming.

Withdrawing chakra from her ears she focused on her hair instead. That was much less calming since Saeko long sought to mimic Jiraiya's _Hari Jizō_. So far she failed every single time, it was infuriating. But then again her hair was far too pretty for such an unseemly technique. It was just the idea of a jutsu she wasn't able to do.

Since her frustration with this exercise was against the very nature of meditation Saeko switched to Occlumency.

There was a faint knock on the door which brought the Uchiha back to reality. Ashley opened the door slowly and stuck her head inside. Saeko sighed “Yes?”

“We are having a study group downstairs. Potions” said the shorter brunette.

Saeko hummed “Ok, why not. I'm beginning to be rather stiff.”

“You were holed up here for almost 5 hours. You missed dinner” Ashley answered rolling her eyes, already used to her friend's oddities.

“Oh, pity, I'm feeling rather peckish” the jounin said as she stretched her limbs.

The Brit shrugged “Too bad.”

The Uchiha chuckled, fetched her book and followed Ash downstairs.

* * *

**Rune** **'s Classroom**

“Hey Uchiha” Lauren greeted as the brunette sat down on her usual spot in Runes.

“Hn” Saeko replied with a frown and unsealed the huge tome that was the prescribed textbook.

The Slytherin arched her eyebrows “Someone's grumpy today.”

Saeko sighed “Sorry. Hello Lauren, how do you do?”

Lauren chuckled “Funny. Now, what's going on?”

“It's nothing really” the Konoha nin sighed again. At the redhead's pout, which looked ridiculously cute, she confessed “It's my girlfriend.”

“Trouble in paradise?” the red-head smirked.

Saeko merely rolled her eyes “She's getting a little clingy.”

“How so?” Lauren asked, quite curious. When the kunoichi hesitated she smirked ”Hell, I'll even be so nice that I'll listen and not spread it around.”

The scarred brunette just shrugged “That's mighty nice of you but it's just a feeling.”

Before Lauren could elicit some more information Daniel sat down with a soft thud next to Saeko “Brace yourselves, Ashley and Peter are arguing about some Viking times rubbish.”

“Well, at least they are in theme with Runes this year” Saeko said with a slight smile.

Lauren sighed at the change in subject but then her desire for entertainment was satisfied when the aforementioned duo made their way thought the classroom's door, arguing loudly. Saeko stopped listening, not really in the mood for obscure historical facts that the two aspiring archeologists spewed at a regular basis.

The scarred brunette was forced to return to the conversation when Peter put her on the spot “Saeko can decide for us! I don't know how but you know plenty of stuff about the Norse mythology.”

As the little group turned to face the Uchiha she merely sighed “I wasn't paying attention.”

Lauren smirked knowingly but answered “Svaðilfari. What it is.”

Saeko couldn't help a little snort “The horse that fathered Sleipnir, Odin's steed. His name means 'unlucky traveler'.” _And it_ 's _also the name of one of the Raven elders. Perpetually in bad mood and a bit of an ass too._

Peter's cries of triumph and the still arguing Ashley was interrupted by professor Babbling who ordered them quite sternly to calm down.

Turns out that today's lesson was to read and analyze the assignment they completed just the other week, so nothing exciting especially if Saeko already thought about its practical application. The brunette frowned, she hated when she was held back, and fiddled with her quill.

“What´s gotten into her?” Daniel whispered to the redheaded Slytherin.

Lauren smirked “She and the girlfriend are on the outs.”

“I'm right here” Saeko grumped.

“We know dear” said the girl and patted the ninja's hand in a patronizing fashion.

Daniel looked at the brunette in surprise “Really? What did you do?”

“What do you mean 'what did I do'?” Saeko frowned, “It could be Faith's fault.”

“Is it?” the bespectacled teen asked without any judgment.

Saeko humphed “Yes, actually.”

“So?” Lauren prompted.

The brunette sighed, reluctant to share a mere feeling “She just… I don't really know. She's a bit clingy lately.”

“So you said, but what does that really mean” Lauren pressed.

Saeko just shrugged and didn't reply. Daniel looked at his friend with narrowed eyes “So are you saying, just a hypothesis so don't get angry, that she takes your relationship more seriously than you do?”

“Look at you, playing auror” the Uchiha said with a grimace, “Now could we go back to the lesson.”

“He is right!” Lauren said with glee.

The brunette was making a show of listening to their Runes professor and completely ignoring her neighbors. However the gossip seeking duo did not relent “Does this have to do with Valentine’s Day? It's next week” Daniel asked eagerly.

When he did not get an answer it was Lauren's turn “Are you breaking up with her?”

This got Saeko's attention “No! As I said, it's just a feeling. I just have many thing to do, many goals to achieve and plans to spin and the last thing I need is Faith demanding I spend more time with her!”

Daniel and Lauren grinned and high-fived behind Saeko's back, proud they got their friend to divulge what was bothering her. The Uchiha rolled her eyes and went back to Runes despite the duo trying to get her talking again.

Unfortunately the duo caught professor Babbling's attention instead of their friend's which resulted into a minor loss of points and a detention for all three of them.

When the bell rang at the end of the lesson the Uchiha exploded “Detention! Detention, I never get detentions!”

“Yeah, you're perfect” Lauren grumbled sarcastically.

Saeko shot the redhead a glare “You couldn’t just shut up, could you? A detention! Me!”

“Calm down,” Daniel sighed, “I'm sorry about the detention. At last it's just one session.”

“Detentions are such a waste of time” the angry brunette continued.

Lauren chuckled “And we know how you feel about that”. Cue another glare.

“Hey, look at the bright side, ladies love bad guys” Daniel interjected.

Both girls looked at the bespectacled teen and arched their eyebrows. Daniel blushed “Or so I read.”

Saeko huffed.

* * *

**North Wing of the Castle**

Hogwarts was huge, no argument about that. Curiously only a small fraction of the actual castle was used for lasses, housing and other purposes which meant copious opportunities to explore, or more probably, to get lost. Being a ninja Saeko had an excellent sense of direction and had no problems, and even if she did she could always use the shunshin. Nonetheless a byakugan would be handy.

Saeko liked to explore the Castle on occasions since, given its magical properties, was ever changing. Today's novelty was a ghost she had never seen previously.

The ghost looked very grumpy despite being dressed as a jester. Or maybe because of it, his tights were… well, tight. Saeko greeted the dead man with a neutral “Good afternoon.”

“Hm, I guess it is good” the man replied disinterestedly, “Do you need something?”

The Uchiha shook her head “Not really, I'm just looking around. You are not in a mood to talk I assume.”

“Hn” said the ghost and disappeared through the wall.

Saeko frowned and mumbled “That's my line.”

“Think nothing of him, he's like that all the time. Hard to imagine he was once described as a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy” said an attractively deep female voice.

The scarred kunoichi turned around and spotted the portrait that spoke to her. The dark haired woman gave her a sultry smile and waved. Saeko smiled and bowed slightly “Good afternoon my lady.”

The woman's grin widened “Indeed. As I said, think nothing of poor Yorick, do not let him spoil your day.”

“I won't” Saeko said with a smirk, “So if that kind sir was Yorick, who you might be?”

“Call me Carmilla my dear” the woman answered.

Before Saeko could reply another voice spoke up “Another, Carmilla? Must you try to charm every pretty girl that comes around?” The voice belonged to another portrait, this time a man dressed in chainmail with a gold tabard over it, “Bloody horny vampires.”

“Pun intended?” Saeko asked and shot a smirk in the woman's direction.

The vampire laughed “I like you my dear. See Frederick, today's girls don't need your manly attempts to save them.”

“The fact you are trapped in canvas certainly helps” the apparent knight taunted.

Carmilla frowned at the quip “Shush and go get laid. Besides, she's not my type, I like my women delicate and innocent – this one walks like a warrior.”

Saeko smirked in satisfaction as the knight pursed his lips “For once you are right. Tell me child, under whose banner do you fight?”

“Konoha” the kunoichi replied proudly, ”now though I have to leave. I bid you goodbye.”

The vampire pouted “Pity. You are welcome to came back and entertain me instead of that insipid virgin knight.”

“Celibate!” the man said in irritation.

“Of course, how could I forget” Carmilla said condescendingly.

Saeko walked away with an amused smile as she heard the knight sputter while Carmilla laughed maliciously. As she turned a corner she could faintly hear an argument breaking out.

“So you are the warrior, huh?” said yet another voice.

Saeko's eyes found the portrait that spoke to her “I am. What of it?”

The old man in the frame looked her over “Everybody's soft nowadays. All those students I see traipsing the hallways of this castle are pudgy and weak, worthless. Now tell me _warrior girl_ , can you handle a sword or do you rely on mere spells?”

The Uchiha smirked at the haughty man “I can.”

“Really now?” said the skeptical portrait, “A true swordsman would not leave his or hers chamber without a weapon.”

Saeko shrugged and summoned her tantō. The man in the portrait positively beamed “I'm impressed. What's your name child?”

Deciding to forgo any comment on the child part the jounin replied “Saeko of the Uchiha Clan. Though it is polite to give one's name before asking another's.”

“Albert Liechtenauer, you might have heard of me or my squib brother” the man said arrogantly.

“I'm not from around here” Saeko replied with a shake of her head.

Albert pursed his lips but nodded “No matter. Still I rejoice that this generation is not hopeless after all.”

The Uchiha bowed slightly “Well, you could always teach me a combat spell or two to make this generation better.”

“Hmm, I suppose I could” Albert said after a long deliberation.

Saeko was surprised but immensely pleased. She did have to suffer through a fairly long monologue with copious ego stroking but she got a nasty and surprising curse in return. Just as she tried to coax another spell from her impromptu teacher another portrait returned to his dwelling “Albert, what do you think you are doing!”

“Go away you bloody priest” the German swordsman said with a sneer that would make Snape proud.

“I cannot, someone has to stop this madness. What are you showing her is dangerous” said the bearded newcomer.

Albert rolled his eyes “So is war. You have to destroy the enemy before he destroys you.”

The newcomer shook his head vehemently "Violence isn't the answer."

"Maybe it depends on the question" said Albert stubbornly.

As the duo began to argue in the earnest Saeko thought “ _Looks like the lesson is over.”_ Sighing the ninja took off but resolved to return sometime to see if she could milk the arrogant swordsman for some more spells. As the shout of “Fucking pacifists” was heard Saeko had to wonder if all the portraits at Hogwarts were grouped according to opposing personalities. “ _Maybe the arguing keeps them sane_ ” the girl mused.

Saeko passed another arguing pair, this time a portrait and a ghost. It looked that war and peace became the topic of the day.

When she heard another voice called out to her with the words “I was an archer myself” Saeko sped up considerably but not before she heard an angry rebuttal.

“Well, let it be said that where _Konoha no Amaterasu_ walks, chaos follows” Saeko mused as she jogged by another yelling pair.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

When Saeko heard someone calling her name she put a bookmark into her book and closed it “What is it?”

“I need you to turn my hair blonde” Daniel said very reluctantly while shuffling his feet.

“I beg your pardon?” the Uchiha said while holding a chuckle.

Graham and Paddy who were standing beside the bespectacled boy burst into laughter. Finally with a pained grimace Daniel explained “I lost a bet.”

“Oh did you now” Saeko trailed out.

“Oh yes, he did. Now he has to go a whole day blonde and wearing pink” Graham said with a very satisfied expression. Indubitably the penalty had been his idea.

Patrick tried to contain his huge grin and asked “Can you do it?”

Saeko nodded, the pink would be easy but the hair would be trickier – it was 6th year's magic. Fortunately the kunoichi deemed the spell useful for Konoha, for infiltration purposes. “Sure” she said and motioned to Daniel to move closer to her.

“ _Colovaria_ ” she intoned and Daniel's uniform turned a mute shade of pink. The boys minus the poor aspiring auror laughed in glee.

Next was the hair. _Crinus Muto_ only took a second to work. The result wasn't that bad so she smiled at her unfortunate friend “Dashing.”

Graham was holding his stomach and was wheezing loudly from all the laughter while Paddy gave the now-blond a one-armed hug “So fabulous!”

Deciding to make the best of it Daniel straitened his posture and run his hand through his new corn yellow locks to make them more messy-looking “Alright, let's go.”

Saeko already had breakfast but decided to tag along for the entertainment. Daniel strode with his head held high, trying to look as this was usual or just an annoyance, but nothing worth preoccupying himself with. The ninja gave him a thumbs up when he glanced her way. A soft smile was his reply.

“You do know that we have to go to class right? We had first period free but we still have charms and the rest to go to and that uniform is far from prescribed” the scarred kunoichi said to the sill laughing duo.

“Flitwick will be game” Graham shrugged.

“And we have herbology next, Sprout will be ok with it I think. And we are going to breakfast quite late so the professors will be already elsewhere” Paddy chimed in.

The brunette had to admit the plan was not as bad as it had sounded at first “Fair enough. We'll see.”

True to the boy's prediction their meal went without a hitch. The Great Hall was mostly deserted, only those who had a free first period were present. Their friends were all there since everybody liked to sleep late after having Astronomy the night before.

Also the Gryffindor's second years were present and that meant the Weasley twins. Those two, immediately after they stopped whooping and laughing, went to gush on and on about the Raven's pranking skills.

After the Ravenclaws calmed down, Daniel still struggling to look completely unperturbed, Caitlin spoke up “Ok, what's going on?”

“I lost a bet” said Daniel with a shrug and loaded his plate with scrambled eggs.

Paddy smirked “Barbie Boy here thought he could predict the ending of the book I gave him for his birthday.”

“Turns out he can't” Graham said with a grin.

“Yeah, he called it a predictable mystery and that the culprit was obvious. Hah!” the Irish boy elaborated.

Daniel shrugged “I admit I was very surprised. The book was indeed very good.”

“Never mind that,” Michelle cut in, “the hairstyling spell is really advanced stuff! It's human transfiguration.”

Graham frowned “Huh, I didn't even realize.”

“Yeah, me neither. We just asked Saeko if she could do it” Paddy explained as Daniel got a little green – human transfiguration could go very bad very easily.

The Ravens all turned to look at the scarred jounin with various looks of envy and admiration. Saeko merely took a sip of her tea and smiled sweetly.

“I guess I won't be unseating you as number one anytime soon” sad Aaron with a resigned sigh.

When all shook off that Aaron, the lone wolf of the House and current number two, spoke out loud Helena spoke up “If McGonagall sees you like this we are going to lose points.”

Daniel just shrugged while Graham said “Not many. Plus we don't have her today so maybe we can get away with it.”

“Not during lunch or dinner” Peter reasoned.

“Dumbledore will like it so maybe he'll tell her to chill” Ashley countered.

Caitlin scoffed “Not bloody likely. Well Danny boy, it looks like you will only have to suffer through the morning classes like this.”

Daniel hid a small grin, he had already thought about the possibility. Graham and Paddy pouted.

“As for the points we could always claim ignorance. She could assume it was the Weasleys” Helena proposed.

Saeko smirked “Careful my dear, your scales are beginning to show.”

The blonde just inclined her head as Ashley giggled “Saeko's right, that’s positively Slytheriny.”

“But saying the truth would be better – she might subtract points for it but we could also gain them for the spell work” said Angela, one of Michelle's posse.

“Slytherins, Slytherins everywhere!” Ashley said in mock panic. The rest just appreciated the cunning and nodded at Angela.

X

**Charms Classroom**

When professor Flitwick entered the room his eyes were immediately drawn to the pink among the sea of black. He chuckled but beside that he said nothing and took his usual post on the small podium. He took the attendance as usual only pausing at Daniel's name “And of course the trend-setting mister Fairbanks. Very fetching. Is that a dye or a spell?”

“A spell sir” Daniel said respectfully.

“Ah” the charms professor nodded, “In that case 20 points for Ravenclaw for a flawless human transfiguration. Other than that I would advise you to stay out of professor McGonagall's sight, such spells should not be performed by your year without supervision.”

Daniel nodded and sat down. Flitwick smiled and returned his gaze to the rest of the class “Now, where was I. Ah yes, Miss Farrow?”

“Here” replied the girl in question as the class progressed normally.

Up behind the tables Saeko murmured “Only 20 points?”

Lauren who sat next to her Ravenclaw friend murmured back “That was you? Of course it was, who else. And twenty points is quite a lot especially since you are breaking the rules.”

“We just wanted a bigger buffer for when our resident cat lady catches the wind of it” Saeko explained.

The red-head eyes widened “Of course! That makes sense. By the way, why?”

Saeko shrugged “Daniel lost a bet and those were the terms. I was approached to perform the penalty.”

“The hair is actually quite good but the pink is atrocious” the Slytherin said after she looked at the boy in question more thoroughly.

“That was the intention I think. Graham's idea.”

“Gifford? Yeah, that does sound like him” Lauren mused.

X

The Ravenclaws eagerly made their way to the Great Hall for lunch – their Head of House did make them work quite hard. Slumping in their respective seats they filled their plates with the English delicatessen that was Beef Wellington. Saeko merely scrunched her nose and carefully picked out the pieces of meat.

Naturally their arrival had caused quite a stir, many eyes darting from Daniel to the Weasleys twins. Besides a few interspersed chuckles and comments no one seemed to mind. Ashley subtly pointed at the headmaster who seemed to giggle at Daniel's situation.

Saeko sighed in relief when her plate disappeared and was replaced with a much lighter, and arguably tastier, meal. It was an almost common occurrence now but the system was hard to decipher. “What's your deal with the kitchens?” Caitlin finally asked.

“Feed me like an athlete” was the simple reply.

Before another discussion about how spoiled the ninja was a dreaded figure approached them, unseen by those whose backs were to the centre of the Hall. Professor Snape seemed to cast an ominous shadow on the group as he towered above them “I find myself astonished that the intelligence of the student's body seems to diminish every single year.”

The group fell silent as did the majority of said student body, some of them shamelessly enjoying the show. Snape sneered “Arrogant fools! The sheer stupidity of trying a sixth year spell while you are mere third years is just so typical of Ravenclaw. Wise is most definitely not the adjective I would use in regards to your House. Twenty points from Ravenclaw and that's only because I'm letting professor McGonagall deal with this.”

With that the Potions Master left. As soon as the students resumed talking and Snape was safe out of hearing rage Helena sighed “There goes the buffer.”

All of them nodded sagely. Ash rubbed her brow “I completely forgot about him. But hey, it could've been worse.”

“Wait for it” Peter trailed out as McGonagall stepped into the great Hall.

Graham put his hands up as in surrender “Ok, I admit, this was stupid. We should've done this on a weekend.”

Daniel shrugged “I think it wouldn't have mattered much. Besides, the real problem is that I thought that bleaching my hair would be some kind of simple color-changing spell.”

“That wouldn't have worked” Saeko spoke up in her defense, “not for a full day anyway. And it would look horrible, this looks much better and I don't do sloppy work.”

“Mister Fairbanks!” a loud Scottish-accented voice said not far from them.

“Here we go” Caitlin murmured, bracing for another lecture.

McGonagall launched into a long speech detailing the danger of what they did, never mind it was not that horrifying. Finally the professor seemed to calm down a little and asked “Who performed it?”

All looked at the ninja who looked nonplussed “It was I.”

The woman humphed, her ire abated a bit seeing it was her star student “Don’t you ever do that again! Thirty points from Ravenclaw!” After that she interrogated Daniel and Saeko. Before leaving she shook her head “So stupid, and just for a bloody bet! But since there seems to be no problem you can keep it for the rest of the day.”

Daniel looked horrified while those all around tried to keep their poker face and not irritate the professor any more than she already was.

The rest of their lunch continued without any more incidents. Nonetheless when they all finished eating the third year group was all too ready to flee. As they exited the Great Hall professor McKenna stopped them and said “Take 20.” Without anything more Deirdre left.

After a beat of silence Caitlin spoke up “Did she mean points?”

“I think so” Graham replied.

“Cool” Ashley summed it up.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: If you got who Yorick is right away, you deserve a cookie.


	42. 3- 42 Planning 101

 

“Hello, love” Saeko murmured and kissed her girlfriend on her cheek.

Faith jumped up in surprise “Blimey! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me!”

“But that is so much fun” the Uchiha said with a grin.

The Brit sighed dramatically and turned in Saeko's arms to peck her on the lips. As she stepped back she arched her eyebrows at her girlfriend's attire “You clean up well.”

“Dōmo” Saeko said with a wink. Since it was Valentine's Day the ninja decided to make a bit of a show and dressed in a semi-formal kimono in Uchiha colors.

“What brought this on?” Faith asked as she looked on in appreciation.

Saeko shrugged “I had it with me and thought 'why not'.”

“It looks really nice. _Really_ nice but aren't you cold?” Faith pointed at the ninja's feet which were clad only in open sandals and socks.

“Nah. Ready to go?”

“You _are_ aware that Hogsmeade is still under snow” Faith clarified.

The black-haired kunoichi just smiled “But you can feel the spring just waiting behind the corner.”

“That might be but it's still freaking cold.”

“Hush, worry not and enjoy this fine day. Clear skies, sunshine, fresh air and a beautiful woman at my side – a perfect moment” Saeko said charmingly.

Faith did as she was prompted and the couple walked towards the magical village in silence. Despite that the Brit was much less versed in achieving some manner of inner peace as Saeko was and halfway down the road she began chatting away about the happenings in Hufflepuff House.

“Three Broomsticks?” the ninja proposed.

“Oh, sure”

The couple entered the packed pub. It looked like all the students who decided on today's outing were in there, getting something warm to drink before hitting the shops. Faith was lucky to find a spot recently vacated by a Hufflepuff she knew while Saeko went for their drinks.

As Faith resumed talking about what her little sister has been up to the Uchiha smiled softly and sipped her hot cider. The thing was that Hogwarts was peaceful. In Konoha one learned to relax when possible and, as Shikamaru would put it, look at the clouds, but the village was always hectic – ninja returning from a mission, others rushing to a meeting, some carrying an injured teammate to the hospital and the occasional visible ANBU going on their secretive business.

“Are you alright? You seem a bit out of it” Faith frowned.

Saeko shook her head with a smile “Hm, oh, no not really. Just enjoying the moment.”

“That pipe of yours is for tobacco right?” the fourth-year said jokingly.

“Of course, what else would it be?”

“I don’t know, weed maybe” Faith winked.

The Uchiha cocked her head to the side “Weed? Like the green stuff in the garden?”

Faith laughed “No, that's slang for marijuana.” At Saeko's puzzled look she continued “A drug, recreational drug, it makes you… mellow? Or so they say, I never tried it.”

“Huh, why would anyone use that on purpose” Saeko said with a scoff.

“You don’t have drugs in Konoha?” Faith asked, genuinely curious.

“I don’t think so. Well, the ANBU and chuunin police have them.” _And of course those that use poisons and stuff._

The Brit asked suspiciously “Wait, what they use drugs for?”

“Interrogations, sedation of prisoners and similar” Saeko said nonchalantly, not really seeing a problem.

Faith was shocked “You're joking right.”

“No, why?” the ninja replied resolutely, already anticipating a fight.

“Wow, like for real? That doesn’t seem wrong to you?” the Brit said, outraged.

Saeko began “Not really…”

“WHAT?!” Faith interrupted loudly, loudly enough that some other people nearby turned to look at them.

The Uchiha just glared at them until they turned back. Looking back at her girlfriend she spoke “It's just like _veritaserum_ you use in Britain. It's non-invasive and you know the answers you seek right away. It works!”

Faith deflated “I guess. It totally tramples on basic human rights, though. But from what I know about wizarding society and its medieval ways I wouldn't put it past them to torture” she finished with a weak grin to indicate she was joking.

Saeko put on her best Uchiha blank face “Yeah, we wouldn't want that.”

Before the muggleborn could begin another lecture about the backwards society of magicals Saeko proposed lunch.

Faith smiled “Great idea! I'm in the mood for something sweet. Do you think Madame Rormerta has crêpes?”

“I'll ask” Saeko smiled and hopped from her seat.

When the black-haired teen returned she brought another set of drinks “We're in luck, it looks like Madame Rosmerta doesn't limit herself to shepherd’s pies and boiled peas.”

The busty fourth-year chuckled “Still haven't gotten used to our food, huh?”

Saeko made a face “Too heavy. It's a wonder it still surprises people. Ash comments on it almost every day. Speaking of Ashley, did you know she wants to get a tattoo? I don't understand the appeal.”

Faith arched her eyebrows “You _are_ aware you have several tattoos on your person, right?”

“Those are seals, not tattoos. Their purpose is different” the ninja answered.

“Yeah, that storage thing. So it works on a person as well, huh. What do you have sealed in your wrists and arms then?” the Brit asked eagerly.

Saeko took off her customary gloves to show her twin storage seals on her wrists “I can seal my wand in here – conceal it and quick draw.”

Faith nodded “Cool, no one here would expect that.”

“That is precisely the point” Saeko nodded with a small smirk.

“And the other one?”

“A knife, just in case” Saeko said severely downplaying her tantō.

The Hufflepuff seemed impressed “And the rest?”

“A communication seal. Anyways, it's not for show, they are fully functional” the Uchiha finished.

Faith smirked and made a show of looking “They still look great.”

Saeko winked and put her gloves back on “Good to know.”

“What does Ashley want to get?” the Puff asked.

“Some Egyptian or Aztec thing” Saeko answered with a shrug.

“That figures” Faith chuckled.

The scarred teen nodded emphatically “Too true. Besides, no matter how much of a hippie her mother is she won't permit Ash get a tattoo this young.”

“You know the word hippie!” Faith grinned broadly and nearly clapped her hands.

Saeko rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

The third-year students of Care for Magical creatures were waiting for their professor to arrive. Kettleburn was already fashionably late but that was nothing unusual for this particular teacher.

“At least he left the fires for us” Paddy commented.

The group hummed. A Gryffindor boy spoke up “Well, we were meant to study Ashwinders and those are born from fires, right? Maybe we should do something with them?”

“Magical fires. Those are not” Chloe Siler, a Hufflepuff, spoke up.

The students fell silent again and huddled closer to the fires. All of them had the foresight of using a heating charm but sitting on blankets on the snow was still uncomfortable.

“Their eggs are used in the Love Potion” Michelle shared.

…

“They can also cure some fevers. Oh, and malaria” Lauren contributed.

…

After another stretch of silence another Slytherin, Carran McDonnel, spoke up angrily “If Kettleburn doesn't arrive in the next five minutes I'm leaving! And I'm bringing this to professor Snape.”

“Well, we did just learn three facts about our object of study” Peter joked.

Some of the more studious third-years glared at both Carran and the Ravenclaw. “Do you think Kettleburn finally blew himself up?” one spoke.

“Or maybe he got eaten by one on his _fascinating creatures_ ” a Gryff mocked the man further.

The third-years laughed, that would be so like him.

“Pity Helena doesn't take Care, we could've played cards”

A Puff spoke up “I have Uno with me.”

Peter nearly jumped up “Sweet!”

“What's Uno?” asked Archibald the III. Connolly and Leon Blackwood, both purebloods.

Seeing as everyone seemed amenable the Puff took out the deck from his bag and began explaining the rules.

Since Kettleburn still didn't show up and the Slytherins got over their reluctance to play a 'muggle game' the cards were dealt.

“Look at us, inter-House communication. Dumbledore would be so proud” a Gryffindor smirked.

X

“Draw 4! Hah, take that you slimy prick!”

“You son of a whore!” the enraged recipient shouted.

“Calm down! It's just a game!” a Puff tried to moderate.

“It's easy for you to say, you won the last round and now you have only three cards left.”

“Are you really pointing fingers, you made me skip my turn twice in a row!”

“Oh, shut up! Everybody knows you cheated a game back!” spat out a blonde Gryffindor.

“You just can't accept defeat”

“Chill out guys, this is getting ridiculous” Saeko sighed, a headache already in force.

“Oh, please, shut up and go screw Faith”

“Caitlin!”

“Forget the Irish skank, this is serious! You've been cheating?”

“If you didn't notice before, you don't get to throw a hissy fit.”

“Y'all are going overboard with this!”

“Chuck it fatso!”

“At least his blood is pure!” a Slytherin said haughtily.

“If your parents got divorced, would they still be brother and sister?"

“Goddammit, this is too far! Don't drag this shit into it!”

“Yeah, let's just continue. It's your turn fiend”

“Reverse!”

“Draw two!”

“NOT AGAIN!”

The students began shouting once more but before the arguments could escalate a jovial voice could be heard “Sorry I'm so late but I needed to feed the hippogyffs and there was a small accident” Kettleburn paused to look at his students and saw their flushed faces and gritted teeth, “Did I miss something?”

 “Hn”

X

The Ravenclaw students that just finished Care walked in silence to their Common Room. Everybody was angry or frustrated and just had enough of company for the day. As they snapped at the door guardian their answer to the customary riddle they managed to get into the Tower with minimal shoving but their frowns never eased.

The rest the third-years were already there, waiting for their friends. As if sensing the mood of the newcomers the rest of the Ravens quieted down and smiled uncertainly.

To lighten the mood Helena asked “Poker?”

“NO!” the group shouted in unison.

“What did I say?” the blonde asked as her friends went all to their rooms.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko was reading over her Herbology essay for any mistakes, very glad it was finally over and she had more time for actually useful things.

“Excuse me, may I have a word?” said a male voice.

The brunette looked up and saw an older year she hasn't interacted with before. She put down the parchment “Yes?”

“I'm John Lavoie, I'm in Frost's year” said the older teen.

“Charmed” Saeko replied with a smile.

John shuffled his feet awkwardly “Gerry Frost said you're in charge of his PT. Well, the Team's PT.”

“That is correct” the Uchiha trailed out, unsure of what he wanted.

More shuffling plus a nervous clearing of throat “Could you I don’t know, make an exercise plan for me? Or just some tips?”

Saeko arched her eyebrows “Why?”

“I kinda want to be a cop. In the muggle word I mean. I want to join the Academy. Could you help me?” John finally blurted out.

The jounin pondered that for a while, she already was quite busy after all. But then again, John looked quite pathetic with his puppy dog eyed impression. ' _It could be an amusing pet project_ ' Saeko thought but out loud she said “I could, yes.”

John looked at the Uchiha expectantly, a small smile forming on his lips. Saeko held up her hand and eyed the boy sternly “But first tell me, what brought this on? Are you really decided or you just saw some cool detective TV show and got star-struck? If I'm going to help you I want to know I won't be losing time with it and next month you won't be telling me you want to be a veterinarian instead.”

“No, no, I'm decided. I'm still fascinated by all the magic and such but I always wanted to go back in the muggle world. I fit in better and I like it much more, no shitty pureblood politics. Dad's a cop, as is my uncle. My brother joined the Academy this fall. I thought hard about it and it's what I want. And with a subtle use of magic I could help so much” John said excitedly.

Saeko allowed herself a small smile “Ok. Why now though?”

“I've been thinking about it for quite a while, since Career Day” the sixth-year began.

“Career Day?” Saeko interrupted.

“One of Flitwick's sessions, in the fifth year. He helps you choose NEWTs subjects and sort things out” John explained. Saeko nodded and the boy continued “Anyway, I'm sure.”

The Uchiha probed further “And are you certain it's not just peer pressure? With your family all in uniform…”

“Nah, they actually had higher hopes for me, especially since I was chosen to go 'to a prestigious boarding school' and such” John chuckled.

Saeko nodded “Alright, I'll help. But know this now – if you are in, then you are committed. I hate whining, excuses and half-assed efforts. When I say run 5 laps, you'll run 5 laps. If you don’t manage something, tell me. Oh, and I will not be your personal trainer. I'll let you join Jared and I on occasion when we work out but mostly I'll just help you plan. Sometimes you'll train with me so I know where we stand but don’t expect me to hold your hand.”

John grinned and nodded eagerly “I understand. It's actually more than I figured. I just want to be prepared you know? Tony, my brother, at least did sports at school so he was in pretty good shape but here we are allowed to go lazy.”

“True” Saeko admitted and looked over her new charge. Big, even at 16, over-all good material even if Hogwarts' good cooking was not lost on him but nothing a bit of exercise wouldn't fix.

“So?” John asked, nearly hopping in anticipation.

The Uchiha hummed “How much time do we have and what is the result you seek?”

“I'll be old enough to go to the Police Academy right after Hogwarts but maybe I'll take a year off after it. As for the results, well, I just want to be ready for the training they'll give me” said the Brit.

“So you want to lose that belly of yours and be fit enough not to cry when they put you trough the gauntlet” Saeko translated with a grin.

John blushed “Yeah, that about right.”

The girl's grin got wider “Excellent. You'll train three times a week at least 90 minutes so pull out your schedule and pencil that in. I have time now so you and I are going for a run, Quidditch season is fast approaching and I won't have much time to supervise you.”

John rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly “Actually I have a study group in a few minutes. Would you have time in the evening maybe?”

“Alright” Saeko shrugged, “two hours before dinner. Be here or don't bother talking to me again.”

“I'll be here” the Brit said resolutely.

Saeko nodded “Good.”

Hearing the dismissal John grinned and walked off with a wave. The Uchiha felt a pang of sympathy, he sure didn't know what he just signed off on. _Fun, fun, fun_.

“What was that?” Ashley asked as she approached her roommate.

“My good deed of the day” Saeko replied with a smile and returned to her essay.

 


	43. 3- 43 Fall of an Enemy

“After the long hiatus quidditch is back, bitches!” Wayne said as he pumped his fist into the air.

“Oh yeah!” Rory joined in.

Frost chuckled as he sat beside his teammate on the quidditch stands “You are aware that we are not playing, right? We are spectators.”

Both chasers shrugged and turned their gazes back to the field with a grin. Jamie grinned as well “Alright team, let's see how the Puffs and Gryffs upped their game since autumn.”

“It doesn't really matter, we'll flatten everybody in our way” Jared smirked and offered a high-five to Saeko who obliged with a smirk of her own.

“Hell yeah!” the rest of the team chorused. Some of the other Ravens who were sitting nearby cheered as well, spurred by their team's confidence.

“So, who do you think will win today?” the Irish chaser spoke up.

Saeko tapped her chin in thought “Helena's little bookie club say the Badgers. I agree, the Gryffs' seeker is worth…”

“Shit?” Jared decided to help.

“Sounds about right” Saeko grinned as everybody laughed.

As the group continued to talk and joke the moment of the kick-off approached. Both playing Houses made a big production – sea of scarlet and a veritable ocean of yellow cheered as the players were called onto the field.

Madame Hooch blew her whistle and threw the quaffle in the air. The entirety of the Hogwarts student body let out a loud cheer, all of them eager to forget classes and homework and watch the first match after the winter break.

After a few minutes of play Jamie muttered loud enough for her team to hear “Gryffindor chasers are really good.”

“Almost as good as us, emphasis on the almost” Rory said confidently.

“I wouldn't worry, they might have a good team but are unable to seal the deal. The problem is next year – Wood might find a decent seeker” Saeko analyzed sharply.

There was a beat of silence as the quidditch players digested the Uchiha's words. Finally Jamie spoke up “Let's concentrate on this season. Right now we have a definite advantage over the Lions and we already beat Hufflepuff.”

“If the Gryffs lose they are out of the running” James said with satisfaction.

Jared hummed “Those Weasleys are going to be a problem.”

“Nothing we can't handle,” Saeko said as she eyed the boys in question, “They coordinate well but we have more practice.”

Frost nodded “Plus you are far stronger, more agile too.”

Both beaters smiled at the praise. Wayne summed it up “Still, our best shot is to out-seeker them.”

“Predictable but still efficient” Saeko said as all of their eyes zeroed at Samuels who was flying high, frantically looking for the elusive golden snitch.

The match progressed with Gryffindor in the lead – the female chasers were truly excellent and it seemed Pierce had something to prove.

Suddenly Fraiser went in for a dive, evidently seeing the snitch. Up in the Ravenclaw section Jamie sighed “Adrien's gonna be pissed.”

“Fraiser catches the snitch! Hufflepuff WINS!”

The yellow-clad fans let out a roar, nearly deafening the commentator's recap of the match. Saeko looked at her girlfriend jumping and shouting over at the Badgers stands “I'm _so_ gonna get laid.”

X

Faith slammed Saeko against the wall and practically assaulted her lips. The Uchiha moaned and eagerly reciprocated. Faith was high on her Houses' victory and Saeko definitely loved the rough treatment she got as a result.

Clothes were deemed redundant at his point, their movements frantic and frenzied. Seeing her lover's mood Saeko decided to let Faith do as she pleased with her and was rewarded with a deep bite to the juncture of the neck and shoulder which made her moan embarrassingly loud.

Faith spent considerable time the ninja's breasts “God I love these.”

“You've got a bigger and far better pair” Saeko said in a breathy voice as she arched into her girlfriend's touch.

“Debatable”

The Puff scarped Saeko's sides as her hand moved lower, one to rest on her girlfriend's hip and the other further down. The Uchiha's eyes closed, lips parted, brow furrowed and her skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat.

Saeko unashamedly rode Faith's hand. She pulled Faith impossibly closer, draped her leg over Faith's hip and dropped her head on the Brit's shoulder as her fingers worked. The ninja tugged at the chestnut hair she had in her fist in an unspoken desire for _more_. Faith obliged without delay, teasing was not on the menu today.

When her climax hit Saeko threw her head backwards in a silent scream, hitting her head quite hard against the wall but that didn't seem to even register.

Faith held her upwards with her body and lavished the ninja with languid kisses. When Saeko's breathing calmed down she murmured “Go Badgers.”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Dorms**

Saturday afternoon found the trio lounging in Saeko and Ashley's room. Helena was reading as usual while Ash tried her hand at Spanish guitar. The ninja was laying on her bed in her yukata and was smoking her pipe with her eyes closed.

“How come the smoke goes right out of the window?” Ash asked.

“Magic” Saeko shrugged, never opening her eyes.

The small brunette sighed “I know, I just wanted to start a conversation.”

“Could've tried the weather” the Uchiha chuckled.

"It is unusually warm and sunny for this time of year” Helena decided to participate.

Ash made a face “Ugh.”

The blonde rolled her eyes “How about the fact that Saeko wears her Japanese stuff more lately.”

“Oh yeah, I noticed that too” the smaller brunette perked up, “Why's that?”

Saeko just shrugged “I just feel like it. I like those clothes and me being awesome curbs the weird looks it used to get.”

“I like it” Helena commented.

Ashley looked over at her roommate “Yeah, it's not bad. I like my style better though.”

“Ripped jeans and otherwise scruffy clothes?” the tea connoisseur arched her eyebrows and looked pointedly at her friend.

“Precisely” the smaller brunette answered with a cheeky grin.

Helena sighed in mock exasperation and turned to the kunoichi “We could play chess, we haven't in quite a while.”

“No way, I wanted to have some fun, not watch you two stare at an 8x8 board” Ashley replied and crossing her arms with a stern expression.

“Cards?”

“We do that all the time” Ash countered.

“Go to the Common Room and let the others amuse us?” Saeko asked.

The small brunette rolled her eyes “How imperial. Our housemates are not court jesters.”

Helena chuckled “Yeah, leave that to the Gryffindor twins.”

“You know” Ashley mused, “if I had been born a boy I would be called either Fred or George.”

Saeko frowned “Fred Weir? That sounds strange. George sound nice though.”

Ash shrugged “Frederick was my dad's dad.”

“I would be called Desmond Fitzpatrick Ulysses Grey” Helena said in a neutral voice, obviously expecting comments.

Ashley grimaced, obviously trying to contain her laughter with all her might. Saeko just smirked “That's… long.”

“Could've been worse. I know for a fact that the late House of Robbins liked names that written down were as long as your forearm” the blonde sighed.

“Hey, so Helena is not your only name? Come on, spill” Ash nearly hopped on her bed.

“Helena Grace Tabitha Grey.”

The smaller Brit frowned “Huh, that's actually kinda cute. What about you Saeko?”

“Yes, I find it cute as well” the ninja replied, deliberately missing the point. Both Brits glared at her and she held up her hand in surrender “I would be Uchiha Sasuke. I'm glad I don't have it, I'd sound like a sissy.”

Helena and Ashley both laughed. The brunette continued “It's not so bad. Or does it mean something?”

“Let's change the topic, I don't like talking about that. Fugaku, my father, was quite adamant about the fact he would've preferred a Sasuke to me. On the other hand I do get a warm feeling from the fact I pissed him off the moment I was born, very satisfying.”

Ash was taken aback but Helena nodded “Father too wanted a boy, an heir to his business empire, but he got two girls instead. I'm more than glad his pride meant he taught me the ropes instead of finding me a husband and marrying me off.”

Saeko nodded sagely “I hear you. I guess you are to remain a Grey even after marriage, to preserve the name?”

“Indeed. I'm glad, it should mean he won't be pawning me off to someone like the Nott, families with a name of their own. Thank Merlin for that” the blonde sighed in relief.

The smallest of the trio interjected “Wait, wait, wait! What are you talking about?”

“Pureblood politics” Helena answered as though it was obvious.

“Or the classic politics of those who feel more entitled than others. At home only the Hyuuga and Uchiha are so stuck-up. The rest of the Clans are more relaxed, our Clan should loosen up in a few more years or so, nii-san has to slowly replace the council” Saeko chimed in.

Ashley frowned “I heard that most of the pureblooded families still use marriage contracts. Somehow I thought that only applied for Slytherins.”

Both Saeko and Helena shrugged. The blonde spoke up “Well, it seems Saeko has dodged a bullet there, me I'm not so sure. But business is going really well at the moment so I think I'll get to choose my spouse.”

“And you are okay with that, your family possibly choosing for you?” Ash asked.

“That's just the way it is. I think being the heir gives me leeway, my little sis might not be so fortunate” Helena said with slight worry.

Saeko decided to change the subject “Right, Vanessa. She should be starting school next year right?”

“Yes but she will go to Beauxbatons” the blonde revealed.

Ashley deflated, she was clearly eager to meet little Grey “Why?”

“She wants to” Helena said with a shrug and shared no more.

“Pity,” said Saeko “siblings are always fun.”

Helena rolled her eyes “Most the time yes, the rest she's a royal pain in my ass. She would be a Gryff for sure, part of the Weasley Pranking Funclub.”

“There is such a thing?” Ash asked with mirth.

“Peeves is the president” Saeko joked.

* * *

**Summoner** **'s Realm**

“Did something happen? You said you'll be on a mission this month” Saeko asked worriedly as soon as she arrived at their usual meeting place.

Itachi uncharacteristically smiled “The mission had been a success, my ANBU team and I killed Orochimaru.”

Saeko was speechless for quite a while “What? Wow! Really?”

“Yes” the Uchiha lord replied.

“That is wonderful news!” the girl grinned widely and hugged her brother. Going against a ninja of Orochimaru's caliber and staying uninjured was an amazing accomplishment. She took a step back and playfully hit the man's chest “Uchiha Itachi killer of our strongest and most wanted missing nin, how am I going to beat that?”

“There's no need, Konoha ANBU caught him and eliminated him as is their job. It makes Konoha look much better this way” Itachi said with mild reproach.

The kunoichi nodded sagely “You're right. Now give me the details. I know that much of it is classified, ANBU mission and all, but what you can.”

Itachi obliged “Jiraiya-sama gave us the intel but Orochimaru's presence was only a hunch so he didn't come with us. I took three ANBU teams to take out the base. His guards were very powerful and we lost people. I confronted Orochimaru and immediately used the _Mangekyō_.”

“ _Tsukuyomi_?”

“I didn't want to take any risks. I used quite a bit of power, I could sense my vision grow weaker” the shinobi sighed.

Saeko frowned “We read that in Madara's journal, it was a possibility.”

“We never used it too much, but I could feel the difference” Itachi nodded.

“Well, we can always exchange our eyes. We could do it preemptively when I come back home” the scarred girl proposed.

Itachi shook his head resolutely “No, we still don’t know how that works.”

“But it would be reasonable. The eternal _Mangekyō_ … if both our sets of eyes work it should be feasible” the girl pressed.

“I have to look into it.”

“Alright” Saeko nodded, “or maybe you could send some texts to me, I'm not required to go on missions and I can lazy around a fire and do research.”

The elder Uchiha sighed “I'll think about it.”

Saeko sensing her brother's reluctance just nodded and let the matter go “Just a _Tsukuyomi_? It seems a bit anticlimactic after all he has done.”

“We had that plan in place for years in case we caught up to him and we took him by surprise. Also we didn't manage to get his apprentice, he escaped and killed Cricket. I fear that he is a junior Orochimaru in the making so a threat to Konoha remains” Itachi elaborated.

The girl hummed “At least I hope he doesn't share his master's obsession with possessing Uchiha bodies to gain the sharingan.”

“Unknown as of yet. We have several of his agents in custody but we had to eliminate nearly all of them. I sure hope it's not the case. Also according to his journal Orochimaru's new body was Uchiha Ren” the Clan Head frowned.

Saeko vaguely recognized the distant relative “That sounds familiar. Wasn't he a MIA some years back?”

“He was.”

The kunoichi sighed “Figures. So what's next?”

“Well, given Orochimaru's propensity to traps and making allies in the most unexpected of places, compounded with the fact that his apprentice is still at large, we packed everything in his lab and sent it to our Intelligence department rather than taking over the base. They are sifting through it right now. I guess that will keep them occupied for quite a while. My team is now raiding any labs or other places the Snake has mentioned in his paperwork but this type of information is sparse – he was really cautious” Itachi replied.

Saeko nodded, having expected this outcome “And Cricket? Did you choose a replacement or you just made a super-team for those raids from the survivors of those three teams?”

“I'm training a new recruit on the downtime - Spider, can't say more” the older Uchiha with the smallest of smirks. Itachi always liked teaching ANBU rookies.

The girl chuckled “Sounds fun. Speaking of training, how are you with _mahoujutsu_?”

“To quote my colleagues 'it's damn useful'” Itachi said as he drew his own wand, “Oh, and I said I learned it from you and that it will be kept in-Clan. I was thinking of teaching it to a small group already, what do you think?”

“I'm not really sure we should, I'd rather wait for my education at Hogwarts to be complete. Also the less people know what I'm up to the lesser the risk. Once I'm out we can persuade Ollivander to come to Konoha to outfit the chosen Uchiha chuunin rather than bring them to London” Saeko thought out loud.

Itachi nodded “Good plan, I agree.”

“But” Saeko said with mischief in her eyes, “that doesn't mean you get to wait. En garde dear brother!”

The Uchiha lord gripped his wand tightly and smiled “Hai, Saeko-senpai!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I had to get rid of Orochimaru or it could've screwed up canon – during the pre-shippuuden break Orochi was busy with Sasuke so no big nefarious plots against Konoha were hatched (or at the very least executed) but since Sasuke is missing from my story…   
> I would really appreciate some feedback on Orochi's demise… Pretty please, *sad pleading eyes, trembling lips*


	44. 3- 44 Novelty

**DADA Classroom**

Miss McKenna entered the room and the students immediately fell silent. The professor nodded and proceeded to calmly pace before the black board “Today I'll show you something new.” The class erupted in hushed murmurs which stopped the instant the duelist glared at them. “Today you will learn how to change a branch into a sword.”

This time not even a glare could stop the excited students. “Enough! I know it looks _cool_ ” Deirdre spat out the word in disgust, “but this is a serious matter. You will not use this spell to for any make-shift fights. If you do I will do everything in my power to have you expelled. Swords are as dangerous as spells but not many people seem to realize that and thus like to wave a blade around because they this it makes them look good. You will not do that, am I clear?”

“Yes, Miss McKenna” the third-years chorused.

“Excellent. This is pretty advanced transfiguration but I have confidence in this group. The incantation is ' _mucro_ ' and you need to run your wand over the length of the branch. Naturally when you train enough you'd only need to grip the branch. Ms Alton, Mr Sadiq, please distribute the branches” the professor instructed.

Saeko thanked the Hufflepuff girl as she received the branch, keeping her face blank. She had a hard time to keep herself from hopping in excitement - this spell was right down her alley. Well, right after fire based curses.

“Alright, now, the key is to focus, you have to imagine really hard the finished product. As in any transfiguration, intent is key. I'm sure I don't have to explain more, professor McGonagall is an excellent teacher” Deirdre said.

When the red-headed professor was sure all eyes were on her she slowly ran her wand the branch in her hand and clearly said “ _Mucro_.”

If Saeko didn't find the Deirdre sexy before, the sight of her holding a rapier while smirking slightly would've done it. Once everybody got a good look she cast a _finite_ and she held a piece of wood once more. She murmured again and the branch elongated and tuned into an elegant claymore.

After a round of 'ooohs' the Scot ended the spell once more “As you can see the type of sword you create is limited only by your imagination and your ability to concentrate.”

Seeing the grin and the anticipation on her student's faces the Scottish professor gave a resolute nod that meant permission to begin. Saeko summoned her wand immediately. With just a brief moment of thought she decided to show off, as always, and to mess with people a little.

“ _Mucro_ ”

The spell had the desired effect and Saeko was holding Zabuza's prized sword.

Peter's jaw nearly hit the desk “That's a huge-ass sword!”

“Compensating for something Saeko?” Caitlin smirked even as she eyed the blade with reverence.

The Uchiha rested the enormous sword on her shoulder “This is a replica of the Kubikiribōchō, a legendary sword from back home.”

Deirdre approached her favorite student “May I?” Saeko nodded and carefully handed the sword over.

“Oof” the professor let out in surprise as the blade's tip buried itself into the floor, “I didn't expect it to be so heavy. This is a zanbatō, right?”

The brunette was impressed about her knowledge “Indeed.”

“Twenty points for Ravenclaw” the Scot said with a smile and gave the sword back. Saeko bowed slightly in thanks and changed the blade back.

The class progressed without much success – usually by now the majority of the studious Ravenclaws managed the magic taught. But then again, Miss McKenna had warned them this was high level magic.

Helena held her attempt at a rapier of her own “Hey, do your people really use those massive swords or are they just for show?”

Saeko grinned and transfigured her branch into a sword again but this time it was the Samaheda “Oh, they are very much used. Well, not by us per se, this is more Kirigakure's area of expertise.” At her friend's arched eyebrows she made some moves with the zanbatō to show the size and weight didn't really matter for a ninja.

“And this one is?” the blonde prompted.

“Samaheda, aka the sharkskin – it doesn’t cut, it shaves” Saeko said informatively.

“It's creepy” Ashley wrinkled her nose.

“I think that was the idea. But yeah, Kiri was always bonkers” the brunette said even if that was quite a downplay for the _bloody mist_.

The Brits just stared at Saeko for a little while and then turned to their own work, already used to bizarre comments and stories. The ninja frowned at the humongous sword, not liking the imperfect copy, and performed _mucro_ one more time to get the familiar shape of her own tantō. “Much better” she commented and set it on the table.

“Miss McKenna, when would be best to use this spell? I mean spells are more efficient and far quicker” a pudgy Hufflepuff asked.

Deirdre shrugged “It depends on your fighting style but the greatest upside is that physical weapons, even if made by magic, are able to penetrate most shields. If you are quick enough such a strike can grant you victory. Also many enchanted objects, such as robes that could help in blocking spells, would not be able to withstand a well placed stab. The biggest boon of all is however the possibility to counter the killing curse.”

The class gasped, this was something they never heard before, even the Ravenclaws. Miss McKenna nodded and continued “Avada Kedavra, the most horrid of the Unforgivables, is only efficient against organic targets, if it impacts on something else it shatters.”

“So if you take cover you can't be killed” Helena mused out loud.

“Indeed” the teacher said with an approving smile, “In the past war there was a quite famous auror that used an old-fashioned wooden shield. Alas it didn't help him much when he was ambushed and three shattering curses took off this protection.”

Everybody nodded and went back to trying to make a viable sword. Before long the bell rang and McKenna instructed all the students to put their attempts on her table. The young witches and wizards parted quite reluctantly with their new, however incomplete, weapons.

“Miss Uchiha, would you stay behind for a moment?” the red-headed teacher called out.

Saeko grinned, eager to hear what the duelist had to say. When the classroom emptied the Scot took the sole tantō on her desk “The swords you made were not your first time holding a blade, I can see by the detail and make these were not from imagination but real weapons. Also you held them like someone who knew exactly how to use them.”

The kunoichi nodded “Kenjutsu is quite common back home.”

“I duel quite often with professor Flitwick to keep me in shape, he is truly brilliant. I also have a swordsman education but I obviously had no time to practice, I was hoping we could spar.”

The Uchiha poker face was very much needed since without it Saeko would be left gaping at the teacher “I beg your pardon?”

Miss McKenna rolled her eyes “Spar. If you are indeed versed in swordsmanship you should be familiar with the concept.”

Saeko smirked “Indeed I am.”

“So?”

“When and where?

“I'm actually meeting professor Flitwick tonight. Come to his office at eight, we usually have a tea first, since you are still a minor it would be appropriate to have your Head of House to supervise” Deirdre mused.

The kunoichi nodded, already scheming how to get some advanced spells for such a favour “I'll be there. But I want your word that when I beat you you will not hold it against me in class or otherwise.”

“You wish, but yes, I accept those terms.”

“See ya tonight sensei, I'm looking forward to it” Saeko smirked again.

Deirdre smiled sweetly “I believe the phase goes: bring it on!”

The ninja laughed “So I shall.”

As Saeko made her way back to the Ravenclaw Tower she smiled smugly – if she played this right she could get a premier duelist feed her new spells and tactics as well as help her hone her magical skills. _I could ask to be present during some of her duels with Flitwick, with my sharingan on it would be a veritable well of knowledge. Fun fun fun!_

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko curtly answered the riddle of the Tower's guardian and entered the common room. Her usual group of friends was all huddled in one corner near the fireplace having a study group. They all looked up when Ashley greeted her roommate and waved.

“Hn” the Uchiha offered with a nod and approached them.

Daniel raised his eyebrows “Someone is in a great mood today.”

“Yeah, what happened? Usually when you return from your run you are much more agreeable” Ashley asked.

“I'm fine” Saeko said with a roll of her eyes.

Graham smirked “Uh-oh, my dad told me that when a woman says that it doesn't mean fine at all. The scale goes: great, good, okay, not okay, I hate you, fine.”

All the females in the group collectively glared at Graham who gulped and immediately shut up. Peter elbowed his friend “Good job, all of them are _fine_ now.”

“All right,” Daniel butted in “we were just doing the herbology assignment, wanna join?”

“Not really in the mood, but I guess I should. I'm going to change and then I'll be back” the scarred kunoichi sighed and headed to her room.

Saeko grabbed a new shirt and her books. Pausing at the door she backtracked and grabbed her pipe and two bottles of cider she had stashed in a scroll – after her run in with the Hufflepuffs and subsequent argument with Faith she needed something to relax. Especially if they were about to study herbology, the class she considered among the most useless.

After a thrilling hour and half of Puffapods and other exciting plants the group broke in a few smaller ones. Saeko and Helena decided on a game of shougi since they haven't played in a while.

“Hey Saeko, isn't that your pet project over there?” Caitlin asked.

Graham smirked “Her wanna-be cop, that sweaty whale over there?”

The Uchiha moved her lance piece and looked up “He's actually working very hard.”

“We can see that” Caitlin chuckled and returned to her debate about brooms with the boys.

Helena cleared her throat to signalize Saeko's turn. The ninja's attention returned to the board and as she took a long drag from her pipe she slowly moved her silver general. The blonde frowned as she focused. She gently tapped her chin and looked up “Hey Saeko?”

“Hm?”

“Can I try?” Helena asked indicated the Chinese pipe with her chin.

Saeko arched her eyebrows “Try what? Smoking?”

Helena nodded and moved her own shōgi piece “I'm curious.”

The kunoichi chuckled “They say it's bad for you.” At her friend's glare he laughed and gently relinquished her pipe “Do you know how to?”

“Psh” Helena scoffed and eyed the pipe before taking a drag.

“I'll make you some tea” Saeko said after one look at her friend's agonized face.

The pureblood nodded before beginning to cough. With a scratchy voice she whispered “A cup would be nice.”

Saeko chuckled “I'll be right back. Hang in there, oh and don't cheat.”

“Shut it Uchiha” the blonde replied with another cough.

Quickly climbing the Tower's stairs she paused at Helena's room and knocked. Not getting any response, Michelle had to be downstairs, she entered and snatched the tea paraphernalia she saw on Helena's table.

When she made her way back to the Common Room she was met with a curious sight of nearly all her friends coughing and looking generally miserable “What happened?”

“Graham and Peter laughed at my attempt at smoking and had to try to do better” Helena informed the scarred nin with a smirk.

Caitlin, the current holder of Saeko's precious pipe, smiled proudly “Wussies, all of them. You should see how much grams uses, this is nothing in comparison.”

Saeko grinned and handed the kettle and the rest to Helena and took her pipe back. She sighed when she noticed it needed to be refilled “Greedy Brits.”

“They are going to pay for it, just wait” the redhead smirked again as she surveyed the mildly green faces around her.

“Hn”

Paddy elbowed the ninja and put his best pleading look on “Can I try again? I heard that everybody coughs at first. Let me try one more time and I'll bet you I'll look suave.”

Caitlin laughed and Saeko couldn't help but grin “I'm going to take that bet. All right but this is the last time I'm running upstairs to get something for you people.”

X

**Later in the evening**

“This would be so funny if it wasn't tragic” Saeko sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Caitlin and Daniel shrugged. “I puked too when I stole grams pipe” the Irish girl confessed.

“Is a bit of restraint so much to ask?” the ninja continued.

“Apparently not. It is kinda funny though” Daniel chimed in.

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “At least they made it to the bathroom. By the way Daniel, shouldn't you be with the boys?”

“I'll take care of them when they are finished. And I don't see you with Ash nor Helena” said the bespectacled Raven.

“Angela and Joanne are taking care of them since Michelle decided she would participate on the fun and now in the synchronized vomiting” Caitlin answered.

Saeko scrunched her nose “That is disgusting Kate.”

“But true” the redhead smirked.

“Hn. They better get rid of it now. If they don't go to class tomorrow because they still feel sick I'll personally kick their asses and drag them down” the Uchiha exclaimed.

Daniel chuckled “I'll pass that along. Well, I'm gonna check on them. See ya tomorrow.”

“Sweet dreams” Saeko said sarcastically.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

It was a truly beautiful day, sunny and surprisingly warm for the last day of February. The winter was always hesitant to weaken its grasp on the Scotland highlands but it seemed the approaching spring was coming early this year.

The Ravenclaw quidditch team was worked tirelessly for their match that was to take place two weeks from now, the long-awaited match against Slytherin. Everybody was pretty confident, they trained enough to withstand the brute strength and any underhanded tactics the Snakes could throw at them and if everything failed, Frost would save the day.

The glaring campaign from the green-clad students had already begun a few days ago, they had a reputation to maintain after all, but otherwise things seemed pretty civil.

“Okay people, let's head back down” Jamie announced as she caught the quaffle.

“Thank Merlin, I'm starving!” Wayne exclaimed in joy and immediately aimed his broom to towards the ground.

Among the general sound of agreement the Team landed. As they made their way to the locker rooms Rory grinned “I can't wait for the match, Daveth promised he would bring some kind of great muggle alcohol for the party afterwards.”

“Not to mention that Suzie promised she would kiss you if you score a hundred against the Snakes” Wayne chuckled.

“A hundred? Doable but you better bring your A-game to the match” Jared said and slapped Rory's back.

“As if” James scoffed.

Frost perked up “Hey, speaking of party, have you heard that McGonagall was pissed off when three Gryffs had to go to the infirmary cause they wanted to make some big production for the last match of the season. She practically forbade everything except banners.”

“What were they trying?” Saeko asked.

“Muggle fireworks” Frost grimaced.

“Ouch” the team chorused.

When they arrived at the divide between male and female locker area Jamie spoke up “You guys don't wait up, I need to talk with Saeko about something.” The Uchiha looked at her captain in surprise but nodded nonetheless. The boys shrugged and nodded as well.

When the girls entered their allotted space Jamie sat on the bench that sat in the middle. Saeko leaned her broom on a nearby wall and sat beside the platinum blonde, waiting. From the way Jamie was wreathing her hands it looked serious.

Finally Jamie took a deep breath and began talking, her eyes not meeting the younger girl “I… Hm, this is personal Saeko.” The Uchiha nodded, waiting for more. “I… How did you know you were gay?”

Saeko arched her eyebrows in surprise “I was just never attracted to men. At all. My female teacher on the other hand… I talked to my nii-san, sorry, my brother, and he explained. The thought of me even kissing a guy seems wrong.”

Jamie just hummed and made brief eye-contact with her beater. When she still said nothing Saeko gently nudged her friend “Talk to me Jamie. I won't judge, I won't gossip, I just want to help.”

The Brit nodded reluctantly “You know I have been dating Adrian Kessler the last three months right? The handsome, funny, popular, smart Adrian Kessler.”

“Yes of course. There have been envious comments of you 'snatching him'” Saeko nodded.

“I know. There are many girls who would want to be in my place. Problem is I'm not that thrilled to be in my place. Adrian is great but I don't really _feel_ anything when I'm with him. Not even when he kisses me. Kissing shouldn't be a chore, right?” Jamie said, looking pleadingly into Saeko's eyes.

The brunette smiled slightly “No, it should not. And you think it's because you're gay? Maybe you are just not attracted to Kessler.”

“I thought about it since the second week in the relationship. At first I thought I would ride it out, he is my first boyfriend after all. Then I saw you with Faith, making out in a hallway” Jamie said clearly embarrassed, “It was hot. Hell, I was more excited by your display that Adrian ever made me. Then I got a close look at my past interactions with people. There had been girls I had admired – I thought I just wanted to be like them but now I don't know.”

Saeko smiled encouragingly “You are confused, that's ok. I don't know how to help you though, maybe just advise you to tell Adrian? If one thing is clear is that Kessler is not the one for you. Stringing him along is not fair to him or to you.”

“I know” Jamie sighed.

The brunette smiled again and gave her captain a one armed hug “It's gonna be alright. Hey, then we can raise the rainbow flag and find you a gal.”

Jamie laughed and stood up. Both girls then proceeded to shower and change like after any other training session.

When both Ravens were back in 'civilian' clothes Jamie paused at the door “I… No, nothing. Forget it.”

Saeko rolled her eyes and crossed her arms “Spill it.”

“No, it's dumb” Jamie shook her head, now embarrassed. The Uchiha was clearly not impressed. The blonde sighed “I… I have a favour to ask.”

“Well? Anything for my captain” Saeko smirked.

Jamie blushed “Could I kiss you?”

Saeko chuckled “You want to make sure or I'm just that awesome?”

“You are an ass” the blonde shook her head with a small smile.

The Uchiha smirked and approached the blonde “As I said, anything for my captain”. When Saeko stood mere inches from the blonde the smirk turned into a small smile. Then she brushed Jamie's lips slightly before joining their mouths together. Saeko backed her captain back onto the wall, thoroughly enjoying their quite certainly only kiss.

Finally separating Saeko asked “So?”

“Not half bad” Jamie blushed.

“Rainbow flag?”

“Rainbow flag.”


	45. 3- 45 Some Things Change, Some Do Not

 

Saeko was sitting in the Great Hall picking at her breakfast and playing with her tea. When Ashley finally made her way to the table, as always the one who slept the latest, she looked questioningly at her friends who seemed to carefully ignore the Uchiha who was in an obviously bad mood. Again.

“Who pissed in your coffee?” Ash asked despite Peter's signals to leave Saeko alone.

“I don't drink coffee, that's more your area” the ninja replied without looking up.

“It's heaven” the smaller brunette said levelly.

“If you say so”

After a beat of silence Ashley decided to press on “Back to the intent of my question, what's up? You didn't get laid yesterday?”

“I actually did”

“So?” Ash asked while the group subtly listened.

Saeko glared but her roommate didn't let up. She turned her gaze to the rest of her friends who smiled shakily and moved several seats away. Sighing Saeko eventually answered “We argued again.”

“Psh, what about?”

The ninja shrugged “I'm thinking of breaking up with her.”

Ashley arched her eyebrows in surprise “Really? That bad?”

“She mocked my loyalty to Konoha” Saeko frowned.

“She did not” the Brit rolled her eyes.

“Not really, no but…”

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

_“You are such a pureblood sometimes!” Faith angrily exclaimed._

_“I just said you don_ _'t need to criticize the British magical society all the time” the ninja sighed in exasperation._

_The Brit huffed “It's bigoted and…”_

_“Ugh!”_

_“We could talk about your magical society. Oh wait, we can't! You never talk about home” Faith accused._

_Saeko rolled her eyes “I do, but maybe I just don't want you to condemn Konoha.”_

_“I can't help it the little you said about it seemed a bit fascist”_

_“We are very much satisfied with our system“_

_“You are practically brainwashed, I mean a single absolutist leader? How backwards is that!”_

_“Being Hokage is my dream as you well know, I_ _'d appreciate if you didn't comment on the title” Saeko said testily._

_“How can I not! Your village blindly follows orders of one man and twelve or so nobles?_

_“We are a military dictatorship but doesn_ _'t mean we the mindless sheep you make us to be” the Uchiha nearly snarled._

_“Oh please, I listened to your stories - w_ _hen the Hokage says jump, you say how high” Faith scoffed._

_Saeko folded her arms and decided to provoke “No, I’m already two feet in the air.”_

_“Precisely my point!”_

**_*Flashback End*_ **

 

“Oh” Ashley said.

“Yeah” Saeko shrugged “there was more, shouting included. Then we had a bit of angry sex, which was awesome by the way.”

Ash rolled her eyes “Didn't need to know that.”

“I can't be fully honest with her. It irks me. Not even sex can keep this afloat” the ninja shrugged, having already decided.

“So you really plan on breaking up with her?” the smaller brunette asked with dismay.

Saeko sighed “It was always meant to be temporary anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Konoha” Saeko said in a 'duh' voice.

Ash nodded “Oh yeah, right. So you broke up?”

“Not yet, I just walked out.” At Ashley's reproachful look the ninja sighed “I know, a bit childish. I'll talk to her today and finish it citing irreconcilable differences.”

“You seem almost chipper now, when I came in you were a veritable glum cloud” the Brit said with a fait trace of pride in her voice.

Saeko shrugged “Eh, sulking is not productive. Now I will have more time. On the other hand I'll have to start masturbating again.” She paused and then continued with a smirk “Pun not intended but a good one.”

 “Saeko!”

* * *

**Library**

Saeko was sitting at one of the tables near the entrance of the library that she favored when she was feeling social but not that much it would require actually talking to somebody and was reading the letters from Konoha that Itachi gave her after their weekly talk and spar.

Currently she was trying very, _very_ hard not to laugh and get expelled from the library by Madame Pince. The letter from Naruto that she's been reading was unusually long and descriptive of his new genjutsu training. She could picture quite clearly this Gamariki, a toad okama, complete with giant lips and make-up. And that _love genjutsu_ , hilarious. Of course most of the missive was dedicated to him defeating Hanzo's right-hand man Kandachi. And being a hero. Oh and the fact he can dispel illusions now. As if he could hold at bay a highly trained Uchiha.

With an unsatisfied hum she thought “ _Still, killing Kandachi is a pretty big deal, he's getting better. But Naruto, you are not the only one how's getting stronger.”_

“Good read?”

Saeko looked up from her scroll and grinned at Lauren “Indeed, I got mail.”

“Must be good, you bordered on 'inappropriate volume level for the library'” the Slytherin smirked and sat down next to Saeko.

“Naruto, that rival of mine, never fails to be funny” the ninja replied.

Lauren sighed “That sounds great. Everybody in Slytherin is only mildly entertaining.”

“Really? Back in our common room the boys went to build a blanket fort. That's why I'm here” Saeko laughed quietly.

The red-head pouted “Sometimes I kinda wish I had been sorted differently, our common room is always... somber seems a good word for it.”

“So the Ravens who the rest of the school sees as bookish bores are actually the life and soul of any party” the kunoichi smirked.

The Slytherin laughed “Seems like it. Then again your House's performances during quidditch hinted at that. Though the Snakes also love a good victory, those parties are brilliant.”

“It's something” Saeko replied.

“True” Lauren nodded. Inclining her head the aspirant healer changed the subject “I heard through the grapevine that you and Faith broke up. My condolences.”

Saeko shrugged “Meh, it was a long time coming.”

“How nonchalant” the red-head said in slight disapproval.

“Not really, I just had this talk five times already and that's not counting the actual break up” the kunoichi explained with a sigh.

Lauren nodded “You're right, I should've realized you didn't want to talk about it. Sorry but it's just too nice a gossip to pass up.”

“I don't really mind” Saeko shrugged again, “I just didn't want to seem like a cold bitch. I'm sad but hey, now I have time to read this.”

“What is it?” Lauren asked and squinted so she could see the title.

“The _Leviathan_. I'm catching up on my philosophy and political science since those were the topics that caused most friction in my and Faith's relationship” the ninja replied.

The Slytherin smirked “I seem to recall me telling you that relationship between muggleborns and purebloods seldom work.”

Saeko smiled at her friend's expression “And you were right.”

“Any chance you'll be so heartbroken to throw next week's match?” Lauren asked with a grin.

The ninja couldn't help but laugh “No chance. You know, most people wouldn't ask something like this in fear they would offend.”

Lauren shrugged “You don't seem too broken about it, plus Snake remember? We are quote 'slimy bastards'.”

“I always wondered about that statement, snakes are not slimy at all, they are dry and scaly. Nice to touch actually. That is if they are not trying to kill you” Saeko mused.

“You broke up with your girlfriend just few days back and you already think about touching Slytherins?” the red-head said with mirth in her voice.

The nin smirked “Your House does have several yummy specimens, you included.”

“Dream on Uchiha”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Ready to kick ass?” Jamie said as she dressed in her sapphire blue quidditch uniform.

Saeko grinned “When am I not? And shouldn't it be me to ask this question?”

The older girl sighed “We already talked about it, Adrian took it relatively well. He is a nice guy. I had no problems and I even think he didn't tell anybody.”

“Good” Saeko said resolutely.

Jamie smiled but then she paused “Wait, you didn't have anything to do with this, right?”

“I might have had a little chat with the good man” the kunoichi said innocently.

“Saeko…”

The brunette stopped her “Don't worry, he was just a bit confused and I helped clear things up. You were right, he is a nice guy.”

“Please elaborate” Jamie said sternly.

The Uchiha sighed “This timing is so wrong, no need to get pumped just before a match” At her Captain's glare she continued “I just explained thing from your perspective, or my best guess. I just made sure he knew you weren't leading him on and that he wasn't at fault. He was sympathetic and wished you the best of luck.”

“We did stay friends” Jamie nodded, happy with the outcome.

“See no harm, no foul” Saeko grinned.

“Alright, thanks by the way. Now, let's take Slytherin down a peg!” the blonde declared.

“Yes, mon capitain!”

Both girls joined the rest of the team in the small hallway that lead to the pitch. All of them were primed and ready for the fight that the match will inevitably turn into. There was no need for a speech, they all knew to give their best. Besides, the loud caws that could be heard from the Ravenclaw stands ware reassuring enough. Determined to win, the Team stood in silence, waiting to be called onto the field.

When the commentator called for the Ravenclaw Eagles with the usual flourish they mounted their brooms and flew in. Saeko and Jared threw in some airborne tricks much to the delight of their fans. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor eagerly joined in, House rivalries prominent as ever.

Both the commentator and Madame Hooch went on with their usual pre-match routine but most of the players were focused either inwards or on their enemies.

Finally the match began.

The quaffle went to Flint and the Slytherins immediately set a very fast pace. Coincidentally that's how the Eagles preferred it too.

Saeko and Jared immediately gained possession of the bludgers and set to wreak havoc in the enemy lines. Giller and Dennison, the green beaters, obviously studied the style of their opposition but were not prepared for the sheer strength and cooperation the Ravenclaw duo displayed.

When it was clear that the chasers were more or less evenly matched and that the beaters tipped the scales firmly to the Eagle's favour the Slytherins changed tactics and began a very brutal assault.

In retaliation the Eagles took it up a notch as well.

“ _Come on baby, come on, just a little bit further, GOTCHA!”_ Saeko thought as she took aim and sent the bludger at the opposing chaser who waited for a pass.

Baxley saw the black ball just in time and veered right, causing him to miss the quaffle which took residence within Jamie's arms.

_“Ravenclaw scores! The Eagles in the lead 130 to 90”_

Flint didn't seem to appreciate the reminder and immediately dove to the Ravenclaw captain, completely ignoring the red ball thrown his way by his keeper. As Jamie evaded the bludger sent her way Flint flew past her and deliberately elbowed her in her face and caught the quaffle sent by his teammate.

“FOUL!”

Despite the professed innocence Ravenclaw was granted a penalty shot which Rory had no trouble scoring. In the meantime Saeko tried to heal her captain but in such a short time Jamie had to fly still a bit dizzy and bruised.

When the game resumed Flint nodded at his teammates with a sadistic grin but before any of Slytherins plays could be made Jared flew by the Snake captain and kicked his broom. As Flint tried to contain the spinning he got caught by a bludger, courtesy of Saeko.

“FOUL!”

The resulting goal was a small price to pay for Flint's arm which he cradled closely to his chest with a pained grimace.

When the sun peeked from the curtain of clouds the House of the Wise immediately used it to their advantage, blinding their opponents and scoring as much as they could before the advantage disappeared.

Saeko and Jared were able to prevent any more injuries but it made them a target. One of Flint's strategies became obvious as the duo found themselves in the crosshairs of every opposing player bar the seeker, which was quite a surprise since they all thought he would go after Frost, the superior seeker on the field.

The strategy proved to be sound when both Saeko and Jared had their hands full and couldn’t stop Baxley from deliberately colliding with Frost at the first hint of dive for the elusive snitch.

Enough was enough and Saeko decided they had enough lead to risk another foul. As Dennison was aiming towards her she made her broom shoot forward and made a motion to intercept the bludger. In reality her target was different - Dennison's beaters bat itself. The wooden bat could not withstand the one reinforced with chakra and was smashed in pieces.

The Slytherin beater just gaped at the stump that was left and Saeko made and apologetic face despite grinning on the inside “ _Shinobi don't play fair, get used to it.”_

The incident was chalked to malfunctioning equipment and the Snake was forced to land to fetch a spare. Flint immediately flew towards Madame Hooch to request a timeout but Frost used this moment to break free and dive for the second time in the game.

At the shouts of the spectators Flint immediately turned back but he and the other green-clad players were intercepted by the Eagles.

Higgs was hot on Frost's tail but was forced to sloth-roll when Jared sent a furious bludger his way. With Dennison temporarily out of play Jared could harass the Slytherin seeker until…

“ _Frost catches the snitch, Ravenclaw WINS!”_

Among the cheers and the obligatory caws the Ravenclaw team flew together into a giant embrace. “It looks like we will have that party after all Rory” Jamie grinned.

“Was there ever any doubt?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okama: a japanese cross-dresser


	46. 3- 46 Genjutsu Awareness Week

 

Saeko was walking leisurely towards the Charm's classroom after a very refreshing nap she had after training. Since she skipped lunch the Uchiha was snacking on a Konoha field ration bar with a smile on her face – normally she pretty much hated the taste, or the lack of taste, but it reminded her of home.

The smile turned more neutral when she spotted her ex-girlfriend and her friends. “Hey” she greeted.

Faith, Abby and Serena just glared and walked past. Saeko arched her eyebrows “Ooookay, nice to see you too.”

With a roll of her eyes the Uchiha resumed her journey. The Charms classroom was only half-full, there was still enough time before the bell. Saeko sat down on her usual spot next to Helena who was reading a book as always.

The ninja waited a little while to be acknowledged but since the blonde seemed to prefer the book to her friends company Saeko started poking Helen's side. With a huff the Brit closed the book and glared “What?”

“Sooo I met Faith and her friends few minutes ago. She seemed pissed and didn't even say hi” Saeko explained the situation.

Helena didn't lose her annoyed look “Makes sense, you did dump her.”

The Uchiha frowned “I'd like to think it was mutual.”

“Yeah, it seems she doesn't agree” the blonde said airily.

“It's not like it was entirely my fault” Saeko said defensively, “I just said the words but we argued all the time the last month.”

Before Helena could reply another voice spoke up “Hey guys, why is the Uchiha pouting?”

Saeko turned and glared at her Slytherin friend “I do not pout.”

“Could've fooled me,” the blonde murmured, “Hello Lauren.”

“I do not pout. Uchiha don't pout”

Both Brits ignored Saeko and continued their dialogue “So what's up?”

Helena shrugged “Teenage drama.”

Lauren nodded solemnly but Saeko almost shrieked “Teenage drama? The hell? You are a teenager too last I checked.”

“Faith thinks she's a jerk” the blonde explained further.

“Ah” Lauren smirked, “And look, she's pouting again.”

Since Saeko refused to talk, the purebloods carried the conversation without her until the bell rang.

Finally professor Flitwick hopped on his elevated position behind the desk and after greeting his students he took attendance. Satisfied that nobody was missing he announced “Today you will be learning the _Protego_ , the Shield Charm.”

Excited murmurs erupted, this charm was usually for fourth-year curriculum. Flitwick smiled “Indeed. Most of you know of this charm and some of you even know how to perform it. Given the nature of your DADA classes I would say it's time to officially learn it.”

“Many witches and wizards rely on _Protego_ too much and neglect dodging and evasion but I trust Miss McKenna stressed the importance of such maneuvers both in dueling and other matters. Also keep in mind that this spell is only the most basic of shields and can be broken. Furthermore it protects only in one direction and it doesn't work on physical objects not even those conjured.”

“Despite those shortcomings it should suffice in most if not all situations you will come across” the professor finished.

After explaining the spell in great detail Flitwick clapped his hands together in excitement and drew his wand “Now for the demonstration. Mister Sadiq, if you please.”

“Sir?” the bewildered Ravenclaw asked.

The diminutive teacher grinned “Attack me. Something basic, the Stinging Charm perhaps?”

Aaron blinked in surprise but drew his wand. With a murmured incantation a thin ray of white light shot from his wand. Professor Flitwick theatrically and with exaggerated movement and pronunciation cast “ _Protego_!”

The jinks harmlessly dissipated and the students clapped politely. The quarter goblin bowed to his audience “This was a very easy spell to block but even a stronger one would fail. The beauty of this charm is that the strength of shield is proportionate to the magic behind it. The more juice you give it the more you are protected.  True masters use a small area shield but very powerful but the usual method is a wider protection since it requires less control and less accuracy.”

“Now” the professor continued, “Let's see how you do it.”

Immediately the room was filled with murmured incantations and sparely some frustrated shouts of “ _Protego_!”

Half an hour into the lesson everybody managed to at least materialize some blue light, the tell-tale signs of the charm. Flitwick clapped to get the classes' attention “Excellent. I see you managed to get the basics down. Now for the important part – the blocking itself.”

Not really sure what he meant the student stayed silent. The man continued “Split into pairs and try it out. The first one of the two will be casting, hmmm, yes, the tripping charm and his partner will try to block. Please no maliciousness, make sure your partner is prepared and be obvious.”

Saeko looked at her left where Helena nodded. With her partner in tow the ninja moved down to the open space. When everybody was settled they began.

Neither Saeko nor Helena had any problems. Both of them knew how to cast the _protego_ efficiently already – Saeko because it was hands-down one of the most useful spells for combat and the blonde because her father deemed it necessary to know how to protect herself from any potential underhandedness of his business rivals.

Not far from the two Ravens, Aurora and one of her Slytherin followers were paired up. It was obvious that both girls were fairly good but since Saeko had heard more than one comment about 'brutish beaters that at least had enough decorum to ditch that mudblooded pet of hers' from the blonde Snake she decided to mess with her a little.

Just when Aurora's partner was about to fire Saeko used her sharingan to screw up the blonde's timing. The ninja took great pleasure when the bitchy Slytherin fell onto her rear.

“Let's switch it up, shall we?” Flitwick spoke once more, “The Water Jet Charm. Go!”

Saeko blocked the water sent her way without difficulty. After a few more turns her eyes wandered to the Slytherin's queen bee and Aurora 'mysteriously' got splashed right into her face.

When the bell finally rang most of the students got practice for homework, the drenched Aurora included. If Saeko wasn't an Uchiha she would openly giggle.

“Class is over” Flitwick announced. Among the usual mess that was everybody talking and packing the Ravenclaw Head of House spoke up once more “Could my Ravens please stay behind?”

The blue-clad students obliged and sat back down, curious.

“It might've come to your attention that banned substances, cannabis and the _Tingly Mushrooms_ , appeared at in our House. Last night several Ravens came into the Tower, ah what was the muggle colloquialism? Ah 'high as a kite'” Flitwick said sternly.

The class erupted in murmurs.

“Hence the 50 point drop you may have noticed this morning” the Head of House continued.

*Hiss* The Ravenclaws as any other House really hated losing points.

Flitwick continued his reprimand “I know school is stressful, especially in the 7th and 5th year but this shall not be tolerated.”

The quarter-goblin looked over his charges with a stony expression “If I catch you relying on such crutches again the punishment will be more than just point loss and detention. You may go.”

With this dismissal the students stood up and trailed out of the room. Everybody was talking about the revelation. They all agreed it must've been some of the older years.

Ashley turned to her roommate who stayed silent during the discussion “What do you think Saeko?”

The ninja shrugged “I'm tad disappointed I couldn't join in on the fun.”

“Hear, hear” Graham nodded.

Ashley and Helena shook their heads in exasperation.

* * *

**Great hall**

“What's that shit?” Caitlin asked as she plopped down on her usual spot beside her friends and pointed at Saeko.

The ninja looked up with thinly veiled disgust “I believe it's Shepherd's pie.”

“I know that” the Irish girl said with a roll of her eyes, “I meant that, your drink.”

Saeko brightened up considerably and held her glass up “Apple and beetroot juice! A new elf must've arrived or they read some new cookbooks.”

“Ugh, you and all that healthy stuff” Graham chimed in.

“And you think pumpkin juice is better?”

Daniel turned from her discussion with Helena “I actually agree with Saeko, pumpkin juice might be traditional but its nutritional value makes me weep.”

“You're prissy” Graham said good-naturedly, “and we all know Saeko is weird. Look, she isn't even eating!”

“Did I mention I hate the shepherd's pie” the Uchiha said in explanation,

“YES” everybody said in chorus

The scatted teen shrugged “It bears repeating.”

Peter smirked “I actually thought you were cautious, we all know we don't want a repeat of the day before yesterday.”

Indeed they all were a bit weary of their meals - two days ago _someone_ , read Weasleys, if their detention was to be believed, spiked all the drinks with giggling potion. Giggling consecutively for three hours was not fun at all and most disappointing was the fact that neither Snape nor McGonagall drank.

“Another argument in favor of water” Saeko mentioned off-handily, “Or apple and beetroot juice.”

Caitlin made a face. Helena just sighed “Why do we always default to talking about food?”

“We like food” Peter said in mock confusion.

“Looooove it” Paddy chimed in.

Graham nodded vigorously “Yup!”

Saeko lost interest in the conversation, they did indeed had it many times before. Instead she turned her attention to the Weasley twins. They reminded her of Naruto – pranksters but with their skills they would make perfect infiltrators and assassins. If that giggling potion had been a poison or a paralytic the vast majority of the students and staff would be incapacitated. Similarly all those pranks Naruto inflicted on Konoha, his ability to hide from ANBU, granted those treated him as a friendly not an enemy, but it was quite impressive. If the blond wasn't a jinchuuriki and not preferred front line fighting he would be the best stealth specialist in the village.

But those apparently do not have enough glory.

Moving on.

“Hey, what about a counter-prank?” Peter proposed suddenly, interrupting the food conversation.

Ashley's eyes gleamed “I like it!”

“Really?” Helena said dryly, less than impressed, “You want to start a pranking war?”

“I agree with Helena, it will only spur them on” Saeko nodded.

Seeing the excited faces of the rest of his friends Daniel tried to be the third voice of reason “Come on, no one want detentions and point loss, we are in the middle of the second semester, we should be starting study groups, not this mayhem.”

“I think we can hide our tracks simply enough, we have done so on more than one occasion already” Caitlin countered.

“Yeah, the Weasleys pranked practically everybody so we should not come under scrutiny” added Graham.

Helena sighed and shook her head in exasperation “They will just pull another mass prank, it will be a nightmare.”

Her comment fell on deaf ears as the pranking group started discussing possible ideas. The first thing that was determined was that anything they did would be against the whole Gryffindor House and not just the Weasley twins – Paddy pointed out that the Gryffs being annoyed would try to keep the first-years in line to moderate any possible retaliation.

“What about we let loose a niffler in their common room?” Peter proposed.

“No, they can be dangerous. Besides where would you get one” Caitlin rolled her eyes.

The boy shrugged “It was just an idea.”

“How about…no, sorry, that was stupid” Graham started.

Helena smirked “No surprise there.”

Before Graham could retaliate Daniel spoke to the surprise of everybody “Maybe we could do something to the area just in from of their Common Room. Like grow really thick bushes or a swamp.”

Everybody hummed as they thought about it. Ashley patted Daniel's back “You know, that is actually a great idea!”

“I agree.”

“Yup.”

“Sounds good.”

“Ha, we will make you a prankster out of you yet Danny boy!” Graham said jovially and put his arm around Daniel's shoulder in a mentoring manner. The bespectacled boy sighed and struggled out of the hold.

Caitlin clapped her hands together “It's decided then. Does anybody know how to actually do it?”

Everybody turned to the ninja. Saeko was quite flattered but had to disappoint “Nope.”

“To the Library!” Graham said in a theatrical fashion and struck a pose. Saeko was heavily reminded of Jiraiya.

X

In true Ravenclaw fashion the group buried themselves in books. They nearly raided the whole transfiguration section of the Hogwarts Library.

An hour later they were disturbed by professor McGonagall who was wearing one of her rare smiles. The group put on some shaky smiles, not sure if the dreaded teacher had some way to know why they were in the Library. To everybody's relief the Head of Gryffindor dispelled those fears “It's always nice to see a group dedicated to their studies and such passion for transfiguration.”

The group gulped but maintained their smiles.

“Fifteen points for Ravenclaw, keep up with the good work” with that the professor left to talk to Pince.

After a collective sigh of relief Ashley spoke up “That was… unnerving.”

“I can't believe we got 15 points out of this” Peter said in disbelief.

“It's a sign” Graham said in a faux-reverent voice.

Everybody chuckled and returned to planning.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko was sitting near the window in the most comfy chair in the Common Room, she was quite fortunate to snatch it up, and was reading a thesis on layer genjutsu. This particular text was sent by Itachi the day before, he was pretty excited about it, as much as Itachi was able. The author was a budding genjutsu master of the Uchiha Clan – there were not many despite the sharingan's boon, ninjutsu looked more cool and the red-eyed clan liked to show off.

“Ehm, Saeko?” said an uncertain voice.

The Uchiha looked up and arched her eyebrows. Helena who stood next to Ashley seemed a bit shaken as well. “Yes?”

“There is a frog waiting for you. A taking frog. A talking frog which appeared in a poof of smoke” Ash said blandly.

Helena nodded weakly “In English too. Although the accent was pretty bad.”

_Damn you Jiraiya!_ “I believe he's a toad actually. Thank you, I'll be right there.”

When the kunoichi left Helena promptly took the coveted seat. Ash who sat on the ground asked “It was weird, wasn't it? At first I was sure I was delusional.”

“Certainly peculiar. But then again, our magic can do many astonishing feats” the blonde conceded.

Ash acquiesced “True. Talking messengers is new though.”

“Do you think the ravens and crows Saeko uses are able to talk as well?” the pureblood asked.

The younger girl seemed to ponder that for a bit “Possibly. We could ask.”

“Well, she does make life interesting” Ash commented.

“Too true”

“The toad was kind of adorable”

“Ugh” Helena frowned, “On that note did you know Angela is dating someone?”

The light brunette hummed “How are toads an Angela connected? And who's the boyfriend?”

Helena completely bypassed the first question “She and her friends were gushing about him, she's gotten much more annoying the way, some Nigel I think.”

“A Raven? There is a Nigel Mc something a year ahead of us” said Ashley. She was the only one of the trio who actually cared about people outside their 'little poker group' or year.

“I don't know, I was a bit nauseated, that's why I went to your room. If I knew I would see a warty disgusting amphibian I would've went somewhere else.”

Ash giggled “He was cute. And quite polite.”

“Hn”

“Now you sound like Saeko” the half-blood snorted in laughter.


	47. 3- 47 Adversarial

Hogsmeade!

Nobody could really believe that they were already bored with the little town after three visits. It was promised to be such a dream – a day out of school, full of liberties. The older years did warn them that the village would get old after a while but still…

“Sooo, Three Broomsticks?” Peter asked the Ravenclaw group.

“I want to go to Zonko's” Graham countered.

Helena rolled her eyes “Of course you would. We could split up and meet up at the pub, I have no interest in going to that smelly shop.”

“You know, we just successfully survived April's fools and I'm out of supplies” Graham defended poorly.

Daniel frowned “I told you not to start anything with the Weasley twins.”

“Yes mother” the pureblooded boy replied with a roll of eyes.

“Who cares, we are still first for the House Cup” Caitlin said with a shrug and headed for the joke shop.

Ash looked torn but in the end she joined Daniel, Saeko and Helena, and the splinter group headed for the premier pub in the village. Not that it was saying much.

Since it was still pretty early the foursome managed to snatch a table. As soon as their place was claimed Saeko stood up again ad offered to get their drinks. Daniel, forever the gentleman, shot up from his char and protested vigorously.

“Nah, I'll get them, I can actually carry them plus you were talking to Helena” Saeko countered, “So what's everyone having?”

It seemed everyone decided against being fancy and wanted a simple butterbeer. Saeko made her way towards the bar through the rapidly growing crowd and placed their order. She also had a pleasant chat with the owner of the establishment, Madame Rosmerta, about Runes and the necessity for self-study if they are to be of any use. The Uchiha prodigy had been most disappointed that the class only taught the languages and their translation and touched on their practical application only in the most basic terms.

Getting a few surprisingly useful tips for books on the subject Saeko and the drinks made their way back to the table, chuckling in amusement at the thought of the Uchiha heir and prodigy serving drinks to civilians. When she sat down and passed the pints she had to sigh because the topic of discussion – the new bill that just passed in the Wizengamot about dark creatures. The Uchiha wasn't overly interested, especially since this was quite a recurrent conversation this week.

Finally when it was appropriate Saeko jumped at the chance to change topics “Speaking of DADA, do you think Deirdre will go through with it?”

“You mean the tournament?” Ash perked up, “That would be cool.”

Daniel shrugged “You make it sound so big. She meant just four matches between the best students of each House in our year. I'd prefer some huge fights between the seventh years in front of all of Hogwarts, a big production you know?”

“That was exactly what Miss McKenna said would never happen” Helena reminded him.

“I know, but it would still be great” the only boy sighed in disappointment.

Saeko nodded vigorously “I would totally be game. I'd like to test out the Slytherins and Gryffindors.”

“Of course you would” the blonde girl said in mock condescension.

“Yeah, you won against all of us and the Puffs and now you want to show off to a larger audience” Ash contributed.

The kunoichi winked “I would be lying if I disputed that. It would be a nice change though, might give me some good ideas.”

“Such a violent girl” Helena shook her head dramatically.

“Yup”

“That wasn't a compliment”

Saeko shrugged with a huge grin on her face “I'll take it all the same.”

“Typical” the blonde smirked.

Daniel frowned as he thought of something “Do you think that Deirdre would make us duel instead of the final exam? It would be in character.”

“I wish” the jounin said longingly.

“What for?” Graham asked as his splinter group joined the foursome at the table.

The newcomers were immediately welcomed to the conversation, immediately comparing notes on Hufflepuffs and their fellow Ravens, even each other, and speculating on the 'best players' of the remaining Houses. Helena whipped up her little betting book and began calculating the odds of victory in the overall tournament even if the event itself would most likely never take place.

It was actually a brilliant day even if the group spent the majority of it in a pub. Or maybe because of it. Finally it was decided to return to the school but Hogsmeade had more in store for them – as soon as the group exited they found themselves in the first row for quite a show.

A small crowd already formed around a Hogwarts couple having a very public and very violent break-up. At least from the girl's part, it was obvious she was caught completely unaware.

Saeko looked expectantly at Ashley and Daniel if by any chance they knew either student but both shook their heads in negative. Pity. Though it didn't lessen their enjoyment of the free spectacle.

The boy, a sixth-year from the look of things, took one uneasy look at his surrounding and tried to calm his now ex-girlfriend.

“If I want to make a scene I'll fucking make a scene!” the pretty brunette shouted.

The boy cowered “Please calm down darling, I…”

“Darling, darling?!” the girl's voice began having a shrill quality to it.

Graham whispered his commentary “Oh, boy.”

“Indeed” Helena concurred but eagerly watched on as the girlfriend dressed down the sixth-year in a quite spectacular fashion.

When the boy received a resounding slap Ash grinned “Go girl!”

The boy began looking downright afraid, it was obvious he was thankful for the witnesses and the fact there were no things around his ex-girlfriend could throw at him.

After another bout of screaming, followed by crying the brunette shouted “Go and be happy with that skank!” and walked away, head held high, ignoring the audience.

Graham pouted, disappointed the show ended so soon and without injuries. The group started walking towards the Castle laughing and joking about the boy's unfortunate fate.

“I guess I got off easy” Saeko remarked.

Paddy grinned widely “Oh man, Saeko getting yelled at publically by Faith would be a sight I would pay for.”

“I'll remember that when you get girl trouble” the Uchiha smiled threateningly.

The boy gulped and nodded.

_Still got it._

* * *

**Potion** **'** **s Classroom**

_“I have to ask Dumbledore if he would consider sending Snape for a secondment to the T &I in Konoha”_ Saeko thought as she watched the hysterically sobbing Hufflepuff flee the dungeon classroom.

The potions professor eyed the rest of the class and gave them a first-class sneer “The rest of you dunderheads continue!”

Helena immediately busied herself with the ingredients while Saeko continued stirring, Uchiha mask firmly in place. She was glad she was never in his crosshairs, sometimes she thought he avoided her on purpose – quite smart on Snape's part, he dodged quite a bullet there. Saeko was very patient and rational, as any good kunoichi should be, but she was not above petty revenge especially when she was sure she could get away with it and that it would not affect Konoha. Fortunately for the teacher no bizarre accidents were necessary.

Speaking of accidents… “Aaaaaah!”

Everybody looked to the source of the scream, the Hufflepuff in the back on the classroom who somehow managed to catch fire.

“Unbelievable!” Snape gritted his teeth and waved his wand to extinguish the flames, “Just how stupid can you be!” The rest of his speech was conducted in angry murmurs. Finally pointing at a random Puff he sniped “You! Take the idiot to the Infirmary.”

The students stayed silent, not wanting to incur the potions master's wrath. The man in question started pacing and muttered all the time. Finally he snapped “All of you, get out! I had enough, class is over!”

Everybody looked at Snape in surprise but quickly scrambled to get their stuff, packed up their ingredients and got the hell out of dodge, leaving their incomplete potions behind.

“Soo we got a free period, great! We gotta thank Katniss if he ever dares to enter the potions dungeon again” Peter said once they were far far away from Snape.

 “Who now?” Graham asked.

Peter blushed and said nothing. Ashley chuckled and answered in his stead “Hunger Games, the girl on fire? No?”

Everybody except Daniel shook their head. Peter shot his bespectacled friend a pleading look. Daniel grinned and spoke up “Oh, it's from a book series, a very manly book series.”

“What's it about?” Saeko asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Before Ash or Daniel could reply Peter jumped in “Oh you know, adventure, death and deprived caste systems.”

Ash seemed impressed at his save “True. I don't even know why I like it though, since there is absolutely no romance, love triangles and angst, no sir.”

“Moving on!” Peter exclaimed, “Did you know my and Ash's parents got an offer for another dig in South America.”

“Yeah” the small brunette nodded, “They are considering it but I think teaching University classes is what they would prefer for the moment. I think they rather like the calm for a change.”

Peter hummed “But the opportunity is too good to pass up, you'd rather they stayed in a musty building?”

“They actually have time for us now” Ashley said bitterly.

The boy sighed “That's not fair and you know it.”

Trying not to interfere with the obviously very personal debate the rest of the little group slowed their pace to give an illusion of privacy.

“Whatever” the girl said dismissively.

“Ash” Peter said in reproach but at the look he got he wisely dropped the subject.

Helena gripped the ninja's elbow and gave her a meaningful look. Saeko sighed and nodded, it seems she was destined to play the Yamanaka with her roomie. As if her own experience with parents was grounds for counseling. Sometimes posing as the oldest and wisest had its drawbacks. _Speaking of Yamanaka I got to catch up with Yuuko soon._

“Saeko?” Daniel asked and waved his hand before the kunoichi's face.

“Mm?”

Peter chuckled “You kinda zoned out.”

Saeko shrugged but Helena all too eagerly shared her opinion in her stead “She's got that Faith look. Or girl-loving look more precisely.”

“Oh yeah” Ash nodded in realization, “On the prowl again?”

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “You make it sound so dirty.”

“I'm trying so hard not to make a joke right now” the blonde smirked.

“Because all of you are perverts” Saeko informed.

Daniel sniggered “Worse, we are teenagers!”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“You can't be bored Saeko” Jamie nudged her colleague.

The Uchiha shrugged and put her legs onto the railing before her “Sure I can, I'm not playing. That and we already crushed both the Snakes and the Badgers.”

“It's still fun” the blonde countered.

Wayne joined in with a smirk “Jamie is right. And it seems your ex agrees.”

Saeko looked over at the Hufflepuff stands and saw Faith and her crew making a big production as always. She smirked, obviously pleased. To change the subject she asked “Speaking about fun, how is apparition going? I know you are about to take the test.”

The sixth years sat back glumly. Jamie frowned “I managed once, just at the last lesson. I'm not confident at all. It doesn't help that Frostie here is a pro.”

“I splinched like five times already” the seeker sighed.

Rory shivered theatrically “I heard about that, it doesn't sound pleasant at all.”

“That because it isn't” Frost said dryly.

“I still can't wait to do it myself” James said, for once even looking happy.

Jared chimed in “It sounds really useful but I still think I prefer brooms.”

“I definitely do” Jamie concurred firmly.

Frost nodded vigorously “Absolutely. At least with a broom there is not a fifty percent chance of leaving body parts behind.” The Team was torn between being disgusted and amused.

“What is harder, apparition or non-verbal spells?” Jared asked eagerly.

Jamie answered “Apparition” just as Frost said “Depends.”

“Depends on what?” Saeko probed.

“On the spell”

“Oh, that makes sense” the ninja said airily and lost interest.

Not long after that the commentator started his usual pre-game routine and the match began shortly after. It turns out the match was interesting after all if you liked skirmishes and a surprising amount of blood despite it being a friendly school game. The Snakes went all out and were literally beating the Puffs into submission.

The match lasted much longer than any Saeko saw or participated in before and despite the already mentioned amount of gore the Uchiha _was_ bored. She wasn't the only one in that – she caught Helena' eye who rolled her eyes and jerked her chin towards her roomie. Saeko mimicked her friend and rolled her eyes as well – Michelle and her new boy-toy, quoting Helena, a nerdy looking boy looking even younger than her despite being a year older, were making out in the upper corner of the stands.

_Ugh_. Promptly she returned her attention to the flying players on the field.

One of the more interesting moments was when Flint grabbed a handful of Angelina Johnson's hair and nearly pulled her off her broom.

“Ouch” the boys winced. Then after a beat the whole team turned at Saeko and eyed her long braid critically.

The Uchiha huffed “I'm good enough to keep it this long. Plus I can use it as an unexpected weapon.” _And if I had been able to master the Hari Jizō it could be a shield too. Damn, how I hate that jutsu!_

“Long hair is impractical” Rory mentioned, “for sports I mean.”

“But pretty” Jamie countered and brushed her own ponytail consciously.

Saeko grinned and with exaggerated sensuality brushed the blonde hair of her captain to the side “Pretty indeed.”

The boys laughed as Jamie blushed. Saeko smiled as well and kissed Jamie on the cheek. With a reassuring squeeze, to show it was just a joke and not teasing in any way, Saeko flicked her hair and returned to the match which seemed to finally reach its ending.

After a neck-breaking race between seekers the Snakes managed to win. The Ravens clapped politely, not really interested since the result hadn't much impact on their House. But hey, the show was pretty good.

“Soo, back to my research” Saeko said in a chipper manner.

“Research?” Jared asked.

“That would be telling” the brunette smirked.


	48. 3- 48 Small Victories

 

Sometimes Saeko wondered what she is doing here.

“Ashton has such dreamy hair!” Michelle exclaimed.

Joanne nodded but countered “But Elias was a much better poster, what did you with it by the way?”

Angela grinned “I got it, I'm going to put it right beside _The Malicious Magiks_.”

“I still can't believe you listen to that sort of music”

“Hey, even Witch Weekly had them on the hottest celebrities list, their wailing is secondary”

“It's not wailing, it's music! Awesome music!”

As the girls argued about music, make-up of all things, some male idols Saeko had never heard of before and copious gossip, the Uchiha just sat there in her chair trying not to let her jaw drop at the silliness of the conversation.

“You ready partner?” Jared asked and nudged the kunoichi with his beater bat.

Saeko nodded dumbly. As the beater duo made their way out of the Common Room the brunette regained her voice “I think my IQ dropped at least by fifteen points.”

“Huh?” Jared asked.

“Nothing” Saeko shook her head, “How's it going?”

Jared shrugged “Not bad, dreading our work-out as always though.”

The Uchiha smiled widely “Oh, you know how to flatter me.”

X

Jared collapsed on the grass near the lake. Saeko unsealed a bottle of water and threw it gently onto her partner's stomach. “Ouch” he wheezed out but greedily gulped down the cool liquid. When he calmed down the boy looked at Saeko “You're not even winded, it's so not fair! It's like you have some super-power.”

“Nah, you're just out of shape” the ninja taunted. At the boy's whine she continued “but hey, keep to my regime and every girl will be salivating at one look of you shirtless. Well, those who will care enough to take their eyes off me.”

The Brit mock-glared. Saeko laughed “Come on, show me those abs and let's go for a swim.”

“A swim? The water's cold!” Jared exclaimed, eyes wide.

Saeko took off her sweaty shirt and was left only in her sports bra “Don't be a wuss, it's may already, it's good.”

“The weather has been awful and even now it looks like it's two minutes from raining” the boy backpedaled.

The only answer he got was a splash of water. “Saeko?”

“The water's warm, the giant squid is nowhere to be seen and to be honest you stink” Saeko yelled and began swimming in the earnest.

Jared hesitated but then he took his shirt off as well, along with his shoes and socks. As he tested the water he muttered “Why couldn't it be another girl, this sounds almost romantic.”

“Hey, I'd prefer another girl too, we would be skinny dipping if that was the case. You aren't doing it for me either” Saeko chuckled.

The Brit shook his head and finally dived in. Seeing his partner was right and the water wasn't as freezing as he thought it was he issued a challenge “You might have me beat at running but I was a swimming champ. First on the other side gets bragging rights and refers to the other as High Master Commander of the Seven Seas for every practice until the match.”

Saeko contemplated the bet for a little while – she didn't want to cheat and she wasn't all that good in swimming. Who would be if all you needed was a bit of chakra to run on water or give you a boost in it. Finally she shrugged “Alright, I accept.”

X

“ _Bad choice, very bad choice_ ” Saeko thought when she finally emerged on the other side of the surprisingly big lake.

“So?” Jared asked smugly as he rose from his seat on the shore.

The brunette sighed “I bow to you High Master Commander of the Seven Seas.”

“Not so perfect now, hey?”Jared preened, practically dancing in joy

Saeko shrugged – she lived in the Village Hidden in the Trees, nowhere it was mentioned anything about water sports. “So swimming champ, huh?” the scarred teen prompted.

Jared nodded and sighed a tad wistfully “Yeah. My dad was in his University's swimming team, quite a star actually. My brother follows in his footsteps, he wants to go pro.”

“Your brother?” Saeko asked a bit confused, Jared never spoke of a sibling before.

“Yeah, he's not magical. We don't have that much in common now” the boy confessed sadly, “but that's why I continue swimming, at least one thing, you know.”

The girl nodded “I understand. But you might have vastly different education, careers or hobbies but you still should have plenty to talk about.”

“Hm, true, but I he's jealous of me, of my magic. It really soured our relationship” Jared said bitterly, “I can't say a thing, even non-related to magic… hm, it doesn't matter.”

Saeko thought of Neji's relationship with his family and nodded slowly “I think it will get better in time. He'll find happiness in his muggle life and he won't hold your abilities against you.”

“You really think so?” the boy asked with barely concealed hope.

“Yeah, I do” _Neji and Hinata are good now and even Hiashi and the elders got better_.

Jared gave the Uchiha a small smile “I really hope so, I miss him. Just one stupid letter and my big brother, my idol, starts to resent me.”

Saeko patted her partner's shoulder encouragingly “Come on, let's collect our stuff.”

“Yeah”

* * *

**Dorms**

“Diffindo Duo” Ashley murmured over and over, trying to get the charm not only right but absolutely perfect.

Saeko was patiently enduring the practice, the sound of tearing fabric included, while she was meticulously transcribing her own notes on spells into her two scrolls for the new Uchiha library. That is for when she and Itachi decide to spread the skill. It was also a good practice for the exams that were to come in a month or so.

Finally content with her charm Ashley put down her wand and picked up Spell Book Grade 3 again. She turned a few pages with narrowed eyes, maybe trying to guess the most likely suspects for the practicals.

The quiet, studious afternoon was interrupted by Helena who rushed into the room without knocking. What was even weirder was that she said nothing and just sat on Saeko's empty bed.

“Helena, are you alright?” Ashley asked tentatively and put her textbook down.

The blonde sighed and slowly shook her head. Both her friends waited patiently, sharing worried glances between them. Finally Helena produced a wrinkled letter and stared it as she wished it to burn “I got mail from father. He says he received a proposal for a marriage contract for me. He's not going to take it, thank Merlin, but it's still a precarious position - the boy is the son of a big client of ours. Father wrote he would take care of it but he wanted me to be informed and if needed to play along.”

“Play along with what” Saeko asked calmly while Ash gritted her teeth.

“Whatever the plan will be to get them off my back” the blonde said on the verge of panic, “He's already juggling with our French side of the family.”

Saeko frowned “That cousin of yours at Baeuxbatons?”

Helena nodded “Father had already refused them, quite firmly.”

“What do you mean?” Ashley spoke up.

“Cousin dearest wants to marry me too” the blonde said in disgust, “Well, his family mainly.”

Saeko hummed “They want the business to go to them, a nice family reunion.”

“Got it in one” the tea heiress clicked her tongue, “Also it doesn't help they are quite invested in blood purity and don't mind, as you said, reuniting the family.”

Ashley upturned her lip “That's sick.”

“Aptly put. Plus my cousin is a douche” Helena nodded gravely.

The Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle at the quip but continued in a dead serious voice “Don't worry, you said your father is on your side. Everything's going to be alright. And if by some reason it will not, your darling cousin can always have an unfortunate accident.”

Helena actually stared hard at her friend but then finally a small smile graced her face “Thanks, I might take you up on that.”

Saeko grinned, happy she could cheer her friend up. Besides she liked Helena, she could persuade the Hokage to accept her contract for the mission. Just a minor scare, nothing drastic. At first.

“Father will take care of it” the blonde said with conviction, “But still…”

“It is an unfortunate situation” Saeko nodded in understanding, “I'm just glad Itachi-nii is helping me on that front. If he wasn't Clan Head I might already be engaged to a distant cousin as well.”

Ashley cringed “And I'm just glad to be a simple half-blood with academic background.”

“I heard those folks can be cutthroat too, who gets the founding, the best digs, tenure…” the blonde latched to another topic.

The light brunette rolled her eyes “Psh, mom told me some of the professors fought for months just to get a better office. It actually came to a fist fight at the end.”

Helena arched her eyebrows.

Ashley nodded solemnly “It had a view to the volleyball course.”

“Volleyball?” the purebloods asked in unison.

“A ball game” Ash explained, “But I think for you to understand you need the fact that it is usually played in tiny shorts and tank tops and it involves a lot of… bouncing.”

Helena shook her head in exasperation “Ah”

“A valid reason to fight then” Saeko said seriously.

“You lecher”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

Time passed quickly and every Ravenclaw worth its salt was already gearing up for the exams. Study groups and highly irritated students were a permanent fixture in their Common Room but before all hell breaks loose there was one last event, one last day off before the full immersion into books and that is the last match of the season at the beginning of May.

“So this is it ladies and gentlemen,” Jamie said in an almost jovial voice, “the game that decides the winner of the Cup, both of them I would wager.”

“Isn't it already decided?” Saeko said cheekily.

The Team chuckled. Jamie grinned “Good, let's just make it a reality now and shoot those greenhorns right out of the water, I want my 2 for 2 for victories under my command.”

“All that we do for you” Frost snickered.

The blonde smiled angelically “Good boy. Now, let's do this.”

Rory nodded “Aye aye but let's make it quick, right Frostie? I don't like the look of the sky.”

“They'll be sobbing before the first drop of rain hits the grass” Saeko announced in her usual pre-game scary/sadistic manner. Hey, she was friends with Anko, it had to show somewhere.

“Riiight” Wayne said and presented his palm for a high five.

Jamie caught t arm “Not yet, we have a job to do.”

_“And now for the Ravenclaws!”_

X

_“The Eagles catch the snitch! And this is it, the flying nerds did it again and I just lost 10 sickles! Ravenclaw WINS! And with an astounding 310 to 70!”_

The students, and Flitwick, went absolutely insane when Frost caught the snitch with a flourish. The opposing seeker had no chance at all, having been harassed by Jared and Saeko almost to the point of tears. Wood too was a little worse for wear but he seemed resigned as he congratulated Jamie when the Ravenclaw team finally landed and extricated themselves from the group hug.

There was no big spectacle like last year, professor McGonagall was quite adamant about it, but the fans were excited all the same. The ceremony declaring the champions was lovely, although not as epic as it had been the year previous, and finally the Quidditch Cup was passed among the team and then finally to professor Flitwick.

Among the customary caws the sea of fans practically carried them all the way to the Ravenclaw Tower.

“Voilá” the seventh year prefect announced as he stepped into the Raven's Nest. The prefects were the ones that prepared the victory party, with the help of the house elves no doubt, and they truly went all out. A week before the match the prefects made rounds and collected what change the students were willing to part with to buy and smuggle alcohol. The result of the generous donations was a wide variety of drinks, both muggle and from the wizarding world.

“I know tomorrow is Sunday but try to be reasonable, Flitwick turns a blind eye because we don't cause trouble. That goes double for the lower years plus you know the drill and your curfew” the seventh-year continued.

His female counterpart smiled and nodded for the radios to start “Let's get this party started!”

Saeko stuck by her teammates, reliving the match play by play while drinking the cheap champaign, laughing in glee at their victory.

It wasn't long and the group was already slightly inebriated, Saeko included despite her determination to have all her wits about her as any good ninja should, the bubbles of the unfamiliar drink going straight to her head.

“Helena, darling!” Saeko grinned as she joined her friends and stealing the blonde's glass.

Daniel shook his head in amused exasperation “I see you are enjoying the last big shindig before everybody holes up for the upcoming exams.”

“Oh, indeed!” the ninja laughed boisterously, “By the way where did you get this wine? It's very good.”

“Enjoying it a little too much I would say” Helena murmured.

Saeko held her hand in the half-ram dispel hand-sign “You two are no fun! Party pooping KAI!” That said the ninja fled, leaving two flabbergasted friends behind.

Being in an astoundingly happy mood she actually mingled with people she didn't care to know at all before. She found people more agreeable when she had a drink or two in her. She had even been persuaded to dance by a lovely fifth-year.

“Come up with me” breathed the dark blonde Saeko was currently dancing with.

The Uchiha brought the dancing body in front of her closer and murmured “So forward.”

“That's not a no” the older girl said coyly.

Saeko chuckled and moved her hands even lower “Let's go.”

The duo moved seamlessly towards the staircase to the girl's dormitories. There was a little hold-up at the second floor where they wound up against the wall, kissing vigorously.

“Get a room” said a passing girl.

“In process” Saeko shot back without even looking.

Finally the pair arrived before one of the doors at the fifth floor and Saeko was dragged inside.

“Roomie?

“With her boyfriend”

“Good” the brunette replied and shoved the older girl on the closest bed.

X

**Later That Morning**

Saeko yawned as she entered her room and plopped onto her bed.

"I can't imagine why you'd be tired," Ashley teased, "Rough night?"

"Rough. Gentle. And everything in between" Saeko gave a saucy wink.


	49. 3- 49 June Madness

A few days after the Ravenclaw won the quidditch cup for the second time Jamie called one last meeting with the Team of the year. The players convened in the blond captain's room on the sixth floor of the Tower, all of them anticipating the conversation they all knew had to happen.

“So,” Jamie started when all of this year's Eagles sat down, “as you may suspect, the topic of today's discussion is the future of the team.”

Nobody spoke, each of them looking at the sixth-year chaser with varying degrees of hope. Jamie sighed “This was my last season, I'll be just too busy to continue next year. My NEWTs and my preparation for joining the law firm will most likely take up all my time and I wouldn't give this team justice if I did only a half-assed job.”

The team nodded sadly, it wasn't unexpected but it still was a hit – Jamie was an excellent friend and captain, not to mention a brilliant chaser. They all muttered their understanding. The soon to be ex-captain chuckled “It's not like I'm dying or anything, I'll still be around, cheering you up from the stands.”

“Good, we better hear you” Jared said with a forced smile.

Jamie grinned “I'll be the one with the biggest banner.”

After a few beats of silence everybody turned to Frost. He too was a sixth year so the question was the same. The seeker finally cleared his throat “I thought about it but I'm inclined to stay with the team.”

“That's great news!” the two male chasers exclaimed in unison.

“So trials for only one spot then” James thought out loud.

Jamie seamlessly transitioned to the next thing she wastes to talk about “That depends on the new captain.”

“You know something” Rory said as he stole a glance at the uncharacteristically eager-looking McPherson.

The sixth-year nodded “I talked with Flitwick about it and recommended Saeko for the job.”

“What!” James exclaimed, “I was here the longest and have the most experience. Saeko's good, I never thought I would say it but she is good, but...”

Jamie interrupted “She already runs part of the practice and she will be staying next year. The rest of you will be 6th years next season and being captain for only one campaign is not advantageous especially if I know Saeko can handle it.”

“But” the keeper protested once more.

“Enough, that's it from my part, now it's up to Flitwick” Jamie said with finality.

Rory grinned and tried to lighten up the conversation “Sooo Captain Uchiha, huh? I bet the ladies will love it.”

“Like I need a title for the ladies to come flocking” Saeko played along.

“We noticed” Wayne said slyly.

“Oh yeah, what was the name of that lovely lady from two days ago?” Rory asked in the same tone.

The Uchiha opened her mouth to answer but then she clapped it shut. “ _Shit, I totally know this! I mean she told me right?”_

“Saeko?” Jared asked his partner.

“Hmm, give me a sec”

 Few beats of silence later Jamie's eyes narrowed “Don't tell me you forgot.”

“Wow Saeko, shame on you” Rory said, finding it especially funny.

The beater rubbed back of her neck sheepishly while still trying to remember. She briefly wondered if not remembering would be worse than actually never asking in the first place.

Jamie shot them both a disappointed look. Saeko and Rory immediately lowered their gaze, trying to avoid a scolding – their captain was a master, a skill that will come most useful in her future line of work.

“Hm” the blonde fortunately decided to let it drop.

The group lingered a while more, mainly discussing the expected changes in the other House teams. When the boys trailed out of the room Saeko stayed behind.

“Thanks about the recommendation”

Jamie smiled “To be honest you were the only viable choice – Wayne and Rory would dislike the role, Frost might not return to the team, Jared is too green.”

“And James?” the kunoichi asked the obvious question.

“He could do it but you are the better option, he's too arrogant. Plus like I said he will quit after next season, he told me so when we talked about it. You have good ideas and strategies and the guys listen to you despite you being younger.”

Saeko allowed herself a small blush “Thanks.”

The sixth year smiled but shrugged nonchalantly. Saeko smiled back and made her way to the door. With one look back she smirked, said “I look forward to the prefect's bathroom” and left.

* * *

**Infirmary**

“I _thought_ I saw you come in here!”

The startled Lauren turned “Uchiha!”

“Sorry” Saeko apologized for her stealth, “You seem alright though, this is a business visit? Even during exams?”

Before the red-head could answer Madame Pomfrey peeked up from her desk and scanned them over with her razor sharp stare. When the girls bid her hello, the nurse nodded and since there were no injuries she returned to her papers.

Lauren walked towards the end of the room and sat down at a small table that sat there. “This is my spot, I like studying here. I like the calm and sometimes Madame Pomfrey even helps me with some spellwork.”

“Smart” Saeko said impressed and leaned against the wall.

The Slytherin grinned “I try. By the way I'm quite surprised to see you here, the Ravens practically invaded the library and laid siege to it.”

“This is exactly why I'm anywhere else” the jounin explained with a shrug.

Lauren chuckled as she withdrew her books from her bag “You know, you really are quite different a Raven, most of them are running about like headless chicken, having a breakdown about the exams or are brooding away in front of thick books.”

“Wouldn’t headless chicken be a more appropriate metaphor for the Gryffs? I have been told that many leave studying for the last possible moment and then they panic when they realize they put it off too much. I would say it’s a cliché but I did only see one lone Gryff in the top ten in my three years at Hogwarts” Saeko mused.

“Maybe next year they will surprise you, but yeah, if the shoe fits” the red-head hummed.

“What about you, are you ready?”

Lauren scoffed “Of course. You?”

“Please!” Saeko smirked, “I'll be number one again. Aaron might get an ulcer out of it though.”

“Broody boy?” the Brit said without interest.

Saeko nodded “The forever number two. I actually don't know him at all, he only speaks to me when we have a bigger study group. Not that I'm the paragon of socializing but he takes his lone wolf routine to the extreme.”

The Snake shrugged “I'm friendly enough with just five people, you got me beat there.”

“Aw, with your charming personality?” Saeko joked.

“What can I say, good taste is a rare to find” the red-head played along.

The ninja laughed “Too true. But hey, the two of us are at least branching out to other Houses – a rarity as well.”

Lauren smiled “I guess you a not too bad.” Saeko pouted and gave her friend the best set of sad eyes. The red-head just shook her head “Also, besides you, and sometimes your friends during shared class, I don't really socialize with other Houses.”

“Huh, me too” Saeko realized, “I'm reluctant to count Faith. But then again your Housemates are usually following darling Aurora and she doesn't like me, the Puffs tend to stick together and the Gryffs I met were annoying. Didn't help they call me and the rest of the Ravens nerds, as if I would take their jealousy of my intelligence as an insult.”

The red-head smirked “Sounds about right. Ah, the wonders of pre-set House behavior.”

“Wait, prejudices aside, I know a decent Gryff. The one Jamie, my quidditch captain, dated for a little while, he was cool” the Uchiha mused out loud, “Too much effort to get to know people though.”

Lauren chuckled. The girls sat in comfortable silence, neither really wanting to get back to their studying but finally the Brit sighed and eyed the huge tome that was the transfiguration book “I guess I should get back to it.”

“How diligent” Saeko joked and stood to leave. The Slytherin opened the book with another heavy sigh and nodded. The girls exchanged goodbyes and Saeko left the infirmary with another goodbye to Madame Pomfrey.

Making her way up towards the Ravenclaw Tower Saeko was contemplating whether to take a break and go visit her summons, maybe get some training done, or settle down with a cup of tea and the Herbology textbook. “ _Damn, I should_ _'ve asked Lauren to study weedology with me, she makes it almost interesting”_ Saeko thought, not looking forward to the most boring subject the school had as core subject. _“Uhg, give me a fight with an Iwa nin everyday over kami-forsaken plants.”_

Resigning herself she approached the guardian and answered his riddle. The Common Room was oppressively silent – part because most students were missing and could be found in the library and the rest was concentrating, practicing spells or reading.

Depressing.

Saeko knocked at her own door – she had promised to do that since Ashley always jumped three feet into the air at any sudden movement when she was studying. Finding her roommate gone she took the Herbology book and laid down on her bed.

_The_ ' _Bouncing Bulb_ ' _. Ugh, kill me now!_

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko returned to the Common Room grinning, sparring and exercise always helped clear mind and to reaffirming what was really important for her future. It would be easy to get pulled into the whirlwind of the Ravenclaw 'my world is ending, I couldn't recall the prefect definition of this charm or other!' thing many of her Housemates had going on.

If one knew enough it was possible to guess which year the student was in just based on their behavior. First years were scared shitless of not meeting the expectations of their House. Second years were the calmest of the bunch – they already knew they were good enough and the curriculum was not that heavy. Third year, that was when the fun starts – the new electives added two more piles of things to study and many were nervous by the increased volume. Fourth years were trying to play it cool. The utter madness erupted among the fifth years – the first real hurdle, the OWLs and the first crash with reality. Sixth years could be found muttering in corners, either going slowly insane or practicing the non-verbal spells, now realizing casting wasn't as easy as it was before. And for the seventh years? Nervous wrecks, snapping at anybody within sight, chucking down calming draughts to the line of overdose.

Then again, nobody here partook in a Chuunin Exam. That would be interesting to watch, many Ravens broke down at the slightest hint of audience. And danger, but they sure like theory.

“Knock, knock” the Uchiha said cheerfully and she entered her room. She was met by the eyes of her whole poker group. Saeko arched her eyebrows “Hello everybody?”

Ashley smiled “Hey, we are studying History.”

“With a guitar?” the jounin asked and poured herself a glass of water.

Caitlin nodded “Graham had this awesome idea and it works!”

“She means he got Ash make ballads out of the History chapters. You know, just the synopsis” Paddy clarified.

Helena shrugged “It is actually quite helpful.”

“And fun”

“And easy to remember!”

The kunoichi was intrigued “Alright, I'm going to take a quick shower and I'm back. Save me a spot!”

“Sure thing” Ashley said with a hint of pride in her voice.

Twenty minutes later Saeko was back, freshly smelling and eager to learn some history. “So what's the topic?” she asked.

Ashley strummed her guitar “Welcome to the Musical Narrative of Chapter 32: The Centaur Territory Wars!”

The group cheered in anticipation.

Saeko had not laughed so much in years, maybe never. Bad rhymes like hairy leg and take down a peg, fiery mane and centaur's bane were aplenty. Daniel was wiping off his tears of laughter and jutting some of those pearls down.

“If only Binns were like this, History would be my favorite subject!” Caitlin laughed.

Graham nodded “Totally! Do you think he'd be amused if I used some of those lines in his test?”

“I think he wouldn't even notice” Helena giggled.

Saeko turned to her roommate “Give us another one! The Dark Lord Guido for example, I've got a feeling that it will be asked.”

“Really? And here my money was on goblin rebellions” Peter smirked. Everybody laughed – goblin rebellions were a given.

Ashley shook her head sadly “It's really late and my voice is getting hoarse.”

Daniel frowned and cast tempus “Merlin's knickers! It's nearly midnight!”

“Already?” Caitlin asked in surprise and cast the charm as well.

Everybody except Saeko and Ash scrambled up and with great thanks bid them goodnight. When there was just the two of them the ninja turned to her friend “It was great, I'll never look at the History book the same way again.”

Ashley smiled widely, quite flattered “Thanks, it was fun.”

“Yeah,” Saeko agreed, “with the exams starting in three days…”

“Don't remind me” the Brit said as she laid her instrument to rest.

“It's going to be fine, if everything fails you can dazzle everybody with your rhyme-making skills” the Uchiha grinned.

Ashley grinned “Give an O to the awesome brunette, no challenge she left unmet, she deserves good marks, her wand makes more than sparks.”

Saeko let out a delighted laugh “That should do it.”


	50. 3- 50 After the Crescendo

 

**Hogwarts Grounds**

Since there was a break in the long string of days of exceptionally bad weather the third-year Ravens decided to take their books outside. Just one more, just one more exam and they all would be free.

“DADA should be a breeze, especially after transfiguration” Caitlin said hopefully as she basked in the sunlight.

The group hummed in agreement. All of them were pretty good at the subject, Deirdre really knew her stuff and drilled them incessantly.

“Pity those rumors didn't prove to be true, I'd love the exam to be a duel” Saeko sighed.

Ash shrugged “Too complicated.”

“But it would be a hell more exciting that way” Peter sided with the ninja.

Daniel chipped in “I think all excitement was spent when Kettleburn got blown up by a fourth year student, not himself for a change.”

“That was fun” Ash agreed.

Graham smirked “I don't know, Divination was pretty fun too.”

“Divination was a sham” Caitlin said angrily, “Grandma would be rolling in her grave if she knew.”

“Maybe, but I'm pretty sure I got at least an E – I predicted I would have an accident during summer and I teared up like a professional actor. Trelawney was impressed” Graham said with a smirk.

“Of course she was” the Irish girl muttered, “Worst teacher ever.”

Ashley arched her eyebrow “Oh, not Snape? Because he creeped me out big time when he started breathing near my ear as he was checking my potion. The sneer he gave me as he left was very reassuring also.”

The whole group shivered in remembrance of that particular exam. The potions master did seem particularly angry and threatening, one could only hope it wouldn't reflect on their grades. Well, more than usual.

“Who do you think we'll get next year?” Helena asked.

Saeko pouted “I really hoped Deirdre would last. She taught us good combat spells and she was gorgeous to look at.”

Graham nodded “Amen sister.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and turned to face the blonde “Are you opening a pool about the new DADA teacher like last year?”

“I'm willing to bet vampire” Caitlin spoke with a grin.

“Dumbledore would never allow it” Peter countered.

“I don't know, werewolves, vampires and other humanoid monsters are a long shot but not impossible” Helena mused out-loud while looking into her black gambling notebook.

“How about a mermaid” Paddy guessed.

Ashley rolled her eyes “Sure, she will teach us while she's stuck in a glass aquarium.”

“A veela then”

This time it was Saeko who disagreed “I'd rather learnt something than stare at my teacher all day.” At the deadpan look she got she shrugged “Hey, Deirdre taught well and had no aura to distract us. She is just hot.”

“Don't start to drool you two, are we doing this or not?” Helena said and waved her notebook.

The group placed their bets – gender, age and special features. The last category was for the vampire idea, and giant idea, veela and even one golem. Helena cackled slightly as she wrote it all down.

“Hey, didn't we come out here to study?” Daniel said as if the thought had just only occurred to him.

Graham sighed “Yeah but I seem to be in vacation mode already.”

“Besides, we already studied, a few hours now won't make us any better. I just can't be bothered right now” Paddy nodded.

Helena dutifully opened her textbook but closed it almost as fast “You're right, we are ready. Well, some more than others.”

Graham caught the look shot his way “Hey I might be lazy but I like DADA. Never mind that, we're almost free now. We just need to fling a few more spells and we got the week off and then…” he said dreamily.

_“Back into uniform”_ Saeko thought with a smile.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

As soon as professor Flitwick left, the Ravens held the usual ceremony for the number ones, the Head Boy announced a party. Everybody cheered, hoping that the current prefects and head Boy's attitude will stay for next year as well. Once they had the necessary permission the Ravenclaws liked to party – you know, study hard and party even harder.

The event was far more modest than those organized after a quidditch victory, or loss for that matter, but everybody, especially the seventh-years wanted to make the most of it.

“Hey Geoffrey” Saeko greeted the friendly prefect as he was making rounds, “So, this is it, huh?”

“Yeah” eighteen year old said wistfully, “I'm going to really miss this place.”

The kunoichi nodded “Any news on that Ministry job?”

“I might have an in but I need to wait until I get my NEWTs results” Geoffrey said uncertainly. Then he grinned “I think I did well at them though.”

The duo talked a while more about the Ministry and how 'knowing people' was the key to succeed. Geoffrey was really angry but resigned at the fact but also grateful his uncle had some connections he was willing to use.

Ashley and Helena also came to congratulate Geoffrey, wishing him his best for the outside. The prefect smiled and wished them all a good holiday before moving to another group. The three girls went for a refill and joined with their friends discussing summer plans for the umpteenth time.

Spotting Jamie in the corner of her eye Saeko excused herself and approached the soon to be ex-captain. Bumping her hip she smiled “Hey, you look uncomfortable. The party isn't that bad, you know?”

Jamie fidgeted a bit “Since quidditch season ended I had been asked out thrice already. And again twenty minutes ago.”

“So,” the Uchiha shrugged, “It's nice to be wanted, no? That is if they were respectful, otherwise just point at them and I'll have a polite _talk_ with them.”

“It's about, you know” Jamie said nervously and tried to inconspicuously look around.

Saeko was decent enough not to roll her eyes at her friend’s lack of subtlety, Jamie's confusion on where she fell on the Kinsey scale was a serious matter “Yeah, I know, but I still don't get why the greek tragedy face.”

Jamie did roll her eyes “Exaggerating much?”

“Come on, spill” the ninja prompted.

“All four of them were pretty handsome but I just wasn't attracted or tempted, not at all. It just hit me. And then I realized how am I ever getting somebody if I don't approach some girl like I was approached. How do I do that? How do I know who? What if I ask the wrong person and she gets offended or starts telling everybody” Jamie rambled.

Saeko sighed “Sometimes you just have to take the risk.”

“Gee, thanks so much for the advice,” said the platinum blonde, “You know, being… this way is not unusual in wizarding society, far from it actually, but you just don't talk about it. It happens behind closed doors. If I want to work as an attorney in a prestigious firm, I'll be working with these type of traditionalists, it could really hurt me. Just being a woman is enough for most of them to ask for another to handle their cases. I don't need to be… indiscreet on top of it.”

“That's shitty” the Uchiha summed it up.

“Pretty much, yeah”

The kunoichi smirked and subtly nodded to the crowd near the window “If it helps that girl is ogling you. Definitely interested.”

“Who? No way, she's looking at you” Jamie shook her head.

“Maybe at first, but then she saw you” Saeko said suggestively.

Jamie looked at the fifth-year in question “Really?”

“Yup” the brunette grinned, “How about I leave you and you can try be all suave. I think Helena is calling me, bye!”

The Brit looked panicked “Wait, Saeko…” she started but her friend fled into the crowd. Jamie gulped.

Saeko smirked as she watched the blonde chaser gathering courage. Helena who approached her with a drink looked towards Jamie as well “What did you do?”

“Me? Nothing” Saeko said innocently.

“Hm”

The blonde didn't get any word in as a quite drunken Caitlin hugged the Uchiha “Saeko, my man. Woman. Girl! Just who I wanted to see!”

“Oh?” the sharingan user asked with a raised eyebrow.

Caitlin nodded in an overly serous manner “Yes. Me and Graham were wondering if true that in Japan you can buy used panties on the streets. G-man read it in a pervy magazine of his.”

“Were you wondering about that over some shots perhaps?”

“Maaaaybe”

Saeko shook her head, she wondered if her friend will be able to function tomorrow at all “I read something like that as well but I never saw it in person. That matter aside you should drink some water and go to bed.”

“Nah” Caitlin shrugged, “What about you Helena, bought any used underwear recently?”

The blonde just opened her mouth in disbelief. Saeko grinned and patted Helena on her shoulder “Alright, you two have fun with that, I'll go and try to use my grades to get laid. _Ja ne_! _”_

* * *

**Headmaste** **r’s Office**

“Sugar Cane” Saeko said with a frown as she stood before the gargoyle that guarded the stairwell to the Headmaster's office. How could any self-respecting adult choose this as his password was beyond her, especially if all the passwords she has been given before were also sweets and thus more easily guessable.

Once the girl was before the door she was prompted to enter before she could knock – a nice touch, it gave Dumbledore an advantage from the start on those that could be intimidated.

“Good evening miss Uchiha” the old wizard greeted.

“Good evening.”

Saeko sat down on the chair she was directed to. Dumbledore smiled “Tea? Lemon Drop?”

“No, thank you Headmaster” the ninja refused.

Dumbledore took one of the offered yellow candies and popped it into his mouth, humming with enjoyment. Saeko smiled pleasantly, maintaining appearances even if she preferred to go right to business. Instead the duo spent several minutes discussing Hogwarts and Saeko's studies.

Finally the elder changed the subject “Next year will be a little bit special, I will have a mission for you.”

“Me specifically?”

“Yes. It won't burden you too much and I don't want more ninja in Hogwarts. I'll send details to Konoha when I have all the information” Dumbledore assured.

“Alright” Saeko nodded, even if she was far from happy, she liked to be informed.

Dumbledore seemed to understand and smiled slightly “As you may have heard Harry Potter will start attending Hogwarts. Are you aware who he is?”

Jiraiya had been very informative on that front. “Of course, The-Boy-Who-Lived. A lot of hopes ride on that boy it seems” Saeko said in her most innocent tone.

The Headmaster's hand twitched but otherwise he stayed true to his grandfatherly persona “Indeed. The opposite is true as well – there may be elements that wish to harm him.”

Saeko nodded but said nothing, waiting patiently for her mission.

“For now I would like him to be generally kept safe and protected. I'm quite confident in me and my staff's abilities but it wouldn't be of any harm if another, especially one trained to spot danger, kept an eye on the boy. It should be done as non-invasively as possible” Dumbledore laid out his plans.

“That sounds agreeable” Saeko unofficially accepted. A summon could take care of the surveillance and the ninja would intervene only if the headmaster wished it or if the boy was in danger. “ _I'll need to read carefully the wording of the mission, Dumbledore most certainly has plans for this Harry and my interrupting those plans would be bad for business. Oh, and what a lucrative business it is – those Brits are a goldmine, pun intended”_ she thought.

“Anyone specific that would want to harm the boy at Hogwarts?” Saeko probed.

“There are several children of Death Eaters,” Dumbledore said and for the first time showed another emotion than happiness that went with his persona, “But sins of the father are not theirs.”

“And teachers or other staff, no trouble there?”

Dumbledore seemed affronted “I pick my staff very carefully.” After a brief pause the man continued softly “Severus might dislike the boy, I will not delve into why, but he's harmless and I trust him completely.”

Saeko didn't react but made a note of it in her mind. To move things along she continues her questioning “Outside elements?”

“Hogwarts has the most potent wards in the entire British Isles and maybe beyond” was the proud answer.

Saeko hummed, it was true, her sharingan helped her spot some of the runes that made the Castle's protection and they were truly exquisite. She already had a pan to study them once she was better in the subject.

“It would not be a guarding mission per se, just look out for him. If anything specific comes up I will contact you and deal with it ad hoc” Dumbledore clarified.

The ninja resisted rolling her eyes “Very well. Last question, what about the man himself? Jiraiya said he's still probably alive somewhere.”

“Voldemort,” the elder said in a hard voice, “I don't know where or what he might be.”

Saeko took note of the phrasing and nodded “I will take a draft of the contract to Hokage-sama and I'll be in touch.”

“I'll send you an owl before tomorrow's departure” the headmaster agreed.

Taking it as a dismissal Saeko stood up. Dumbledore smiled grandfatherly at her again “Thank you and good night miss Uchiha. And have a wonderful holiday.”

“You as well Headmaster” the kunoichi said back and exited the office.

The Uchiha calmly walked to the Ravenclaw tower, stopping only to unseal her pipe. “ _Next term sound like fun_ ” she thought merrily and used a minor katon jutsu to light it up.


	51. 3- 51 Turning a New LEAF

 

**Hokage** **'** **s Office**

“You want me to do what?!” Saeko exclaimed in pure disbelief.

Sarutobi chuckled, evidently amused, as he repeated “I need you to take care of a genin team for a little while, their sensei is down for the count for at least two weeks.”

The brunette stood speechless for a few beats. After she had delivered her report on her third year at Hogwarts she expected to be given some big and difficult mission to boost her resumé. This… _mission_ was difficult alright but in a whole other way she expected.

“You want me to babysit three inexperienced genin” Saeko said flatly to confirm.

The Hokage nodded happily “Indeed. And they are not inexperienced, Nara Hiroshi, their sensei, is thinking of entering them in the next chuunin exams. Since those are in Suna in a few months they can't afford to stay idle now.”

“Why me?” Saeko whined in a un-Uchiha like manner.

“Well, to be honest, I have most of my jounin occupied elsewhere and the rest are just not fit to teach” Sarutobi answered brightly, clearly enjoying the situation.

The scarred kunoichi just eyed her leader warily “And I am?”

“Yes” the Hokage said with a smile as he lowered the hat that was the symbol of his station.

Saeko surrendered “Alright, I'll do it.”

“Excellent” the elder said happily and took four files from the huge pile of paperwork, “Here you go, Team 9. I'll get them meet you the day after tomorrow at their training field.”

Taking the offered files Saeko asked “What do you expect of me? Training, missions? What?”

“Yes” Sarutobi said. At the Uchiha's glare he smiled again and took out his pipe “You are their temporary sensei so do as you feel necessary.”

“I have pretty high standards” the brunette said as in warning.

The Hokage just smiled.

In one last ditch effort Saeko asked “Are you sure he's injured and not just faking it because his team is troublesome? He _is_ a Nara.”

“Nope” Sarutobi said with great gusto. When the Uchiha sighed the elder smiled “Think of it as a trial run for your eventual genin team. Every Hokage trains at least one team…”

The brunette sighed again “That's practically blackmail. Alright, bring it on, let it not be said that the future Godaime shrunk from her duties!”

“I knew I could count on you” the man said in a very much self-satisfied voice.

X

**Training Field 9**

Saeko was underwhelmed when finally faced with her temporary charges. Team 9 consisted of two boys and one girl as was usual.

Kirigaya Ryouta was from a shinobi family, his mother died during the Kyuubi attack and his father had taken care of him ever since. Ryouta had inherited his father's suiton affinity but not trained overly in it, favoring twin kukri knives instead.

Hagimura Retsu was the lone girl of the team. She too was from a shinobi family and specialized in kenjutsu. Her file said she idolized Uzumaki Kushina to an unhealthy degree but at least relented and instead of using a katana she settled on a ninjatō which she was more suited for.

The third member and the only one from a civilian family was Chitose Keita. The genjutsu specialist with a known mean streak was the best out of the three of them even despite his background. Keita was also talented with senbon to which he began adding various poisons as per his sensei's advice.

All in all not the best out of the academy but definitely not the worst. All three most likely would not reach beyond the rank of chuunin but since their Nara, read extremely lazy, sensei had bothered to train them in the first place there had to be something about them.

Saeko eyed the trio and let out a fairly high killing intent just to see how they would cope with it. She was pleased to see that neither genin seemed to freeze even if they were affected. Letting the KI fade she smiled tightly at her charges “Hello, while your sensei is recuperating I'll be in charge of Team 9. I'm Uchiha Saeko and you'll call me Uchiha-taichō since I'm not replacing Nara-san in his role of jounin-sensei.”

To their credit the genin, who were just a little younger if not the same age then she was, just nodded. Saeko was glad to note that lack of respect will not be a problem.

“According to your file you have completed three low B-ranks so you must be quite good. I know roughly what you can do but I will be seeing that for myself. Also expect some hard training on my part and we will be running some missions as well” Saeko continued, “But first it's introduction time!”

The wiry genjutsu user was first to speak “Name's Chitose Keita. I like illusions and kicking all those entitled clan member's assess when they say I can't compare. Hiroshi-sensei has me reading about poisons and I'm working on how to make them.”

Saeko nodded “I can't help you with poisons but genjutsu is something I'm proficient in.”

The boy snorted “As an Uchiha I'm sure.”

“Yes, one of those entitled clans” the brunette smiled sweetly. Keita just shrugged with a chuckle.

The girl went next “I'm Hagimura Retsu and my wish is to be as skilled as my idol Kushina-sama….” The kunoichi went on and on but the jounin tuned her out, not getting anything more than what was on the file. The only new information was that she had tried fuinjutsu, the Uzumaki field of expertise, but didn't have a talent for it.

“Yeah, I suck at seals too” Saeko interrupted the girl, “and I use a tantō, a shorter sword than yours, but I can be your sparring partner. Also I have observed numerous kenjutsu users with my sharingan so that's something I can help you with.”

The girl nodded eagerly. The last genin snorted in amusement at his teammate's enthusiasm and was the next to speak “As you know my name is Kirigaya Ryouta. I'm really good with my knives and other stuff. What I would like is to concentrate on my water affinity but dad says to leave that for chuunin and refuses to teach me. Hiroshi-sensei agrees, or to be more precise says 'it would be too troublesome'. Whether that means to teach me or to go against my father I do not know.”

Saeko eyed the frowning short-haired boy “Learning to use one's affinity effectively is a lengthy process. It takes time and commitment. Many genin and fresh chuunin have died because they thought they were ready but it took them a moment too long to use a jutsu or they overestimated the strength of their technique.”

Ryouta sighed but nodded his acceptance. The Uchiha narrowed her eyes “But if you'll let me or someone I trust approve a jutsu as battle ready then I'll help you.”

“REALLY?!” the kukri user shouted in joy.

“Really” Saeko said with a slight smile. Her face turned stern once more “I was serious about the approval. No matter what, you won't use a jutsu I have not approved in a true fight. Also you won't study any new jutsu until you have learned the previous one.”

“I promise” Ryouta said with determination.

The scarred brunette nodded “Very well. Also don't expect results right away. As I said, it takes time.”

Ryouta rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly ”I.. I might've…”

“You totally did some exercises on your own when your dad wasn't looking” Saeko said knowingly.

“Hai” the boy admitted.

The Uchiha grinned “Great, teaching you the basic would be too troublesome.”

Team 9 laughed at Saeko channeling their usual sensei.

Saeko's grin turned downright scary as she said “Now my cute little genin, let's see what are you made of.”

The trio gulped and immediately drew their respective weapons. The brunette laughed in delight and attacked Retsu in a low chuunin speed.

* * *

**Satoshi** **'s Dangō**

“Well if it isn't my favorite Uchiha” a voice interrupted Saeko's musings.

Knowing exactly who it was the scarred kunoichi brought a protective hand over her plate of dangō “Hello Anko.”

The purple-haired ninja grinned “You know, you could treat me to some sake at least after being out for so long.”

“Shouldn't it be the other way around?” Saeko asked with a slight smirk.

“Meh” Anko shrugged and waived for a waitress. Giving her order she turned to her friend “So what's new?”

Seeing the classified nature of her mission the Uchiha spoke in very vague terms. Anko sighed in disappointment but didn't question further, more than used to the secrecy of their jobs. In return Saeko was regaled with tales of the last happenings in Konoha and the juicy bits of gossip the snake summoner was known for.

When Anko's plate arrived she immediately took one skewer of the delicious treat and smiled wickedly “There is one more fun fact going around. You neglected to mention you're babysitting.”

Saeko groaned and let her head thud on the table.

“That bad huh?” Anko asked.

The Uchiha sighed “Actually no, they are ok. Just… I'd rather do other things. Plus, they already know the control exercises so no fun in that department.”

“I feel ya” the tokubetsu jounin nodded solemnly, “But it's just temporary, you can watch the next batch of rookies fall from trees and into water.”

“There is that” Saeko smirked evilly. After a pause she sighed “At least when I'm in-village people see me, it's good to remind everybody their prospective Hokage is still alive and awesome as ever.”

Anko laughed. Then getting an idea she exclaimed “Hey, you can take them to the Forest of Death! That is always fun!”

“Not bad, not bad at all. But then again if they get eaten by something it would be a mountain of paperwork” the brunette mused.

“True” Anko nodded and grinned when the waitress put another plate before her. Saeko smiled at the civilian girl as well and subtly checked her out as she went away.

The older kunoichi chuckled and swallowed the dango “Naughty, naughty, Uchiha.”

Saeko shrugged with a smirk ad took a sip of her tea. Anko smirked “Who's teaching the _gaki_ s originally?”

“Nara Hiroshi. Thank Kami the genin did not any Nara traits and actually work hard”

Anko didn't seem to know the man so she asked “Did you get anything special planned?”

The sharingan user shrugged “Drills, drills, drills. I want to know how they work together and what they are capable of before we take even one step outside from the village.”

“Smart”

X

**A day later**

“Uchiha-taichō!” Keita said with his best puppy dog-eyed impression.

Saeko rubbed the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly as she capitulated “We'll be taking a C-rank tomorrow.”

“Yatta!” all three genin exclaimed.

_“I'm weak. So so weak.”_ Getting annoyed at the cheers of the genin the brunette called for order “Enough! Back to training and no whining! You get to back to stretching, running, the works.”

“Aye, aye”

The jounin sat down and began a meditation exercise, her mood getting better at every pained grunt and huff of exertion. Ahh, the joy of training weights.

Some time later Saeko opened her eyes and stood up “Alright, let's train!” The three genin stood at attention, waiting for instructions.

“Retsu, you and I are going to spar” the jounin announced. The girl perked up, there were not many ninja who were knowledgeable in kenjutsu. Saeko already helped her immensely in her chosen area in just the few days as a team leader since her father, her original teacher, was quite busy with his own missions and she knew the family style already.

She turned to the genjutsu user “Keita, I'll be teaching you shunshin. It's very handy but to be more than just a cool transportation jutsu it needs an illusion to cover it up.”

“Sounds useful” the wiry boy nodded.

Turning to the last member of the team “Ryouta, you get the water sports.” The boy groaned but Saeko shut him up “You need more control over the element before you even attempt suiton jutsu. You wanted it so you don't get to complain.”

The wanna-be ninjutsu specialist sighed and headed towards the lake that was part of the training field. Signaling to Retsu to do whatever she took the boy aside and began explaining how shunshin worked.

When she was confident he got the gist of it the only thing left was practice. Saeko nodded “Good, now try it out, the last try was correct just too slow and you went off course a bit. When you get it mastered I'll teach you how to combine genjutsu with it.

Keita nodded and Saeko returned to her only female student. Deciding to mix things up a bit she drew surreptitiously her wand and transfigured a nearby twig into a plain katana. Facing her opponent she whistled to get her attention and attacked in a low chuunin speed.

Retsu reacted immediately but had great trouble to adapt at the jounin's style – she drew accustomed to fighting against a tantō. A fact that Saeko reprimanded her for as she kept the genin off-balance.

All in all, the girl was good. Not excellent but she was getting there. Her Nara sensei had her do many speed exercises and she could match the speed that Saeko set. She also had a good grasp on Academy Three and used it with great imagination. The Uchiha particularly liked the little illusion that made her sword look shorter that it was in reality, though that was only useful for the first attack. But then again one good hit it all it takes.

Deciding to make another change Saeko's left hand left the handle of the katana and she used it to draw her tantō. Dual-wilding took Retsu by surprise and she stilled when she felt the cold steel against her neck.

Saeko sighed “Expect the unexpected. Again!”

Later when the sword-user was sprawled on her ass again the Uchiha announced loudly, to be heard even by Ryouta “That's it for today!”

After dismissing her temporary team Saeko took off for the Uchiha Compound. Taking the long way she decided to make a pit stop at Higurashi's.

“Hey, Tenten, how's it going?”

The chuunin looked up from her and smiled “Saeko! Welcome back!”

Both girls talked, Tenten had some really exciting stories, some of them even weren't about youth. She was also really hyper about her recent fuinjutsu successes. Pity she used her talent in the field just to stuff as many weapons as possible into a single scroll. But hey, it seemed to work for her.

In turn Saeko shared her new and wonderful experience that is teaching. Tenten was very amused. As the girl laughed and laughed Saeko sighed and started browsing the wares.

“Don't you have a fancy Uchiha Armory?” Tenten bantered as always and wiped her eyes from laughter.

The heiress shrugged “Just looking around if I find inspiration.”

“Picking a special something for your students?” the bun-haired kunoichi smirked.

Saeko replied nonchalantly “Hush or I will supply them with green jumpsuits and tell them you are their eternal rival.”

“You wouldn't!” Tenten said aghast.

“Two of them actually like swords. Not much in the terms of eyebrows but I can work with it”

The chuunin held up her hands in surrender “Please don't.”

Another brief conversation later Saeko bid her friend goodbye. Feeling social still she decided to swing by the Nara Compound, with luck she'll find him there and if not his mother knows all his hiding places.

Ahh, how she missed those guys.

* * *

**Konoha** **'s Gates**

Saeko arrived at the gates to meet with her Team. All of them happy to get out of the village again, backpacks in hand. Before the jounin could say something she noticed a friend of hers talking to Kotetsu and Izumo.

“Hello Saeko” said the grinning Anko.

The full jounin sighed “Hello.”

“So this little birdie told me you are taking your _gaki_ s for a mission” the purplette grinned wider, “Imagine my surprise, you seemed so determined to run drills, drills, drills.”

Saeko just put her face in her palm and said softly “Let's just go.”


	52. 3- 52 Trial Run

“Taichō, can we go on another mission?” Keita asked.

Saeko arched her eyebrows “We just returned from one yesterday.”

“That one was boring” Retsu chimed in.

The third genin shook his head “I would prefer training actually, I think I'm close.”

“You are actually right. I was thinking on giving you a basic yet versatile suiton jutsu” the Uchiha announced with a slight grin.

Ryouta's response didn't disappoint “Yahooooo!”

Retsu patted her friend on the back with a smile and Keita offered his hand for a high five. Saeko thought it was precious. The Uchiha often underestimated the joy of learning a new jutsu, those with the sharingan anyway.

“You two go and play with genjutsu, me and Ryouta will work on the Water Bullet” Saeko said in dismissal. The boy in question practically hopped in excitement. Keita and Retsu shot him a thumbs up and left for their own practice.

Saeko sat down and patted the ground in front of her in invitation. The genin obliged and looked up at his temporary sensei as though he was waiting for some holy words. The Uchiha started explaining all she knew about the _Suidan no Jutsu_. She made a point of stressing that the next suiton control exercise is still necessary.

Two demonstrations later Ryouta was ready to try. Saeko observed closely the chakra buildup in his stomach with her sharingan as the boy made his first attempt.

Confident that he wouldn't blow himself up Saeko left her student to it and hopped on a nearby tree. Half-laying comfortably on the branch she unsealed her copy of Icha Icha Violence.

_Teaching isn't so bad after all, plenty of free time if you mimicked Kakashi and having minions isn't half-bad either. One just has to develop some resistance to the puppy-dog eyes when they want something._

Looking up to the sun Saeko decided to announce “Genin, front and center!” The students obeyed immediately and the brunette gave them an hour for lunch. The grateful trio skedaddled and Saeko unsealed an apple for herself, not pausing her reading.

After her quick lunch Saeko used fuinjutsu once more to summon her pipe. She was thoroughly enjoying her holiday – she had a wonderful spar with some of her Uchiha clansmen, she was comfortable, the book was surprisingly good and she was home. What more could a woman want.

“Hello taichō”

Saeko looked up from her book and smiled warmly “Yuuko, wonderful to see you!”

The Yamanaka grinned “Anko told me you're back and _teaching_. How goes it?”

“Surprisingly well” the younger kunoichi replied.

Yuuko hopped on the same branch the jounin was laying on and sung her legs merrily. The two girls talked, they bantered and flirted as always. A fact even her genin noticed when they returned to the training field. Saeko eyed them sharply and ordered “Resume what you were doing in the morning. Off you go.”

The students snickered and saluted. Yuuko observed as they started training and then looked at her friend “They are cute.”

“They are temporary” Saeko shrugged.

“Anko said they have a Nara teacher, nice to see their work ethic is not corrupted.”

The Uchiha smirked “So I am a target of gossip, huh?”

“Always” the blonde smirked as well.

The two of them looked at the genin training for a little while then Yuuko spoke up once more “The girl you were spy-banging, you tired of her yet?”

Saeko was a bit affronted “I told you that was not the case but yes, we are no longer together.”

“I'm T&I, I wouldn't judge either way but I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that” Yuuko apologized.

“That's alright, you'll just have to make it up to me” the sharingan user smirked.

Yuuko chuckled “Hai taichō.”

Before they could say more an excited shout reverberated through the clearing “I DID IT!”

Saeko looked at the beaming Ryouta and then shifted her gaze to the wet tree devoid of bark, result of his brand new jutsu. She smiled encouragingly “Good job! Do it again.”

“ _Suiton:_ _Suidan no Jutsu_!”

The scarred jounin examined the result “Very good indeed. It just needs more power but you got it. That still doesn't mean it's battle ready, you got to play with it some more.”

“I know” the boy replied, not dejected at all.

“Well, that is my cue, go be the sensei, I need to go to the Detention Facility anyway” Yuuko grinned mischievously and pecked Saeko on the cheek.

The genin 'awwwed' as Saeko bid her friend goodbye. Turning to face her students she put on the icy Uchiha façade “Quit gawking my cute little genin, it's speed training time Anko style!”

“Anko style?” Retsu asked.

Saeko smiled sadistically “Quick tip: start dodging.”

* * *

**Outside the Hyuuga Compound**

“Well, that was fun” Saeko said with a sigh.

Neji just shrugged “You knew what you were getting into when you accepted the invite.”

“Yeah, a Hyuuga tea ceremony sounded like a blast right from the start” the kunoichi joked.

“Just as an Uchiha tea ceremony I would wager” the chuunin countered.

“Touché”

The Hyuuga smiled as much as he was able “Well, Hiashi-sama actually said you are one of the few Uchiha he could somewhat respect.”

“Oh yeah, I noticed I only got a raised eyebrow or two and a slight sneer here and there” Saeko said in a faux-impressed voice.

“See? Progress”

Saeko laughed “You just made a joke! Are the heavens falling?” Neji's lips quirked upwards and the girl had to smile at the fact, he really changed for the better. “So Hiashi and you still seem to be getting along, training and all. He also looked quite proud when he mentioned you are could be a candidate for jounin soon.”

“That's a long way away, I practically just made chuunin” the shinobi countered even if his voice was tinged by pride as well.

“You were held back for chuunin. Besides, now you don't have the weakness you had before – if someone knew you just a little bit they could make you fly into a rage with the right trigger.”

“I know” Neji said sullenly, well aware of his shortcomings.

Saeko smirked to lighten up the mood “Also it just wouldn't do if only the Uchiha prodigy was jounin and not the Hyuuga one.”

“I'll make sure to tell the Hokage” the pale-eyes ninja shot back.

The brunettes laughed “Another joke, my my, you have really changed. I like it. Good, my jounin commander looks better and better.”

“Jounin Commander?”

Saeko smirked “You and Shika can duck it out.”

Neji had to laugh “That would be too troublesome.”

The duo said their goodbyes, Saeko had to go back to her genin and Neji had promised to help Hanabi with her juuken.

Sighing the Uchiha tugged on the collar of her formal kimono – she was not used to it after wearing only the Hogwarts uniform and the shinobi one, even if she had to dress like this for Clan council meetings and other events when her father was in power. The worst part was that one of said meetings was the day after the next so she would have to put on the Uchiha poker face and a up  once more.

Once at home she quickly changed, it was time to play sensei again. When she was back in her uniform she pondered what to do with her minions that afternoon. She hummed when her gaze passed a gift she received few days ago from a distant cousin she sparred on occasion.

Finally Saeko took the sealing scroll and calmly made her way to the training grounds.

When the jounin arrived at the field her temporary team was using she spotted her three charges eating lunch. As her stomach grumbled slightly she thought “ _Time to abuse teaching privileges.”_

“Good afternoon, my darling subordinates” Saeko greeted the trio and took an egg roll out of Keita's bento.

“Hey!” the boy protested. The kunoichi only smirked and stole a piece of fish. Then she turned to the suiton user she hummed “Onigiri, my favorite. And you have enough for me too, how thoughtful of you. Thank you!”

Ryouta just pouted and looked sadly as his teacher ate part of his lunch. Seeing what fate befell her teammates Retsu practically inhaled her own meal before it could be taken away. It was Saeko's turn to pout “I'm cranky when I'm hungry, just so you know. And we will be sparring today.”

“Then why didn't you eat?” Retsu asked in trepidation.

Saeko sighed “I was making nice with the Hyuuga.”

“They didn't feed you?” asked the disgruntled Keita.

“Nope, just the usual stuff that accompanies a tea ceremony,” the Uchiha shared, “That means you three are treating me to ramen when we finish today.”

The students groaned.

“Now,” Saeko grinned, “We begin! Retsu you will go first, you boys stay and observe. Everything goes so you two get to plan a bit, I want to see some strategies since you have such a huge advantage.”

Keita and Ryouta nodded and hopped on the branch that Saeko often used to overseer their training. In the meantime Retsu drew her blade and prepared herself.

The jounin nodded in approval and took out the scroll she had been gifted. Looking at the sealing array inside she warned her opponent “I'll be trying out a new weapon so be careful.”

Retsu gulped.

Saeko spun her new weapon, getting a feel for it. It was a glaive – it was a heavier naginata-like weapon with a differently shaped blade. The Uchiha prodigy seldom used pole weapons if one discounts the giant fan she used to enhance her fire jutsus, but this one was truly beautiful.

The sensei let Retsu look at the weapon for quite a while so she could get an idea what to expect but then she attacked, no sharingan and with chuunin speed.

At first the genin was ecstatic that she could keep up with Saeko but as the jounin grew more accustomed to her new weapon Retsu began frowning more and more.

When Saeko used the blunt end to trip up her student Retsu exploded “That's so not far! I only had some semblance of a chance against you when you used a weapon you are untrained in and then it took you like five minutes to become a pro in it anyway!”

“Lightening Country folks sure knows how to make their weapons” Saeko said in lieu of an answer. Naturally she didn't share the Uchiha clansman who gifted it to her showed her some moves he observed out of the previous owner. Well, before ending him that is. The sharingan is truly is an excellent tool.

The genin murmured something just on the edge of hearing. It involved words like 'smug' and 'shit'.

Saeko smirked “I _am_ a jounin you know.”

Retsu's eyes narrowed and she shot up from the ground, trying to take the jounin by surprise. Saeko parried effortlessly but stayed on the defensive, observing her charge. The genin was very good with a sword considering her rank but that was it. She fought more like a samurai then a kunoichi, a big disadvantage. Since her time with the brats was almost over she decided against talking about adding a new skill but she was determined to mention it to their regular sensei. But then again he was a Nara, he must've thought about it as well. Just kenjutsu and basics could be enough for chuunin promotions but she would need to be exceptional and have some brilliant strategies to compensate…

As Saeko knocked Retsu on her ass again she nodded and shouted “Next!”

Keita and Ryouta looked at each other and both shook their heads simultaneously. Saeko tapped the ground impatiently. The boys argued briefly and then played jan-ken-pon to determine who would go first.

Ryouta lost.

Saeko smiled as creepily as she could, just for kicks, and spun her glaive around.

* * *

**Training Field 6**

It was raining, pouring even, but the life of a genin student would not stop because of something small like that. Jounin on the other hand had much more freedom. As that was the case, Saeko sat on her usual branch under an umbrella while her students were doing push-ups in the mud.

“And now jumping jacks!” the Uchiha shouted from atop her perch.

The genin gritted their teeth but obeyed – they knew better. Once when they were 'too unruly' she asked Gai to take them for a training session. Needless to say that the trio now knew what a wonderful and sane sensei she was in comparison.

As she cackled in her corner Saeko thought that the Sorting Hat had been right to push for Slytherin. But then again every jounin who had been assigned wet behind the ears genin found an immeasurable amount of glee in torturing them.

Her gaze settled on the trio hopping in the rain. “ _Hmm,_ _where would I put them? Keita would be a Snake for sure. Retsu? The girl would be a Gryffindor, and a trouble-making one like the Weasleys to boot. Ryouta would be tougher to sort. But then again he is the glue that holds the team together, always ready to lend a helping hand – he would do well in Hufflepuff.”_

“Laps!”

_“Shika and the whole Nara clan are easy – Ravenclaws. Naruto is as well, a typical Gryff_ ” Saeko thought about her friends in Konoha, _“Chouji is a Puff, Neji? Slytherin, he_ _'_ _s got their_ _passive-aggressive manner down pat. Anko is a snake as well funnily enough. Itachi is hard. Hmm, loyalty and hard work are big with him but some of his plots and genjutsu are downright vile…”_

“SENSEI!!!” three young voices bellowed in joy.

“Troublesome” the man replied as he got a hug from his genin, the smiling despite his words.

Saeko smiled at the scene and hopped down from her spot. Calmly the Uchiha made her way to the hugging team to greet Nara Hiroshi. The man caught her eye, nodded and turned back to the genin “Weren't you just doing laps?”

“Sensei!” the trio shouted again, this time in poorly concealed horror.

“I believe it was time to switch to chin-ups” Saeko grinned wickedly.

“Taichō” the genin said dejectedly and marched towards the tree line. The two jounin chuckled.

While the soaked students were working out, Saeko briefed the Nara about his team. Despite the always-bored expression of the typical Nara, Hiroshi seemed quite happy about the team's improvement. The Uchiha was very proud that her first teaching experience was a success.

After the discussion was finished Hiroshi thanked profusely the sharingan user and went to his team.

_“Mission accomplished, now let_ _'_ _s get me some sake”_

X

**Takeji's Bar**

It seemed the weather has chased the majority of Konoha into various bars. Saeko's favorite was packed as well. In one corner she could see Asuma ad Kurenai enjoying talking with each other, oblivious of the surroundings, aka Guy and Kakashi who were engaged in another one-sided competition. Other than that there were several ninja she had worked with before but wasn't particularly friendly with. Saeko was pretty bummed out that her two favorite kunoichi from the T&I department were nowhere to be found.

Finally Saeko's eyes found Genma drinking alone at the bar. The brunette sat beside him “Are you drinking away your sorrows or are you up for some company?”

“Nope, just drinking for the sake of drinking” the senbon user replied with a smile.

Saeko ordered a drink as well and turned to her friend “Where are your pals? I know Aoba is away but at least Ebisu should be in village.”

“Ebisu is with his brats doing the teaching thing. Speaking of which how are your brats?” the man asked.

“Having a joyful reunion with their sensei” the Uchiha explained.

Genma arched his eyebrows in surprise “Wow, that sounded bitter.”

“What can I say, they grew on me. Who will I torture now?” Saeko laughed, “But really, I'm glad that things will be returning to normal. That said I won't protest too much when Hokage-sama saddles me with my eventual genin team.”

The shinobi hummed “Good for you. Me, I'm glad I'm just a tokujō.”

“If you put in a bit of effort you would be a full jounin already” Saeko said dismissively.

The Hokage guard chuckled “Thanks but no thanks. Tokubetsu jounin is the best rank you can have – high enough for great pay and excitement but not that high-profile, it's ideal.”

“Lazy bum”

“Attention whore” was the quick reply.

Saeko laughed “What can I say, I love being on the top.”

“Oooh, do tell me all about it” said another voice interrupted the conversation. Saeko looked back and smiled at the sight of Yuuko. The blonde sat down beside the Uchiha and grinned.

Genma looked at the blonde appreciatively and winked at Saeko “Friend of yours?”

“Yep” Saeko grinned and immediately ordered two more drinks.

Yuuko grinned and nodded in thanks at the glass “You're the best taichō.”

The senbon-user let out a laud laugh, obviously enjoying the flirty banter. Saeko smirked and introduced the two.

“Shouldn't be with your brats just about now?” the Yamanaka asked.

Saeko shrugged “I'm brat-free.”

“Excellent!” Yuuko exclaimed, “I'm off the clock and Genma-san is free as well. Let's drink!”

“You're late for that party” Genma said and pointed to the empty glassed in front of them.

Yuuko frowned “We can't have that. Barkeep!”

Both Genma and Saeko eyed the huge bottle the blonde interrogator ordered in dread. The man whispered to his friend “I hope someone comes this way and saves us. If we drink this just the three of us we will be puking into next week.”

Yuuko obviously heard him “Pussies. But if you are really that concerned Anko and some guys from T&I might come by later. Even Ibiki might join. Now, bottoms up!”

The duo drank quickly, not to look bad before the blonde chuunin.

X

“Truth or dare!”

“Truth” Genma replied, wobbling slightly.

Yuuko frowned, trying to come up with a good question. Then her eyes lit up “I have it! Have you ever kissed a man?”

The tokujō blushed but said nothing. Yuuko and Saeko hooted and high-fived. Genma blushed harder “It was more or less an accident! It was for a mission and I honestly believed he was a woman!”

At this both girls erupted in laughter. Genma drank another shot “Whatever, it's my turn! Yuuko, truth or dare!”

“Dare!”

“I dare you…” said the man, eyes looking frantically about. His eyes found Guy and he smirked deviously “to say to Guy you are not youthful enough and join him and Lee for a morning work-out!”

Yuuko's eyes grew wide in horror “I would rather drink this entire bottle before those words crossed my lips.”

Both jounin laughed. Yuuko downed her shot quickly “Saeko, truth or dare?”

“Dare!”

The blonde kunoichi smirked “Kiss me. Properly.”

Saeko smirked as well, not sparing a look at the more than interested Genma on her right.

A few beats of silence later Genma grew more uncomfortable than excited. “Guys. Guys!”

The two girls ignored him completely.


	53. 3- 53 Meeting the Medic

“Jounin Uchiha, jounin Uchiha!” said a loud voice, trying to wake up the kunoichi in question.

Saeko tried valiantly to untangle herself from Yuuko's embrace “What?”

“An emergency arose, you are needed. The Hokage will brief you” said the porcelain mask.

The Uchiha nodded and the ANBU vanished. Yuuko sighed “The Hokage is always the ultimate cock-blocker.”

“Sorry” Saeko said as she busied with her clothes.

Yuuko drew the blanket over herself “It's far from the first time this happened. By the way those guys are creepy, how do they know where everybody is?”

Saeko shrugged. She actually didn't know and Itachi was silent on the matter. “I have to go, see you when I return” the brunette said and pecked the chuunin on the lips.

Yuuko just hummed, already halfway back asleep.

The brunette chuckled and took the fastest route to the Hokage Tower. From the hustle and bustle on the streets and the position of the sun she surmised it was almost noon therefore lessening her outrage at having been woken up so early.

Having been fast-tracked in the Hokage Tower she found herself at Sarutobi's door in no time. Saeko knocked and entered the office.

“Excellent news Saeko-kun” Sarutobi immediately began, “I got a letter Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice. It seems my student has no idea she contacted me so you'll need to move fast.”

Saeko's eyes lit up “That is excellent news! Wait, Tsunade doesn’t know? I have to pack my armor then.”

Sarutobi chuckled “That would be prudent. Shizune-chan wrote that Tsunade is stuck and needs help with those healing spells and formulas but refuses to contact Konoha.”

At this the Uchiha couldn't help but gulp “You mean I have to deal with an angry sannin whose pride is hurt? Are you sure about this? I really want to live enough to have my face on the mountain.”

“Afraid of a fifty-year old woman?”the elder smirked.

“Hell yes!” was the immediate reply.

The Hokage laughed and nodded “Shizune will have your back, if there is someone who can rein my student is it's her.”

“Can I take someone with me?”

“I didn't think it necessary but who did you have in mind?”

Saeko hummed “Hyuuga Neji, Hokage-sama. A wonderful scout and able diplomat. And a reliable friend that would never leave me in trouble.”

“Very well” Sarutobi nodded, still smiling.

The brunette smiled gratefully and stood at attention “My mission?”

“Meet with Shizune in Otafuku Gai and answer her questions without disclosing Hogwarts. If by any chance you manage to convince my student to return I'll file this as a successful S-rank mission. Oh, and don't get killed” the aged leader laid out the parameters.

Saeko nodded “As per your orders.”

“Make haste” Sarutobi dismissed the girl, “Oh and your Hogwarts letter arrived, collect it when you return.”

“Aye aye”

X

**Otafuku Gai**

“I found them” Neji said as he powered down his byakugan.

Saeko nodded “Good, they are still here. Let's go. Just try to remember what I told you about her.”

“Be light on my feet and out of her arms reach” the Hyuuga said as one corner of his mouth shot upwards.

“Hilarious. Even Naruto said she is very abrasive, just don't get pissed” the Uchiha warned again.

Neji arched his eyebrows “Naruto knows what abrasive means?”

“I was paraphrasing”

“Ah”

The two ninja made their way to the bar their target was in. As soon as they entered both had to sigh, it was clear the slug summoner had been drinking and was in a bad mood. Her mood darkened even further when she spotted the uniforms.

Saeko thought relatively long about what to wear – she knew the classic uniform would irritate Tsunade from the start but so would her Uchiha garb. She contemplated wearing her uniform with her haori but that would seem pretentious. Finally she settled on the classic jounin uniform and hoped for the best. At least Neji tempered the fact by wearing a very nice brown and white Hyuuga robes.

“Why is Konoha sending me all these brats? First the annoying blonde and now the latest Uchiha prodigy from the looks of it. And a Hyuuga pretty boy. What do you want?” Tsunade said bluntly.

Saeko and Neji bowed slightly as was customary “Uchiha Saeko and Hyuuga Neji here to help you with the new jutsu Konoha sent.”

Tsunade frowned even more, turned to her apprentice and growled “Shizuneeee?”

“I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, but we do need help” the brunette said resolutely.

The blonde folded her arms “I told you I will figure it out.”

Shizune mirrored the pose “Yes you will, so I invited the originator here.”

Tsunade humphed and turned to the Konoha ninja “An Uchiha and a Hyuuga? Shouldn't you two hate each other?”

“Why?” Neji said tried to say in his most surprised voice.

Saeko chuckled “Neji is my BFF.”

“Hm, an Uchiha playing nice. And the only thing needed was killing half of them” the sannin said acerbically.

“Tsunade-sama” Shizune said in reproach.

The blonde humphed again “So, those jutsu of yours…”

X

“Bored?” Shizune asked the Hyuuga chuunin.

Neji inclined his head “Medicine is not my field.”

“It's mine but even then I hate to work with Tsunade-sama when she is in this mood” the medic confessed.

“Saeko can handle it” the Hyuuga said resolutely.

“I sure hope so” Shizune said in a worried tone. The sound of raised voices from the inn room didn't inspire too much confidence.

“At least they are talking”

“True, I half-expected a broken jaw and us leaving the city” the brunette confessed.

Neji nodded “Saeko can be very stubborn.”

Shizune chuckled.

X

**Two Days Later**

“Are you sure I can't convince you to come back?” Saeko tried one more time.

“Nope”

The Uchiha looked at the medic duo pleadingly “Aren't you tired of only seeing Shizune-san at the time? And you too Shizune-san, don't you want to see your Konoha friends again?”

Tsunade arched her eyebrow in warning “I suggest you shut up.”

“It was great to meet you two” Shizune smiled and bowed.

Saeko and Neji replied in kind.

“I guess” the sennin sighed, “then again the last time we got a visit from Konoha it was a pervert and a crazy brat. This brat at least drinks.”

“You know, Konoha has great sake nowadays - imported from all over the Elemental Nations” Saeko tempted.

Shizune chuckled and Tsunade's mouth quirked upwards “Nope.”

“Sorry, I had to try. If I brought you back Sarutobi-sama would make me Hokage on the spot” the Uchiha shrugged with a smile.

Tsunade's eyes widened in realization “Hokage? Ah, you are the Naruto's so called rival.”

“For the Hat? Yes I am. It is my dream” Saeko nodded solemnly.

“Why?” the slug summoner asked honestly.

Saeko smiled “I would be the first female Kage, it would show everybody that women are equally capable as male ninja. I would also be the first Uchiha Hokage – it's just what the Clan needs after that Fukagu clusterfuck.”

Tsunade just shrugged.

“Plus it's a great way to pick up chicks” Saeko winked.

“Perverts, perverts everywhere!” the blonde raised hr hands in exasperation.

* * *

**Yamanaka Compound**

Saeko grinned as she read the letter that had arrived from Hogwarts – besides the usual list of textbooks there was the notice she has been made quidditch captain. The envelope even contained a shiny badge. The only thing left was to schedule an appointment with Flitwick and Hooch, hold trials and voilá, Saeko-taichō leads the Ravenclaw Eagles.

The brunette sat contemplating her quidditch team as she waited for Yuuko in front of the blonde's house. The Yamanaka in question was due to arrive any minute now and Saeko was in the mood to celebrate.

It didn't take too long for Yuuko to appear. She smirked “Couldn't stay away, huh?”

“Hey, I just spent three days with a troublesome blonde and I need a blonde pick-me-up” Saeko winked. Yuuko arched her eyebrow and a motion for the Uchiha to elaborate. Saeko obliged “I had to meet with Tsunade-sama.”

“Oh” the chuunin said, intrigued, “How was it?”

“Good, she doesn't hate me”

Yuuko laughed “That is good.”

“Exactly” Saeko nodded solemnly, “I was thinking that perhaps we could celebrate?”

“What did you have in mind” the interrogator asked in a sultry voice.

Saeko smirked “Just unlock the door and you'll find out.”

The duo tore through Yuuko's living room like a hurricane, destination: bed.

It was almost time for dinner when the kunoichi calmed down. Saeko subtly cast _tempus_ and had to suppress a sigh since she was expected at the Uchiha Compound in a little while. She turned to tell that to Yuuko but was distracted by her smug expression “Something to say?”

“The wait was so very worth it” the blonde grinned.

Saeko chuckled “Cocky much?”

“Maybe someday if you like” Yuuko winked.

The brunette laughed “Most definitely but now I need to go, I have an Uchiha dinner.”

“Pity” pouted the Yamanaka as she watched her bedmate collect her clothes. When Saeko was fixing her shuriken pouch Yuuko spoke up “Just there is no confusion – I like you, very much in fact, but we are not girlfriends, we are not exclusive.”

“I know that much. I knew way before you talked about how Anko is good in bed”

“That was because I was subtly trying to suggest a threesome”

“Do continue…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand done. This marks the end of Saeko´s third year. Next is another year at Hogwarts and the arrival of a certain bespectacled horcrux.


	54. 4- 54 The Lightening Strikes

**Hogwarts Express**

“Can't believe we are already in our fourth year” Daniel said to the kunoichi as they waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

Saeko had to agree, time did move quite fast, and it was better spent than she anticipated “True, finally we will pass onto more advanced magic.”

“Officially you mean” the bespectacled boy winked.

“Naturally,” the Uchiha smirked, “Like any Ravenclaw worth its salt would be content with the pace the staff has set.”

Daniel chuckled “There have to be rules in place, we can't have the Gryffs hurting themselves.”

Both Ravens laughed tad maliciously. But to be objective Saeko had to mention “That said, most of our Hoses' injuries are related to going too fast and wanting to experiment.”

“Yeah” the Brit nodded, “but that still sounds better than being injured because he or she didn't read the instructions properly or just wanted to find a shortcut to do less work.”

“But that is how discoveries are made” the ninja countered.

“Yeah, but corpses too” Daniel shrugged.

“Corpses? What the hell are you two talking about?” Caitlin said from the entrance to the compartment, “Never mind, I'm better off not knowing. Did you get it?”

“Get what?” both residents asked.

Caitlin squealed as her eyes zeroed to the front of Saeko's robes “You did!”

Saeko cleared her throat “I'm flattered you are interested in my tits but this is rather sudden.”

“You wish,” the red-head rolled her eyes, “I knew it! They made you captain, congratulations!”

Daniel noticed the badge as well “Indeed, you'll make a good captain.”

“Thanks” Saeko grinned.

Caitlin put her hand around the ninja's shoulders and her voice grew colder, her eyes narrowed “I'm sure under your leadership the Eagles will win again, right?”

Saeko was actually impressed “Of course, I do everything at one hundred percent.”

“Sweet!”

The trio talked about quidditch, a discussion Graham eagerly joined when he arrived.

The next to arrive were Ashley and Peter. The girl was more exuberant than usual, a clear contrast to Peter who just sullenly waved.

“Who kicked your puppy?” Graham asked his friend.

Peter just shrugged and sat down. Ashley just rolled her eyes “He's been this way most of the summer. Don't know why, we have met some new cool friends.”

“Yeah, awesome. Also you might not know it since she has her uniform on but is, hmm who did she put it, ah, punk-rockin it now” Peter explained.

“I don't know what that means” Saeko ventured.

“Don't ask, you'll see. Just wait when she dyes her hair, now she doesn't have a mum around to put a stop to it” the boy warned.

Ashley huffed “Even Jeff says I would've looked great with pink hair.”

“Who's Jeff?” Caitlin asked eagerly.

“Her boyfriend” was Peter's brooding reply.

“Ooooh” the group chorused and nodded in realization.

The small brunette smiled widely and nodded. She immediately started talking about her new muggle boyfriend she had met that summer.

Seeing Peter grow from annoyed to pissed Saeko thought about being a good friend and change the topic. When it was appropriate she said chipperly “Hey, did you hear that Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts this year?”

The change was successful and everybody began discussing the fabled Boy-Who-Lived. Saeko smiled in satisfaction but resolved to talk about his Jeff at length when they retired to their rooms. And with Peter as well, maybe now he will finally realize he likes his childhood friend. The Uchiha was not a huge romantic but she was sure those two would get together in the end.

“Which House he will get sorted into?” Daniel mused as the group still talked about Potter.

Helena whipped up her betting book.

Saeko wasn't really interested in speculations, she already had some information on the boy and the rest she would find out shortly, her mission demanded it.

Plus she just had a feeling Potter would somehow get involved with that parcour Dumbledore cooked up to protect the Stone. When the Headmaster informed her about it Saeko had to keep her Uchiha face but otherwise she would've pursed her lips in annoyance - housing a treasure in a castle full of children and teenagers was not the wisest of ideas. Especially it was meant to be bait. While the real deal was safe under the _Fidelius_ the students could still get caught up with the thief. And they would, Saeko would bet on it.

But hey, not really her concern as long as her charge stays out of it.

Saeko sighed, The-Boy-Who-Lived will definitely be involved, Naruto called it the 'main character effect'. True, he was talking about himself and his propensity for trouble no matter the rank of the mission, but it could be applied, especially with a silly title like that. The-Boy-Who-Lived was practically a dare.

And someone would accept sooner or later.

* * *

**Gryffindor Tower**

“I hate being a clone” Saeko's Kage Bushin ( _Saeko_ ) grumbled as she was stuck on the ceiling before the entrance to the Gryffindors Common Room, waiting for a scrawny eleven-year-old.

Harry Potter and his red-headed pal finally climbed out of the portrait and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. _Saeko_ noiselessly followed in the shadows up on the walls, thanking Kami it was Sunday already. Next week the boss will be sending a summon to tail Potter instead.

_“Ok, what do we have so far” Saeko_ ran through the mental list of friends and enemies she compiled for the shy little boy during the week, _“Potter is friends with Weasley, which means adding the twins and the insufferable Gryffindor prefect. Granger seemed eager to get their attention – mostly due to being not able to bond with the girls, she_ _'s clean._ _Otherwise there is not much bonding with his dorm mates, only Longbottom has potential.”_

_“On the other hand Potter struck some kind of rivalry with the Heir Malfoy - he's a little prat but he clearly didn't get any harmful instructions from his father. Yet. She would need to monitor that. Oh and she would need to ask what is the deal with Snape.”_

_“Other professors seem impartial, McGonagall has a soft spot but it won't interfere with his treatment. Quirrell is funky, but Boss already noted that.”_

_“Hagrid is on the friend's list as well. I was told the half-giant was friends with Harry's parents. He's clean as well. Let's just hope Hagrid's pets won't eat him.”_

As Potter ate his breakfast (beans on toast, ugh) _Saeko_ surveyed the Great Hall. The-Boy-Who-Lived was still a novelty and his many fans still stole a look at him here and there. Actually respectful fans, just staring at him, that was a welcome novelty as well.

_Saeko_ was getting bored. This is exactly the reason why she specialized in fire jutsu, no scout missions. If your mission was to blow someone up into smithereens there was no need for subtlety and waiting around. She _could_ of course, but she preferred making an impression.

Only a few hours and she could report to the Boss so in turn she could meet up with the Headmaster. _Saeko_ suppressed a groan “ _Come on Potter, do something funny.”_

Her prayers went unanswered.

X

**At the same time**

Saeko felt her clone's chakra and her eyes traveled to Harry Potter. The boy exceeded her expectations, she was half-dreading he would be the second coming of Naruto. This specimen was much, much, much calmer. Thank Kami!

She had already asked Skygge to be the more permanent guard and spy. She was perfect, excellent at blending in the shadows and the most patient being the Uchiha has ever encountered. Skygge and some of the other smaller ravens had agreed to rotate shifts, they didn't even grumble much.

When the ninja returned her attention to breakfast she found Caitlin glaring at an older year. The red-head noticed “I still can't believe that cow was made prefect.”

Ashley rolled her eyes “So you said already. You don't like your roomie's BFF, she stole your shirt and she reads Twilight. We hate her too as any good friend should. What **I** can't believe is Quirrell for DADA.”

“Yeah, me too” Daniel chimed in, “We had all those ball-busters and now this loser. How can a bumbling fool teach us such an important subject!”

Helena tapped her chin in thought “When he taught Muggle Studies last year he was ok, he didn't stutter for one. I wonder what made him change subjects. And his behavior I guess.”

“Why should I care if he encountered some sort of trauma, he's a teacher – he either teaches or he's out” Daniel said resolutely.

“Harsh” Graham commented, he rather liked the teacher last year. Well, not now obviously.

Paddy shrugged “But true. I'd rather have a competent teacher. Pity Deirdre had to leave.”

Saeko nodded vigorously “She was definitely better in all aspects.”

“Especially in the looks department” Graham murmured.

“Amen” Paddy said and Saeko nodded with a smirk.

“Pigs” Ashley summed it up.

The pigs in question shrugged unashamedly.

With their breakfast eaten, the majority of the group made their way back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Saeko split up with her friends just atop the stairs and went to meet Flitwick. She had already met with Madame Hooch the day before yesterday but she still wanted to go over some details about her new position as Quidditch Captain. And, most importantly, to get her password for the prefect's bathroom.

“Saeko!” a voice made her stop.

The ninja turned and smiled warmly at her fellow beater “Hey Jared. I was just going to Flitwick about the team.”

“Oh. I won't keep you then, I just wanted to ask if you already decided when to hold trials”

The Uchiha paused “I wanted to ask the Team about their schedule and some other things once everyone got used to school again. I have a meeting with Dumbledore this evening about a personal matter but I have no idea how long that will take. But still, could you and the guys wait for me in the Common Room later this evening?”

“Sure, sounds good” Jared nodded, “I'll tell them.”

Saeko smiled “Dōmo.”

“Dōitashimashite” the Brit proclaimed proudly.

The ninja clapped “Very good!”

Jared grinned “See you this evening then.”

The two beaters waved in goodbye and went their separate ways. Saeko closed the distance to the Head of House' office and knocked with a smile. She actually liked going to this office – Flitwick was pleasant company, even when she tried to mooch new spells, and he served surprisingly good tea. Sometimes even cookies.

“Come in Miss Uchiha. Tea?”

“Oh yes please.”

 


	55. 4- 55 The Joys of Captaincy

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Wow, what a turnout” Wayne commented.

“Yeah, want to tell us something Captain?” Rory nodded.

Saeko looked over the crowd. The boys were right, it looked half of her House was out there. And the rest was reading in the stands. “ _There goes any hope for secrecy_ ” she sighed. She turned to her Team “As you know I decided to keep the winning Team. The problem is that next year I could be the only one left in this team – Frost is graduating and the rest of you are sixth-years.”

“Scouting for reserves and potential teammates for next season?” James asked, “You could've warned us at the meeting.”

The Uchiha rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “Sorry about that, it was a rather spur of the moment decision.”

“The notice hang on the board in the Tower for three days you know” Frost shrugged.

Jared nodded “Yeah. I think this is everyone, we should start.”

Saeko thought so as well and faced the crowd. As soon as it quieted down she launched into her speech, stressing the fact that only a chaser was needed at the moment. The crowd didn't seem to protest, they already knew it was the case and they did want to keep winning.

The chasers went first. The sharingan user made them run a lap around the field and then fly over the same path. That feat alone made the number of hopefuls drop in half. Only the serious contenders were made to do the usual chaser exercises. Then it was a matter of compatibility with Rory and Wayne.

Finally Cameron Young was selected, another sixth-year to Saeko's dismay. She knew Cameron, he was best friends with her current chasers and worked with them seamlessly even on the field.

Much to Saeko's satisfaction Caitlin and a third–year named Roger Davies were closely behind. The scarred teen made them stay behind as she dismissed the others. The duo perked up and sat down by the Team as Saeko turned her gaze on the aspiring keepers.

It took the whole morning but Saeko finally declared the trials to be over. The crowd began to dissipate and the ninja lied down on the grass. The Team looked at each other and finally Frost ventured “Forgetting something?”

 Saeko groaned and sat up “Cameron, congratulations and welcome. You know us and we know you, we can make nice during practice.” Turing her attention to the younger-years she said seriously “Now you three, present yourself.”

Caitlin was taken aback at her friend's attitude but went first “Caitlin O'Shea, fourth-year, aspiring chaser.”

“Roger Davies, third-year. I play chaser as well.”

“Cho Chang. Second year, seeker” the petite asian girl went last.

Saeko nodded “Good. Now I selected you three to be my reserve players. Caitlin, Roger, you two are very good and I can picture you in my team next year. Cho, you have potential. That said, you all  being here doesn't guarantee a spot in the Team for next season, I will still be holding trials. Though I will make a work-out schedule for you three so next year you may excel and help bring the Eagles to victory. At times I will require you attend our regular training. It will be hard work, you in?”

“Yes” were the slightly unsure replies.

“Excellent,” the ninja smirked darkly, “I like the idea of having three ready-made players next year. I can only hope our housemates shape up to fill the remaining positions.”

The trio stood up straighter at the praise. Saeko nodded in satisfaction and stood up “I will contact you all with further details, now I'm starving. Let's go.”

As the ninja skipped happily towards the Castle Caitlin whispered to Frost “She always like that with you?”

The seeker shrugged “When she is hungry. Plus some of those whiny brats went on my nerves as well. I mean, if you can't fly, why bother trying out for the team.”

“Hm, Saeko does hate incompetence and stupidity” the red-head commented.

“You coming or what!” was Saeko's irate shout.

Caitlin and Frost just looked at each other, chuckled and sped up.

* * *

**Library**

“Thank you so much” Saeko said with her most charming smile to the very lovely Hufflepuff who just gave her a recommendation for a book that would make Runes homework go much faster. The older-year blushed.

The kunoichi took the book in question and made her way to her favorite study table, a smirk playing on her lips. Lauren who was waiting for her rolled her eyes “What's with you and older Puffs?”

Saeko grinned “Don't insult me, I admire beauty no matter the House.”

Lauren shook her head with a smile “I can only hope us doing Runes homework together doesn't sully my reputation.”

“You have a reputation?” the brunette asked innocently.

“Let's just do the work Uchiha” Lauren grinned.

The ninja obliged and opened her books “Why aren't you doing this with Isolde anyway?”

“She said she's not in the mood, we did get quite a bit of time to do the translations” Lauren shrugged, “plus you are more helpful than she.”

“I'm honored to be your second choice” Saeko mocked.

Lauren smirked “Less chatting, more translating.”

The duo spent the next hour battling their newest Runes assignment. They made a decent dent in their homework but it wasn't a long-term work for nothing. Finally they called it quits.

“Sooo, how were the holidays?” Saeko asked.

The Snake shrugged “Fun as always. Aunt and Uncle tried to marry me off but unfortunately for them they don't have the authority, being only from a cadet branch, my guardians or not.”

Saeko was reminded about Helena, she would have to ask how her own arrangements went. But since the blonde didn't volunteer any information and was generally cheerful it was safe to assume her father took care of it. “That's good news” she said cautiously.

Lauren nodded “Indeed. Can't wait for the day I can boot them out.”

“Aren't you a little bit worried they might try something?” the ninja's brow furrowed, “From all you said about them, they sure seem awfully eager to become the main branch.”

The red-head sighed “Not right now. Long story short they would get nothing until I turn seventeen.”

“How joyful,” Saeko frowned, “you know, you could strike first.”

“Let's not talk about that,” Lauren shook her head, “How is being Captain?”

“I'm extremely popular, everyone adores me and worships the ground I walk on” Saeko paused dramatically, “Oh wait, they did that already.”

Lauren rolled her eyes “Ass.”

“It's quite hectic actually. And an organizational nightmare – I have to balance everyone's schedule and needs, which doesn't really matter since they all will whine anyway” the Uchiha confessed.

“Hm, I can imagine that” the Brit nodded.

“How is the newest batch of Slytherins?” Saeko changed the subject. She rather liked her new title but discussing it was getting old.

The Snake sighed “The Malfoy brat prances like he owns it all. His father has a lot of clout but if he continues like that he will be taught a subtle lesson. Other than that the usual. Newest Ravenclaws?”

“Meh, they earn points. But they are griping about a new Gryff, Granger, about being an insufferable know-it-all.”

Lauren seemed rather amused “From a Raven that is rather grave.”

The brunette chuckled and bowed.

* * *

**Helena's Room**

“At least make it epic” Saeko said as she lounged on a chair, smoking.

Helena paused and stepped aside the canvas she was painting on, to speak with her friend “Are you serious? I don't have that much imagination.”

“I can even strike a pose,” the Uchiha bargained, “maybe even fetch my sword.”

“Tempting, but no. Now sit still!” the blonde painter ordered.

“Explain me, why am I doing this again?”

The pureblood shrugged as she mixed more paint “Because you love me. And why shouldn't you, I'm a great friend.”

Saeko pouted “How cruel, getting my hopes up like that.”

“I told you to sit still!”

“Why?” the ninja said petulantly, “you are not really painting me as I am now. Right?”

Helena smirked “No, but I could make a fair sum for a portrait of you lounging in a kimono.”

“It's a yukata”

“Who cares, the hot new quidditch captain, casually dressed like this, I believe this calendar would make a killing”

“You think me hot? I knew I could get through to you”

“Cool your jets, as Caitlin would put it,” the blonde rolled her eyes, “I prefer the male form.”

“I could change your mind if you give me a chance”

“Nope”

Saeko sighed “I miss Yuuko.”

The blonde looked up from her work in recognition “Should that be translated to 'I need to get laid'?”

“I could be affronted but yeah, that's pretty much it” the ninja confessed, “Don't look at me that way, I'm a hormonal teenager no matter how advanced I might be in other areas.”

“Oh, which areas are those?”

“For example I know how to kill a person with a brush in twelve different ways”

“Good point”

The blonde painted on, humming a tone under her breath while Saeko blew out perfect smoke circles. Few moments later there was a knock on the door and Ashley entered “Still doing art?”

“Yep”

Ash sat down on Helena's bed “Your junior players returned from whatever hell you sent them to. They are currently half-passed out on the floor downstairs.”

Saeko laughed in glee “Fantastic! Did they say something?”

“Just unintelligible moans that in Caitlin's case might've been insults” Ash said with a shrug in feigned nonchalance, “I don't think they are used to working out.”

“Ah” the Uchiha nodded with a huge grin. “ _I suppose having taking care of a genin team for a little while did make me an evil bitch. Ah, the wonders of absolute power.”_

Helena put down her brush “I need a break anyway, you go attend them.”

“Yes my lady” Saeko said with a mild bow and stood up. She contemplated changing for a bit but then showing up bare-footed, half-dressed, smoking and so obviously chilling out while her three Juniors were exercising would be so sweet. Plus she just intended to dismiss them anyway. “I'll be right back.”

Saeko calmly made her way to the Common Room, casually replying to greetings. “Have you seen my minions?” she asked a vaguely familiar girl near the bottom of the stairs.

The girl pointed at the area near the entrance while trying to be subtle about her ogling. Saeko thanked her. A few more steps into the room and she too could spot three sweaty figures collapsed on a carpet near the empty fireplace. “Good work-out?”

Three simultaneous groans were her only answer.

“Don't worry, you'll get used to it” Saeko said in a patronizing manner, “At first the rest had problems as well. But this is precisely why we are winners. Now, I suggest you clean up and get some rest, we can't have you burning out, can we?”

“You. are. evil.” Caitlin managed to choke out.

The Uchiha giggled coyly “Oh, stop it, you're making me blush.”

“The devil incarnate” the Irish girl breathed out as she slowly pulled herself in a sitting position.

Saeko just laughed and with a wave she walked back towards the stairs. She stopped when she noticed the former Captain watching the scene along with the majority of the Ravens. Jamie held up her hand for a high-five. The kunoichi slapped the hand with a wink and slowly climbed the stairs.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

Saeko put an errand strand of her unbound, still drying hair behind her ear so she so she could concentrate better on her cards.

“Here she goes again,” Graham stage-whispered, “taunting us with wet hair, reminding us of the luxurious bathroom we don't have access to.”

“Jealousy is not pretty” the ninja replied cheerily, “Stalking too for that matter.”

Graham shrugged “I really wanted to know where it is.”

Helena frowned “You followed Saeko?”

“Hey, it was Paddy's idea!” the boy defended himself.

All eyes turned to Patrick. “Thanks pal” the Irishman glared at his best friend.

“It didn't work anyway, Saeko just vanished!” Graham said in mild awe.

The Uchiha smirked “Of course I did, I prefer bathing alone with the exception of beautiful willing women, which you two definitely aren't.”

Ashley looked at the two boys “Nope, they really aren't.”

“Hey, I might not be a beautiful woman but I'm definitely a prime specimen of handsome man” Graham announced and puffed his chest.

Everybody looked at each other and they chorused “Naaaah!”

Helena chuckled “Maybe your supposed handsomness can get you the prefect badge, then you could get into the bathroom with little trouble.”

“That's a plan!” Graham exclaimed.

Daniel hummed “Being prefect would be handy. Who do you think will be appointed?”

“It usually is someone who commands respect in his year and House as a whole and good enough with his studies so he or she can afford a policing part-time job” the Grey heiress mused out loud, “So not my roomie and her posse.”

“Because we pretty much ignore them?” Peter arched his eyebrows.

“Because we pretty much ignore them”

“Well, it's not going be me,” Saeko took herself out of the running, “I got enough to do with the quidditch team. Besides I couldn't be bothered. Plus I don't need it for my résumé.”

The group briefly discussed the potential prefects before delving into an argument over another win on Peter's part.

When the situation was diffused enough the topic was quite forcefully changed to the new teacher for muggle studies.

The poker game already over and the discussion dwindling, the group slowly broke up and went to their rooms. Ashley and Saeko did as well.

“I'm going to the non-luxurious bathroom to wash up. If you don't mind I would go to sleep after” the small brunette informed her roommate.

Saeko hummed “I'm not sleepy yet. I'll go for a run then.”

“You can leave the light, I don't want to kick you out”

“It's alright, Hogwarts by night is quite amazing”

Ashley shrugged “As you wish.”

As soon as the Brit was out of the door a small grayish raven flew from the shadows along the ceiling. Saeko smiled in greeting and unsealed some raw meat she kept as a treat for her summons. “Anything interesting?” she asked.

“No” said the feminine voice of the raven.

Saeko chuckled “Talkative as always. The whole report then.”

While the ninja changed into something more appropriate for a midnight stroll when those were forbidden, Skygge summed up Potter's last three days.

“Riveting” the scarred jounin said sarcastically, “But thank you, I know this is not the most glorious assignment.”

The raven did a motion that could be considered a shrug “It is necessary for the mission.”

“That it is” Saeko agreed, “thank you.” Skygge nodded, finished her meal and returned home in a wisp of smoke.

Saeko finished taping her shuriken pouch onto her thigh. It was empty as always in Hogwarts but still she felt naked without it. She waved to her returning roommate and lightly jogged to the Ravenclaw Common Room and then out to the castle proper.

The ninja wasn't kidding when she said Hogwarts was beautiful by night. Sure, during the day it was as well, especially in those areas the students seldom set foot in, but in the darkness it was ethereal. Pity the snoring portraits ruined that atmosphere.

Half an hour later Saeko found herself somewhere on the second floor, near the transfiguration classroom. What made her stop was the slight noise up ahead. The ninja was sure it wasn't Mrs Norris nor her master but still she leapt up and stuck to the archway over the mosaic windows, where the darkness was thickest.

It turned out to be a prefect making rounds. A strawberry blonde Gryffindor prefect to be precise. What was peculiar was the fact the girl was alone.

Feeling social all of the sudden Saeko jumped onto the next archway and then slithered behind the corner where she could descend to the floor unnoticed. Just when the prefect turned the corner as well she asked “Need a partner?”

The blonde shrieked and jumped up in fright. When she calmed down she put on her most stern expression “It's after curfew, you should be in bed.”

Saeko swallowed the myriad of phrases laced with innuendo she could reply with and decided on “It's early still. And I'm just jogging.”

“Be as it may miss Uchiha you still need to return to your Common Room. Be glad I'm not docking points” the blonde replied.

“Too crowded” Saeko shrugged, “Speaking of crowds, I was under the impression the prefects made rounds in pairs.”

The Gryffindor sighed “Usually yes. My partner implored me to take this alone just this once and since he looked positively pathetic begging on his knees I agreed.”

Saeko hummed “Mighty nice of ya.”

“Indeed. Now, miss Uchiha, please go back to the Ravenclaw Common Room”

“If I begged on my knees as well would you consider letting me stay?” the ninja said while batting her eyelashes, “I could make rounds with you. Nobody would spook you then.”

The Gryff huffed “I was only spooked because you were stealthy as a thief.”

“Please” Saeko imploringly, “I'll be good. Besides, Flitwick deemed me responsible enough to entrust six people in my care so staying a bit late and helping a prefect isn't much of a stretch.

“The quidditch team doesn't count” the blonde said but still seemed mollified.

The Konoha nin smiled “Come on. I'm Saeko Uchiha and I'll be your partner for tonight.”

“Alright” was the exasperated response, “I guess I could use the company.”

Saeko grinned “Yatta!”

The Gryff rolled her eyes “Come on then _partner_ , I need to check the first floor as well.”

The Uchiha saluted and fell in step with the blonde “So, _aibō_ , who are you?”

“Evelyn” the girl said after her laughter calmed down.

“Saeko”


	56. 4- 56 Meetings

“Are you dating again?”

Saeko looked up from her letters and arched her eyebrow at her roommate “Why?”

“You are sneaking out at night again” Ashley explained her reasoning.

“Hm” the Uchiha began, “I did recently make friends with a lovely sixth-year.” _But I do wish it was her that kept me at night._

**_*Flashback*_ **

As Potter, Weasley and Granger bickered, the ninja patiently waited on a nearby ceiling beam. Saeko had to repress a chuckle when the Fat Lady got tired of it as well and simply left, thus preventing any take backs. Finally the trio began moving, only to trip up on another Gryffindor.

_“Ugh, move it”_ Saeko thought as the group started talking again, this time with Longbottom. _“Kami, I hope the brats do get to have that duel, at least that would be entertaining.”_

When the Uchiha first heard about that duel with Malfoy she considered busting it but the parameters of her mission said to not interfere except for danger and that arrogant blond was not a danger to anything except himself.

 At last the Gryffindor first-years arrived to the Trophy Room, their arguments never pausing.

Then they all jerked at a new sound. “Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner” Filch nearly purred in his insipid voice.

The first-years panicked and madly scrambled for the doors. _“Point to Malfoy”_ thought the Uchiha as she followed her charge.

One crash into a suit of armor and a confrontation with the resident pranking poltergeist the foursome unerringly made their way to the most dangerous part of the Castle, the forbidden corridor. Saeko had to shake her head when the doors opened with a simple _Alohomora_ , _“Seriously? Is this some Dumbledore_ _'_ _s introduction to destiny? I sure hope ninja wouldn_ _'t so foolishly be led by some old words, prophecy or not.”_

Saeko snuck into the off-bounds room with the group and while they stayed staring at the door the kunoichi eyed the monstrous Cerberus dog. She was seriously reconsidering her non-interfering policy at the sight of the salivating creature.

Fortunately the Uchiha didn't have to do anything, the trio realized where they were and ran like hell. Saeko quickly formed a Kage Bushin who immediately took off after the traumatized Gryffindors.

Saeko sighed and began singing a popular Konoha lullaby. The black dog whined contentedly and all three of his heads rested on his paws as he slowly fell asleep.

“Sweet dreams” said the raven summoner and quietly left the room.

The ninja made her way to the Ravenclaw Tower, confident anymore shenanigans would not happen. At least with Potter. She briefly wondered what her latest discovery, aka Evelyn, was doing.

Halfway up she had a sudden influx of memories, she sighed “They know about the trapdoor, oh joy.”

**_*Flashback*_ **

 

“A sixth-year, hm?” Ashley smiled appreciatively, “Which one is she?”

Saeko put down her letters and indulged her friend's thirst for gossip while the rest of the group chimed in every so often. Soon after when the owls arrived everybody’s eyes were drawn to a rather large package which was carried by six owls.

The Uchiha shot a meaningful glance at her quidditch team, Potter's broom had arrived. She had already received the news of the youngest seeker in a century from Skygge, the summon she had tailing the Boy-Who-Lived, news she promptly passed onto her team.

Skygge had observed the whole flying lessons incident and said Potter was quite good, especially good dives. But the ninja also needed to see for herself and resolved to use a Kage Bushin further down the line. Was McGonagall desperate for the win or was Potter a natural – Saeko needed to answer that question, even if sneaking was necessary. But hey, she was a ninja, spying was as common as breathing.

Only time will tell, for now Skygge and the rest of the ravens will keep an eye on the competition.

Saeko followed Potter leaving Great Hall with a barely concealed grin on his face, closely followed by Granger and Malfoy. The ninja sensed this would become a pattern. Flitwick too foresaw the confrontation and resolved it swiftly. Then the professor looked at the quidditch captain of his House and made a come with me motion. Saeko nearly chuckled, now everybody's a spy.

The Uchiha nodded to the Charms master and collected her things.

“Leaving already? You didn't finish breakfast” Ashley said a bit concerned.

“Flitwick wants to speak with me. No doubt about Potter and his broom”

“Broom? What do you mean?” Caitlin immediately latched onto the information.

The kunoichi shrugged, spreading the info could put a bit more pressure on the eleven year-old “I mean Hogwarts has The-Seeker-Who-Lived in its walls.”

“Seeker? A firstie?” Graham frowned.

“Yup”

Saeko left, leaving behind a heated discussion about the new addition to the Gryffindor quidditch team. It was clear it wouldn't take long for the news to spread. Saeko smirked.

* * *

**Ashley and Saeko** **'** **s Room**

“So, how is this one?” the ninja asked and tuned from her mirror.

Ashley looked up from her guitar and just rolled her eyes. On the other hand Helena didn't bother putting her book down when she said “Very fetching.”

“Come on” Saeko chided.

The smaller brunette obliged with a sigh “Looks complicated, but it's quite good. What's it called?”

“The Eldredge knot”

“I liked the Trinity one better” Ash shared.

Helena finally decided to pay attention. She looked at Saeko's tie and scoffed “Why are you doing this?”

“Evelyn taught me. And it looks really cool” was the ninja's reply.

“Really” the blonde said in deadpan.

Saeko winked “Yep.”

“Isn't it enough you walk around Hogwarts with your uniform coat only on your shoulders, leaving it billowing behind you along with your hair” Helena arched her eyebrows.

“I have been told I look more than awesome” the kunoichi smirked.

“By this Evelyn?” Ash asked.

The Uchiha shrugged “No, by Alessa.”

“Who is Alessa?”

“The pretty Ravenclaw two years above us” Saeko explained.

Both Brits blinked dumbly. Ash shook her head “Wow, I knew you were rather vain but this takes the cake.”

“Wow, I knew you were a bit of a pig but that takes the cake” Helena trumped her friend, “How many women are you dating?”

“Not one” Saeko said, confused, “Alessa might be flirting with me but I assure you I'm not with her. I might be interested in Evelyn but I'm not interested in dating. At all. I like my space and no one to nag me.”

Helena rubbed her forehead “You sound like a married forty year-old man.”

“Or a Nara” Saeko mumbled.

“Who?” Ashley asked.

“Nevermind.”

Before Helena could say more Ashley clapped her hands together “Ok, new topic! Have you seen the new Head Girl? Creepy huh?”

“Becker? Yes, I agree. She's so controlled, icy and extremely polite” the blonde nodded.

“I could picture her as a successful serial killer” Saeko mused.

Ash laughed “Yeah, I can totally see that. I would peg her as a psychotic axe wielder.”

The trio amused themselves by devising the most horrible murders for the Head Girl to perform on her innocent victims. It was rather morbid but living with the ninja educated them in black humor. Well, more than the average Brit.

Suddenly their discussion was interrupted by an excited knock on the door. When prompted to enter Caitlin stuck her head in “Come to the Common Room! Everybody's playing a muggle game called Twister, you gotta see that!”

Ashley evidently recognized the game and excitedly jumped up “We are going. Who is playing? This has the potential to be hilarious, I mean sedentary wizards writhing above a colorful plastic sheet. I can't wait!”

“So it is an agility game?” the ninja asked.

“Yep”

“Wait for me!” Saeko said with a grin and followed her roommate.

Helena hummed and looked in thought at her book. Finally she stood up and said out loud “Wizards falling on their asses? Sounds like quality entertainment.” She whipped out her black betting book “Don't start without me!”

* * *

**History of Magic Classroom**

While professor Binns droned on and on about goblins those who resisted his soporific charms were doing the Transfiguration homework.

Saeko was halfway done but couldn't really concentrate. Instead she pulled out a notebook she had for quidditch ideas – strategies, training and so on. She even had notes for the speech for their first match of the season. She turned it to the pages that contained information on her opponents. Her spies had been most diligent.

Pity the first match would be played the first week of November for a change since Halloween fell onto a Saturday. Saeko was rather looking forward to it.

The real deal aside, the Uchiha was already proud of her team, her reserves included. Caitlin and Roger were working well together, it was only the matter of finding a third. Cho was shaping up as well – Saeko would only need to help her get rid of some of her fear, then she will be unstoppable.

Suddenly the ninja felt something approaching. She immediately swayed to the side to avoid the object and turned to see the source. Graham jumped up in fright at the look he was given “It's just a paper plane.”

“Sorry,” Saeko apologized and smiled to reassure her friend, “you know my paranoia.”

“Yeah” Graham smiled tightly as well, “I should be grateful that glare wasn't followed by a knife.”

Saeko was horrified “I wouldn't.”

Graham was taken aback “I meant it as a joke. You mean you have a knife on you?”

“Well, yes” the Uchiha confessed, “you don't? That's just common sense. And it's very handy.”

“Hm, I'll think about it”

The brunette smirked “At least I know what to give you for Christmas.”

“I want a cool one then” the boy grinned. The he nodded toward the paper plane “Open that up.”

Saeko did and immediately understood her friend's grin – it was a page taken from an older issue of Playwizard. The ninja looked at it in appreciation.

“Good, heh?”

“Indeed, but why would you rip a page and crumple it so?”

Graham sighed theatrically “Eddy and I were fighting over it and we ripped up the magazine in the process. Such a loss.”

“Will you two shut up” Helena hissed.

“Don't tell me you are actually listening to Binns” Graham said in disbelief.

Saeko nodded “Plus we are being quiet.”

“But you could be silent” the blonde countered.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” said the boy in his usual charming way.

Helena shrugged “Just a bad day. And you two swapping half-nude pictures doesn't help.”

“It's that Arithmancy assignment isn't it?” The boy asked knowingly.

The blonde unconvincingly scoffed “No.”

“You know, if…” Graham started but was interrupted by a loud noise.

“Saved by the bell” Helena murmured, quickly collected her things and left. Saeko and Graham just looked at each other and shrugged.

Daniel who noticed the blonde's flight asked “Was it the Arithmancy assignment?”

“Yep”  
“I'm not going to ask” Saeko waved them off, “You go do your super weird homework and I shall go to the kitchens, I have a craving for miso soup.”

Graham sighed and nodded while Daniel perked up “Oooh, I'm so in the mood for pop-corn! Do you think they could make me some?”

“Let's find out” the Uchiha smirked.

As the duo walked the bespectacled boy shared the woes of Arithmancy without being prompted. Saeko wasn't that much interested but nodded at the appropriate places. What she found more interesting was the fact that the first-year Gryffindors happened to just finish Herbology and were streaming up the stairs.

Seeing this as an opportunity to actually meet the Boy she was protecting she quickly scanned the eleven year-old crowd. Daniel noticed and with a look of comprehension he tugged his friend's sleeve in the appropriate direction.

_“He_ _'s short”_ was the kunoichi's first reaction. On the outside she came face to face with the Gryffindor trio. Weasley was busy arguing with the bushy-haired girl and did not notice the Uchiha and bumped into her.

“I'm so sorry!” the red-head exclaimed.

Saeko waved away his apology “No matter, you were immersed in an important discussion, I trust.” Weasley blushed while Granger looked she was itching to kick her friend. The raven summoner turned to the black haired boy “Ah, mister Potter, good afternoon. I hear we will be meeting at the quidditch pitch later this season.”

“Ah, um, yes” was the disappointing reply.

“Excellent” the ninja said in satisfaction and a shallow bow of goodbye, “until we meet again.”

Harry nodded tad timidly “Yes. Hm, who are you?”

Saeko blinked twice, then smiled “My apologies! I'm Uchiha Saeko.”

“The Ravenclaw quidditch Captain” Ron helped explain.

“Oh. Nice to meet you” Harry smiled.

The Uchiha smiled as well “And you as well. Mr Weasley, miss Granger.”

“You know us?” the sixth Weasley said in shock.

“Oh yes. Mister Potter has a rather long moniker, miss Granger is a topic among the first-year Ravens and you mister Weasley have a rather vast web of connections in this school.”

Ron nodded sullenly, evidently he resented being known only because of his brothers.

“Well, I bid you goodbye” Saeko said with another bow and rejoined Daniel to their way to the basement.

Daniel grinned “Striking fear in your opponents?”

“Just getting to know the competition.”

“And?”

“Fear not, Ravenclaw will be victorious once more.”

“You speak as if we ride into battle”

“We aren't?”


	57. 4- 57 Ninja Needed

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Finally Halloween! Did I mention I love this holiday?” Ashley practically bounced on her bed.

Saeko chuckled “Every year since I've known you.”

“I really cannot see the appeal. Samhain is the day when magic is strongest, I understand that, but Halloween?” Helena shrugged.

Seeing as it was indeed an argument they had every year Ashley just grinned “Like you won't find use for all that candy.”

“Hm, I guess Halloween isn't that bad” the blonde trailed out, her hands raised in surrender.

“Do you think the ghosts will perform something again? Last year was most entertaining” the Uchiha asked almost eagerly, “I especially liked Sir Nicholas and his tusk-teeth accident reenactment.”

Both Brits chuckled. Ash nodded with a grin “Yeah, that was really funny.”

“But alas I don't think we will get an encore” Helena said sadly.

“Pity”

The smaller brunette stood up “Yeah. We should go, it's almost dinnertime. Peter wants to go in early. Maybe there will be some snacks already.”

“I guess it doesn't matter if we wait here or there” Saeko shrugged, bound her heir into a high pony-tail and stood up as well.

Helena looked the kunoichi over “Trying something new?”

“Huh?”

“The hair”

“Oh, no, I just couldn't be bothered. It's not like I will need to fight or anything. It's just dinner and some down-time” the ninja smiled.

Ash smiled “True. Let's go!”

The trio made their way downstairs where they met the rest of the group with the exception of Caitlin. It was decided to wait for the red-head. The time was spent, according to Helena, on useless discussion about masks and other things that were iconic for the muggle holiday.

Their numbers full the very loud party exited the Common Room and descended the stairs that led to the Great Hall. They were not the only ones who decided to begin their festivities early as the Hall was already fairly populated.

As the group passed the door Saeko spied a familiar green-tied trio “Well it isn't Soldy, Lauri and Lexie!”

“Lauri? It that what you call me behind my back?” Lauren Lewis asked with a pout.

Isolde frowned “I did indeed expect better from the supposed House of the Witted. But since miss Uchiha insists on calling me Soldy, all hope is lost.”

“I rather like Lexie” Alexia chuckled at her peeved friend.

Saeko bowed with a smirk “I aim to please.”

“So we heard” Isolde rolled her eyes.

“I beg your pardon?” the brunette asked, confused.

Lauren waved it off “Nevermind. But still, Lauri?”

“Perhaps Ren?” Saeko suggested, “Yes, I like that, sounds very Japanese.”

Isolde and Alexia smirked. The red-head shrugged “It does sound better. But if you ever use it I'll hang you from Astronomy Tower by your underwear.”

“See, this is exactly why I like you” Saeko smirked. She spied her friends already at the table “Well, this has been fun but I need to go. Happy Samhain and bon appétit.”

“Happy Samhain? That is soo not what we say” Lauren shook her head with a smile.

Saeko shrugged “Sorry for being a foreigner. Ta!”

With that the Uchiha got a nod of goodbye from the three Slytherins and they parted ways. Saeko went to the Ravenclaw table and sat beside Helena and Daniel.

“Chatting up three girls at once?” Graham said with a lewd smirk.

The kunoichi smiled and shook her head. Graham got a light smack on the back of his head, courtesy of Helena, for his joke. Suddenly Saeko was struck by a realization “Wait, is this how people see me? Some sort of womanizer?”

“Uuuh”

“Look the ghosts have arrived!” Ashley exclaimed and everybody turned her heads.

As the group began discussing the last year's show Saeko's question went unanswered. Which was an answer on its own. The Uchiha frowned and thought back since she could not really understand the why. Even when the Halloween feast begun and was in the earnest she just morosely played with the food.

“Lighten up, try the pumpkin pie” Daniel nudged the ninja.

Saeko made a face “That tasteless mush? No thanks.”

“Suit yourself” the bespectacled teen shrugged, “And don't be grumpy, we were just joking.”

Before Saeko could react professor Quirrell came running through the gates of the Great Hall. Once he reached the teacher's table he slumped against it and exclaimed in terror “Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know.”

Then he sank to the floor in a dead faint.

Among the uproar Saeko looked at the Headmaster who looked her dead in the eyes and gave a slight nod.

The Uchiha was ready to go in pursuit, just waited for a moment it would be inconspicuous. Dumbledore called for order and when the prefects began organizing their Houses Saeko used the chaos to escape the Hall.

_“What I wouldn_ _'_ _t give for a Hyuuga right now. Or an Inuzuka”_ Saeko thought as she summoned a raven who had experience in tracking. That particular area of expertise wasn't common among avians but Sti was fairly good. Then again, not being on open fields made the task much harder.

Then Saeko felt a tug in one of her seals on her left arm _“Skygge? What the… Potter, shit!”_

The location now known the Uchiha ran along the ceiling at full speed. She was almost at the girl's bathroom of all things when she could smell the foul creature.

A scream reverberated through the surprisingly acoustic room. Granger, Saeko placed the voice. That would explain Potter and Weasley somewhat.

The boys were distracting the troll which seemed too confused to attack as of yet. Saeko knew it wouldn't last and quickly ran though the possible plans.

Finally she decided on not being seen, the reputation of easily killing a full-grown mountain troll would be most inconvenient and frankly annoying.

_“Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba”_ was the jutsu of choice. The ridiculously over-powered wind blade penetrated the magically resistant hide and cleaved right through the creature.

The three first-years were sprayed by the troll's blood. They didn't even scream, too shocked, not really comprehending what just happened.

Saeko jumped onto the wall again and concealed herself in the shadows but still with full view of the bathroom.

“Get the Headmaster” the Uchiha quietly ordered Sti, “Quickly!”

She didn't need to be worried since the man in question came nearly running round the corner, flanked by McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell.

Saeko frowned at the sight of the DADA teacher. She had been ordered to leave him be and focus solely on Potter and her studies, but still she found him suspicious. She was apt in looking underneath the underneath after all. But orders were orders.

“Oh, my” McGonagall exclaimed and staggered, the sight _was_ pretty grisly.

The Gryffindor trio finally managed to get their wits about them when faced with the accusation of being the cause of the whole scene. The raven now sitting on Dumbledore's shoulder was proof enough of their innocence but for those who didn't know about the ninja a _Prior Incantato_ spell was performed on the trio's wands thus absolving them of any blame for the killing.

Finally all three Gryffindors were sent to the infirmary. Skygge took flight as well and inconspicuously followed suit. Saeko stayed behind, waiting to debrief the Headmaster.

The matter resolved and Filch called to clean up the blood, Dumbledore took off towards his office while the three professors remained beside the corpse.

“Lemon drops” the elder said to be let though into his office. Saeko followed.

X

“Where were you!” Ashley exclaimed when her roommate rejoined the festivities that were moved into the respective common rooms.

Saeko shrugged “I got lost on the road of life.”

“What?”

The brunette smirked and went to get some food.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

“There is a great disturbance in the Force” Peter announced gravely.

Ashley nodded sagely. As Peter swung his wand and attracted a nearby book the brunette exclaimed “The Force is strong with this one!”

“Feel the Force Ash!” Peter urged his friend dramatically.

The brunette cast her own spell and caught her bag in mid-air “May the Force be with you.”

“May the Force be with us all” Peter added and both erupted in giggles.

Saeko sat down beside Helena and asked her quietly as not to interrupt the show “What are they doing?”

“I'm not that sure but Caitlin said it has something to do with Star Wars” the blonde replied with a slight frown.

“Star Wars?”

Helena shrugged “I understand it is a movie.”

“Ah” Saeko nodded, “What prompted it?”

“Today's _Accio_ charm”

The Uchiha nodded again. The _Accio_ spell was most useful so it was one of the first Saeko learnt on her own. Seeing she had already mastered the spell she decided on reading her letters from Konoha.

“Hey, Saeko! Could we borrow those two swords of yours? Those on the wall?” Ashley asked with a most brilliant grin.

“Why?” the ninja trailed out cautiously.

“LIGHTSABERS!” both archeology enthusiasts exclaimed in unison.

Saeko blinked “Hm, I'm not sure what you mean but no. No swords. I won't be responsible for any injuries. If you really want swords you could always transfigure something.”

“No way!” Peter shook his head vigorously, “I wouldn't put it past Deirdre to somehow learn of it and hunt me down.”

“Just as well, no swords” Helena said with an approving nod.

The duo pouted but since Saeko was reading and not paying them any attention as were the others they shrugged and continued with their antics.

“Ugh, I can't believe it!” Helena made a face.

“Hm?” Saeko answered, still reading her mail. She had to suppress a smirk - Yuuko's letters were always very entertaining and full of gossip. And indecent.

The blonde nodded towards Ashley and Peter who somehow managed to expand their little drama group. Saeko hummed, not really interested “It seems this Star War is popular.”

Helena didn't reply and she too returned to her reading. Only when Saeko smiled she looked up again “Good news?”

“Of sorts, a genin from a team I took care of during the summer was promoted. I knew Keita had potential. Pity about the other two though” Saeko shared.

“Playing teacher?” the blonde was surprised.

“Supervising” Saeko clarified.

The pureblood chuckled “Training for the Captain job?”

“Hah, indeed.”

“I bet Caitlin & co are hating their guts”

“Whose?” the sharingan user asked in confusion.

“Of the man or woman who gave you that team to supervise” Helena elaborated.

Saeko grinned “I'll be sure to pass that to Sarutobi-sama. He will be pleased.”

“You folk are a sadistic bunch, aren't you?” Helena teased.

Saeko winked “You don't know half of it.”

Finished reading the Uchiha held the letter upright between her fingers and the paper obediently erupted in flames.

“Show off” was the blonde's comment.

The Uchiha shrugged, manipulating a ball of flame in one's palm was one of the most advanced katon exercises. Also the most fun one and definitely Saeko's favorite.

A few minutes later Saeko looked at the fireball and sighed, she really needed to find some new project, this was pretty pathetic. Practicing one's affinity was a must, especially for a ninja who liked to rely on her ninjutsu, but she needed more. Itachi was away so sparring was out of the question, the summons had nothing to teach her at the moment and magic… maybe she could mount an expedition to the library. Then again the search for something truly useful was always a long one.

She needed something to **do**.

“Helena darling, what about a duel?” Saeko asked, desperate in her boredom.

The blonde arched her eyebrows “What brought this about?”

“I'm bored” the ninja confessed.

“Don't you have some fancy rare books to read?” Helena shrugged.

Saeko shook her head “I need a new batch.”

“Can't you just run it off?”

“I'd rather do something productive”

“Try knitting, I need a new scarf” Helena smirked.

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “Very funny.”

“You could borrow one of my books” the blonde offered.

“Subarashii!” Saeko exclaimed and clapped her hands together like an excited child.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

Saeko sat among her Team in the front rows of one of the Ravenclaw quidditch stands, waiting for the match to start. She already knew what to expect from both of the teams but still, how they worked together and while under pressure was crucial.

The volume of the crowd was becoming louder and louder, the beginning of the match imminent. Saeko looked over her team, all their eyes were clear, focused and holding an analyzing expression. Excellent. She had made a speech previously as Jamie always made hers, on who to focus on and what to observe - she was glad her team had taken it to heart.

Everybody was excited about the first match of the season, plus Slytherin versus Gryffindor was always guaranteed to be eventful. And naturally the newest celebrity was to play seeker. Both students and professors were eager to see how The-Boy-Who-Lived would perform. The young Lion was under quite a bit of pressure. Saeko noticed he didn't eat at breakfast – that didn't bode well for the Lions but very well for the Eagles, provided he stayed nervous, they will meet on the pitch only in March after all.

_“And here they come ladies and gentlemen! The Slytherins!”_ Lee Jordan, the new commentator, announced as seven green-clad players flew onto the field. He called all their names and the players landed in the half-crescent formation with Marcus Flint in front. They seemed pumped.

_“And now a big applause for the heroes of Gryffindor!”_

James chuckled “Heroes, huh?”

“Jordan is a Gryff himself, maybe he hopes this team will be enough to interrupt their losing streak” Frost smirked.

Saeko grinned “Let's see how those knights will shine when we stomp them in the mud.”

The Team chuckled darkly and watched Wood and Flint shaking hands reluctantly before Madame Hooch.

_“And the quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor – what an excellent chaser that girl is, and rather attractive too…”_

“JORDAN!”

_“Sorry professor”_

Rory smiled widely “It seems quidditch is going to be even more fun this year.”

“Well, what did you expect from a friend of the Weasley twins” Cameron chimed in.

“Do you think McGonagall will monitor the commentary on all the matches?” Jared hummed.

Saeko laughed “You bet! If she didn't jokingly suggest the job when he was running his mouth in transfiguration he wouldn't have gone for it.”

_“50 to 20 with Gryffindor in the lead! Keep it up folks!”_

All in all the two teams were evenly matched despite Gryffindor's slight advantage in the score. It was also an excellent entertainment.

Suddenly Potter and Higgs simultaneously dived in the same direction, sure signs the snitch has been spotted. The crowd went absolutely mad as they cheered for their respective seeker.

Nimbus 2000 was indeed the best broom on the market and Potter overtook Higgs. Before the bets could be collected Marcus Flint changed everything – the chaser deliberately crashed into Potter and the boy and his broom spun wildly away.

“ **FOUL!** ” the Gryffindor fans shouted in outrage among the cheers of the Snakes.

Among the confusion the snitch was lost again. Madame Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot for the Lions.

_“So, after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating…”_

“Jordan!”

_“I mean, after that open and revolting foul…”_

“Jordan, I'm warning you…”

The third-year sighed _“All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor seeker, which could happen to anyone, I_ _'m sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor taken by Spinnet who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play, Gryffindor still in possession.”_

Cameron laughed out-loud “Is is me or is our new commentator a bit biased?”

“A teensy bit” Wayne nodded.

“Can't wait to hear what he will have in store for us” Jared mused, well-aware of his and Saeko's brazen and aggressive style of play.

“Hey,” Frost interjected, “Isn't Potter acting weird?”

Indeed he was. At first sight it looked as if he lost control of his broom but that was not it. Saeko activated her sharingan to see any magical interferences. _Shit, someone is interfering with his broom. But who? They are obviously very powerful.”_

As Potter wrestled with his bucking broom Saeko readied a fuuton jutsu that would allow her to catch the boy if he fell in a soft cushion of air. She trusted Skygge to find the source of Potter's predicament.

Saeko spied Granger in one of the stands on her left and frowned. The girl seemed to cause quite a stir while rather skillfully avoiding detection. The Uchiha's red eyes engraved all that happened on that stand into her brain for later analysis.

“Look, he's diving!” Frost exclaimed beside Saeko who was still looking away, intent on not missing a thing.

“Shit, did he just… swallow the snitch?” James said in shock.

The ninja finished cataloguing all responses in on the stand she was observing and her eyes returned to the pitch.

Since Potter didn't break any rules Gryffindor was proclaimed victorious. Saeko wasn't really interested any more, her mind was on the broom incident.

The team chattered excitedly about the game but Saeko abruptly stood up. “Partner?” Jared asked her.

“Meet me after dinner in the Common Room, we'll go over the match then, I need to go” the Uchiha announced and left.

“What got into her?”

“PMS?”


	58. 4- 58 New Projects

Oh how Saeko loved being the hero, she truly did. All the looks of awe and appreciation, sometimes even thinly veiled jealousy just made her vain heart swell. Saeko knew her big ego was quite a flaw but hey, better than running around in spandex shouting about youth.

Long story short Ravenclaw kicked ass the day before on the quidditch pitch and everybody knew it.

The Puffs didn’t have a chance, all that hard work the team put in training had been obvious – the Badges managed to score just one measly goal. Everybody worked together seamlessly, their effort validated by Frost who caught the snitch right in front of the new Puff seeker. They were really amazing. The whole Ravenclaw House, the sober part that is, walked tall and with a superior smirk.

Seeing the match had been later in the month than usual the Hogsmeade Sunday was right the day after. It was also the reason why the majority of the House of the Wise decided to stay indoors.

The Uchiha was one of the few who ventured to the small village. She too would rather stay back at the school but she promised Jamie she would come. Plus she didn't drink as much during the victory party as many of her peers.

“Saeko, over here!”

At the shout the kunoichi changed her course through the crowd at the Three Broomsticks. Soon enough the mass of people spat her near the table the platinum blonde sat. Saeko smiled genuinely at her friend “Hey, taichō.”

“I'm not the captain anymore” Jamie smiled back.

Saeko winked “I know, I'm the new hero.”

Jamie and the girl that sat next to her laughed. The older girl continued “True, true.”

“So, you wanted me to meet someone, this lovely creature next to you perhaps?” the ninja said charmingly to the dark blonde in front of her.

The girl in question chuckled. Jamie beamed “Indeed, Saeko this is Chloe, Chloe this is Saeko.”

“Nice to meet you” said the now named Chloe.

“The pleasure is mine” Saeko replied. After the two girls shook hands the Beater winked at Jamie.

The blonde blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. Saeko was quite pleased to see it since it was _her_ nervous tic “So, ahhh, Chloe is…”

“Her girlfriend” the darker blonde said in an amused voice. Jamie blushed harder.

Saeko grinned “I had an inkling. Good catch, both of you.”

After that Saeko and Chloe immediately got to know each other, talking animatedly, while Jamie stayed silent, squirming in her place. Finally she calmed down when Chloe placed her hand on her thigh.

Saeko resisted the urge to squeal. The Uchiha do not squeal. Jamie was obviously very smitten and it suited her. Saeko felt a small twinge of jealousy, she had kinda hoped Jamie would approach her for at least a night. But seeing the platinum blonde so obviously happy was far more precious.

From their conversation Saeko didn't even feel the need to do a background check on the darker blonde. The Gryffindor seemed to be a good person and very much in love with the ex-chaser. It was very sweet. She also seemed alright in being closeted which was another point for her.

Finally Jamie clanked her glass on the table “Ok, enough about us! New topic!”

“But this topic is so delicious” the Uchiha smirked.

Chloe smiled fondly at her girlfriend “Sure. So what about you Saeko? Jamie told me plenty about you…”

“Oh, really?” Saeko interjected with a mock lewd smile.

“Oh, stop it” the darker blonde giggled, “I mean especially how you helped Jamie about Duncan and then Kessler. I meant to thank you about that.”

Saeko smiled “It was my pleasure, I love to lure beautiful women to the ladies side.”

“Don't joke about that” the chaser said sternly, “I'm really grateful. I would've missed on so much if you didn't talk to me.”

The Uchiha beamed “No problem, just keep it in mind if you ever feel adventurous enough for a threesome.”

“Pig” Jamie said good-naturedly. Saeko shrugged, her smile never leaving her lips.

Chloe smirked “I don't know Jamie, she is rather pretty.”

“Chloe!”

Saeko laughed “Jamie, she is a keeper!”

The seventh year looked torn between agreeing with the statement and pretending to be outraged.

Chloe grinned and stood up “I'm going to get a refill. Do you want anything Saeko?”

“Could you ask Madame Rosmerta if she still has that lemonade of hers?” the ninja's eyes lit up, “If not then a butterbeer, thanks.”

“Sure”

The darker blonde left with a smile. Saeko thought it was tad smug, but then again she _did_ manage to get the ninja to like her girlfriend.

“You look really happy” Saeko commented.

“I am” the ex-chaser smiled contentedly, “So what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Yesterday I noticed you disappeared with that Alessa who was ogling you since the beginning of the year.”

“That long? Hm, I can't believe I didn't notice” Saeko said breezily “that's kinda creepy.”

Jamie gave her friend a 'duh' stare “Glad you realize.”

“Just because you are in a relationship doesn't mean you are some kind of love guru now” the brunette smirked.

“Just saying” Jamie defended, “even you said she is tad creepy.”

Saeko shrugged “It's not like I'm dating her, far from it.”

The seventh year smirked “Just be careful. Hey, what about that Gryff prefect you were telling me about?”

“I know where you are going with this. She is lovely, very much so, but I'm not looking for a relationship.”

Before Jamie could reply Chloe was back with the drinks “Here you go. Rosmerta even had your lemonade.”

“Dōmo!”

“So, what are you talking about?” the darker blonde said as she took her cup of tea into her hands.

Saeko shot an amused glare to her ex-captain “Jamie is trying her hand at match-making.”

“Really?” Chloe nearly glowed, “I do know a certain fifth-year that would be perfect for you! She is smart, very pretty, and she is interested in martial arts.” The Gryffindor talked on and on, highlighting any and all positive traits of Saeko's supposed perfect mate.

Jamie smirked evilly.

Saeko looked around in panic for an escape route. One look at her friend deemed it impossible. She sighed in despair, she should've stayed in bed like the rest of Ravenclaw.

* * *

**Headmaster** **'s Office**

“Found anything interesting miss Uchiha? I hope it's not about professor Quirrell again” the man said after the usual greetings and small talk.

Saeko resisted the urge to sigh, she _didn't_ have anything definitive about Quirrell but the man still rubbed her the wrong way and she resented the fact she was forbidden to investigate it “No, sir, it's about Nicholas Flamel.”

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed imperceptibly “What about my dear old friend.”

_“Yeah, emphasis on old”_ the kunoichi thought, “Potter and his friends are combing the books to find out who he is, they reckon he has something to do with what's hidden beneath that cerberus of yours. No idea why though, everybody knows about the Stone and its maker. At least in Ravenclaw.”

“Everybody knows it's here?” the headmaster said in utter shock.

_“Gotcha”_ Saeko suppressed a smirk, the elder was good but not good enough, he slipped. Being distracted was no excuse, “Of course not, what I meant everybody knows who Flamel is and what he is famous for.”

The headmaster stiffened, aware of his mistake, but the he forced himself to relax “Ah, yes. The ever studious Ravenclaws.”

“And proud of it” Saeko played along.

Dumbledore chuckled “Good, there is nothing wrong with a thirst for knowledge.”

“Depends on the knowledge” the Uchiha reminded mildly.

“True” the man said with sad eyes. After a beat of silence Dumbledore continued “Thank you for the report, alert me if anything more should happen.”

Saeko nodded “Of course.” Taking this as a dismissal the ninja stood up and bowed. Before she said her goodbyes she asked suddenly “Do you need me to stay at Hogwarts and keep an eye on The-Boy-Who-Lived or am I to spend my Christmas holidays in Konoha?”

The headmaster smiled, his eyes twinkling “There is no need to stay, you can return home and see your family. With much less students around and no classes I'm sure I can keep Harry safe. Hm, maybe I'll even make contact.”

“Very well. Thank you Dumbledore-dono” the Uchiha said and bowed again, “Good night.”

“Good night miss Uchiha” the elder replied as he took a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk.

When Saeko passed by the guardian gargoyle and found herself in the cold corridor she admitted herself a sigh of relief. She was glad she could go back to Konoha – she didn't want to miss much, her connections and reputation had to be maintained and carefully cultivated.

She frowned, that sounded ghastly and cold. Saeko would bet that was why Sarutobi and Itachi were glad she was attending Hogwarts and could relax. She had to admit she mellowed some in the Scottish school but still without losing her edge.

Still, she was very much looking forward to a wider variety of sparring partners that Konoha could provide.

Just to make herself feel even better, she hated being idle even for magic studying purposes, she hopped out of the nearest window and proceeded to climb the outer wall with just her hands – she saw Kakashi do something similar once. If you cut off Maito Gai from the equation it was actually fun.

On the appropriate floor Saeko flung herself back into the Castle and landed into a silent crouch. She seamlessly navigated the deserted corridors and in no time she was crossing into the Ravenclaw common room.

The fourth-year group was sitting on the floor near one of the roaring fireplaces. Saeko smiled and made her way to them. She paused right out of sight when she heard “It was the dude with the mustache, he killed her, I'm sure of it!”

“A dude, are you a yank? Besides it was that Scarlett woman. In the kitchen, with a rope” Caitlin said in a confident voice.

“Is that an official guess?” Helena asked shrewdly.

“No,” the red-head frowned when she noticed her friend's demeanor, “Ok, it was her just with a knife instead!”

The blonde who sat on Caitlin's left smirked and showed her one of her cards. The reserve chaser huffed “Darn! I was so sure.”

“Told you it was the reverend, just look at him, he looks creepy” Graham said gravely, “I can just see it. Mrs. White spurned his advances and married the wealthy Mr. White. The reverend, green with envy as his name would suggest, stalked the poor woman for years. At first she didn't notice anything but then she began feeling uncomfortable. Glad her husband had business in the Indes the two moved abroad. Some years later they came back, happy but childless. Reverend Green took one look at his former flame and could not help but fall for her again. Hoping he now had a chance he approached Mrs. White again but she turned him down. His obsession with the woman grew. Then Mr. White who had a history of heart disease suddenly died. Reverend Green nearly died from glee and after a time he tried his luck for the third time.”

“Is this guy for real?” Ashley whispered to Peter who just shushed her.

Graham continued “This time he was subtle, sought to approach her as a friend fist and maybe comfort her in her grief. Mrs. White wasn't stupid though and well remembered his previous behavior. She began to suspect he had something to do with her beloved husband's death even if it wasn't true. Green's anger festered at this new distance. Then one day she organized a soirée with the more prominent figures of the town she lived in, to her dismay that included the reverend. Mr. Green overjoyed by the invite arrived first. His joy dimmed as more guests began to arrive. Once dinner was over he confronted his host. Mrs. White was angry as he was and finally she accused his of the death of her husband. The argument escalated. When the woman venomously announced she would never even consider Mr. Green even if he were the last man on Earth the reverend lost it. Infuriated, he grabbed the first thing he could find, a candlestick, and hit his love. Then he hit her again and again. As if a demon gripped him he could not stop. Finally when her face resembled mush he dropped his weapon, horrified. He paced along the study, trying to calm down. Then it hit him, the bitch deserved it, he should not lose any sleep over it. He sneered at the body and then he calmly walked out of the study, this time a small smile on his lips.”

“You are such a drama queen” Helena rolled her eyes. At this the group laughed and complimented Graham on his tale.

“Not bad, not bad at all” Daniel commented, “I would actually read that.”

Caitlin nodded “Flesh it out a bit and you could be a writer.”

Saeko made herself known “Are thinking up murders? This sounds like something I should be part of.”

“What, you hear murder and you come running?” Paddy joked.

“Pretty much, yeah” the Uchiha shrugged and sat down beside Caitlin, “So what's this?”

 “It's Cluedo, a board game” Peter chuckled and quickly explained rules.

The scarred girl nodded “Not as exciting as I thought, but I like it. You deal me in the next game.”

“You can play instead of me” Paddy offered.

Daniel shook his head “No need, I have the American expansion.”

Ashley laughed “Yeah, you can be Miss Peach! I can just picture you as a southern belle!”

Saeko shrugged “Seriously, what's with this names? Cornel Mustard? Professor Plum? And all the other silly things.”

“You got something better?” Graham asked eagerly.

Helena rolled her eyes again “Here we go, drama queen number two has a go.”

The Uchiha hummed in thought and then smirked “How about the dead is the Wind daimyo, in his bedroom, killed by an Iwa ninja masquerading as a prostitute with an exploding tag.”

“How is that any better?” Paddy challenged.

“The explosions” Saeko replied as is the matter was clear.

“Fair enough”

Ash sighed “Can we go back to the non-exploding version of the game? I think I'm close.”

“Hey!” Peter suddenly exclaimed as an idea came to him “We could make a new version, a magical one! We cold enchant the board and stuff – make it better like wizard chess!”

Paddy's eyes lit up “You mean a little figurine of Mrs. Peacock beating down the reverend?”

“That's a bit gruesome” Ash countered.

“And magical chess isn't?” Saeko asked bewildered, “I mean just yesterday I saw the queen piece get off her chair, take it up and beat a pawn to death with it.”

The black-clad brunette chuckled “I take it back.”

“We need to research permanent charms. Runes would be handy as well” Caitlin began planning.

Graham frowned in thought “We could ask professor Vector if she has diagrams on how the chess is animated.”

“Nah, let's do it ourselves!” Daniel grinned.

Paddy nodded vigorously “Yeah, it'll be fun!”

“We need to spice up the rules as well. This is the muggle version after all, we could make it Hogwarts!” Graham proposed.

“No,” Ashley interjected, “that could be perceived as offensive.”

Daniel nodded “True. Still, let's do the spell-work first.”

At this the group smiled and began discussing which spell they should research. They all pretty much talked over each other and then fled to their respective rooms for notepads and books. Only Helena and Saeko remained behind. The ninja sighed “Well, I did want a new project.” She got up as well and went for her scrolls.

“What! You are supporting this?” Helena said bemused. The Uchiha didn't look back. “Saeko? Saeko?” The blonde sighed “Why do I always get the feeling I'm the only one normal around here?”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

If anybody thought November was cold December surpassed every expectation. The grass was covered in a light white dusting, a clear prelude for the snow to come later in the month.

It was in those times Saeko thanked Kami for the heating charms and its variations. Konoha had a nice, mild climate, not at all like Hogwarts. To be honest she didn't mind the cold as much as the foul weather that often accompanied it.

Luckily most of the quidditch trainings the Uchiha scheduled so far had been during sunny moments. Her team didn't seem to appreciate.

“My bits are freezing off, can we just discuss strategy again?” Rory whined.

“Or do the physical training! At least that can keep us warm” Cameron chimed in.

Jared chuckled “If you guys are cold you are obviously not working hard enough.”

“Or it could just be the wind?” Wayne said acerbically, his usual cheerful demeanor damped by the weather.

Saeko laughed “You guy are a bunch of wussies! But I guess four hours can be enough.”

“YES!” the three chasers exclaimed in unison and high-fived.

“You know, I still have the pitch reserved for another hour” the Uchiha trailed out with a teasing smile.

The reaction was immediate. The trio's brooms stopped just before Saeko and the boys laid nearly flat on the handle – the ninja realized it was supposed to be a mid-flight bow.

“I still need to do the Potions homework! Snape will have my ball for this. That is if they don’t fall off with the other frozen bits!” Rory exclaimed in a horrified voice.

“Have pity! I have a date this evening and I would still like to move without the feeling that my arms are made of lead” Cameron joined in, eye lashed fluttering, lips trembling.

“I'm in the middle of a book and I really need to know how it's going to end!” Wayne said while holding his hands as if he was praying. Everybody looked at him, eyebrows arched. The chaser shrugged “What? My reasons might not be that dramatic but they are still valid.”

Saeko laughed “No matter, this training had already exceeded my expectations. Truly excellent work. Let's go back and warm up.”

The team let out a loud cheer, even the usually grumpy James, and immediately landed. Saeko had to smile at the enthusiasm.

After she had changed the Uchiha noticed she had been left behind, it seems her team had been serious about their hunger and level of exhaustion. _“Not youthful at all”_ Saeko smirked smugly. Since there was nobody around she disillusioned and run at full speed back to the Castle and the Ravenclaw Tower.

_“What two things you can never eat for breakfast?”_ asked the winged guardian.

Saeko resisted to roll her eyes and shout 'laaaaame' “Lunch and dinner.”

The passage to the Common Room revealed itself and Saeko entered. She didn't make more than five steps into the room before she was snatched by Graham “Finally! Come with me.”

“Ooookay”

The brunette let herself be dragged towards her little group of friends. They looked from their respective activities and smiled. Paddy sighed “Glad you're here, maybe now Graham will tell us his big project.”

“Yeah, dazzle us” Helena said in a dead-pan voice.

Graham rolled his eyes “You know how I went to see gran in St. Mungo's last week? She talked about memories and stuff.”

“How's she doing by the way?” Ash interjected.

“Better” the boy sighed, “But we still be spending Yule at the hospital. Anyways, she practically demanded I made some photos of my friends and things. She also said I would be grateful for them when I'm older. So! I need my little poker group to pose for me.”

“For realz?”

“Here?”

“Are you going to make a scrap book? Because my little sister has a nice pink fluffy folder to bind it in”

Graham rolled his eyes “Ass. Come on, it's going to be nice having some reminders of our time here.”

“You sound old” Peter snickered.

Saeko smiled “It's actually a good idea. I'm in.”

Caitlin chuckled “I guess we got ourselves a photo shoot.”

“When you put it like that I'm definitely in” Peter said and dramatically swept his hair from his face.

“Ok, let's put Peter in a bikini!” Ash clapped her hands in glee.

“Psh, you would be jealous of my figure” her childhood friend deadpanned, “Let's borrow Saeko's swords and make a cool pose!”

“Maybe Hagrid can let us ride the hippogriffs!” Daniel exclaimed.

“Well” Helena joined timidly, “I would love to try on a kimono, if you'd allow.”

“The colors won't suit you much but sure”

Graham cleared his throat “Hm, guys, that wasn't really the idea.”

“The giant squid! We need to summon the giant squid!” Paddy exclaimed excitedly.

“And a lasso!”

“Yeeehah!”

“A leather jacket, I _need_ it!”

“Forget about that, we need a better place for the shoot! How about the beach or a tropical waterfall?”

“You got one stashed somewhere?”

“MAGIC!”

Graham sighed in despair “Let's just go to lunch.”

“LUNCH!”


	59. 4- 59 Player versus Player

 

“Ugh, useless” Lauren huffed.

Saeko shrugged “At least every class is an experience. And Helena is making big money off all those bets.”

“I'm happy for her but really, that man is useless!”

“Kettleburn is fun” the ninja grinned.

The Slytherin huffed again “He taught half of the lesson with his hair on fire.”

“As I said, fun”

“Ha ha” Lauren said in her most dead-pan voice.

Saeko smirked “Come on, Sun-Hair Silvanus, master of all beasts…”

“…should retire” the red-head finished for her.

Peter who walked just behind the girls chuckled “Maybe he just got a crush on Madame Pomfrey so he gets injured on purpose.”

Lauren turned sharply to look at the Raven in disbelief. Saeko on the other hand hummed “You know, I could see that. He _does_ go limping into the Castle with a huge smile. I thought he was just mildly insane but this does sound like a possibility.”

The Slytherin stuttered, clearly taken aback by the thought of her mentor as an object of lust.

“As the soft light of the setting sun filters thought the windows of the infirmary…” Peter began his tale but he was stopped by an icy glare, courtesy of Lauren.

Saeko chuckled “And here I thought Graham was our resident story teller.”

The boy bowed “Thank you, thank you. So Lewis, if you halted my story of love and comfort in the Hogwarts infirmary how about you give us a true one.”

“A true one what?” the pureblood arched her eyebrows.

“A story”

The kunoichi nodded “Yeah!”

“Please!” Peter said in his most pleading voice.

“Pretty please!” Saeko joined in.

“Yeah!” Paddy jumped up from behind them.

Lauren gasped, startled by his sudden appearance “I'm not telling you anything if you keep sneaking up on me like that!”

“Sorry” the guilty raven said sheepishly, “Take my offering as an apology.”

The sole Slytherin arched her eyebrows and said in an unimpressed voice “You have a flask.”

“Awesome” Caitlin said cheerily and took it. After taking a sip she hummed contentedly “Rum, nice!”

“Gimme!” Peter tried to grab the flask.

Saeko was quicker “Nope, Lauren gets it. We want a story after all.”

All the Ravens nodded and the flask was offered to the aspirant healer. Lauren looked hesitant at first but then she shrugged and took a healthy sip. The Ravenclaws cheered and urged to let the flask to be passed around, after all trudging in snow was much easier with some fire in their bellies.

“So, story time!” Paddy announced.

Lauren sighed “Very well. How about the tale of the exploding acne cure a certain Gryffindor tried on herself.”

“Ooooh” the group chorused.

X

“And then BOOM!”

“That's disgusting” Helena made a face at the retelling of one of Lauren's hilarious infirmary stories. The rest of the group didn't seem to agree as they exploded in laughter.

“Who was the Gryff anyway? I kinda want to know how she looks like now” Graham inquired.

Paddy shook his head vigorously “Oh no, no, no, no! I like all my limbs attached, thank you very much.”

“Excuse me?” Helena asked in a confused tone.

“Lewis announced that if we try to seek out any of the patients she talked about she will break off all our limbs and use them as bowling pins. Seemed pretty serious about it too” Peter explained.

Daniel nodded “Hm, now I get why she is Saeko's friend.”

“That and she is seriously hot” Graham chimed in.

Helena made a disgusted sound while Ash and Daniel rolled their eyes. The rest seemed to acquiesce the point. On the other hand the Uchiha's eyes narrowed “Stay away from my friend.”

Graham pouted.

“I mean it”

Graham pouted more dramatically.

“I'll set your entire collection of Playwizard on fire”

“EEEK!”

* * *

**Unused Classroom, 4 th floor**

“Again”

Jared whined but stood up obligingly.

It wasn't long and he was back on the ground on his ass. The sixth year sighed “Why did I ask for this again?”

Saeko stood up from her stance “I truly do not know, I told you, you weren't ready for a spar. You should keep practicing your katas.”

“Kickboxing doesn't have any katas” Jared said exasperatedly.

“Hn”

“But it's really fun” the Brit defended.

The scarred girl shrugged “I admit, it's good exercise. And useful against the usual bullying and thieving trash.” _AKA those without chakra and any true martial training._

“Gee, thanks”

“That was a compliment”

Jared rolled his eyes “So it's not really complicated, it doesn't really have a form but I…”

Saeko sighed and spoke louder “It was a compliment! It's an efficient enough style. You would use it for basic self-defense and stuff, but it is mainly a hobby for you, am I right.”

“Yeah” the boy admitted, “but you could still lose that patronizing smile when I kick.”

“Oya? That's my default expression. You didn't notice before?” Saeko said innocently.

“Nah, I couldn't see that past your ego” Jared quickly fired back.

The Uchiha smirked in approval at his comeback and settled into her fighting stance. Jared reluctantly followed.

Five generous minutes later the Brit was back on the ground “Alright, enough!”

“Hn”

“Don't 'hn' me”

“Hn” Saeko smirked.

Jared sighed “Let's just go to the kitchens, I'm hungry.” The ninja opened her mouth to reply but the boy interjected sharply “If your intended reply was 'hn' by any chance I'll kick your ass.”

“As if you could”

“Maybe tomorrow” the Brit shrugged.

As the duo slowly walked out of the classroom they were using and towards the basement Jared hummed in thought “Did you notice Jamie got very cheerful all of a sudden?”

“Well, Christmas is approaching” Saeko said in faux-disinterest, after all she knew exactly who made the blonde ex-captain so happy these days.

Jared shook his head “That's not it. Do you think she might be dating again?”

The kunoichi shrugged “Could be, in that case good for her, of maybe she's just looking forward to the holidays.”

“Hm” Jared said thoughtfully and nodded. Three steps later he stopped dead in his tracks “You know something!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, totally!” the boy said and he folded his arms, “If you didn't you would be organizing another expedition to find out who he was and if he's worthy.”

Saeko smiled but said nothing.

“Come on, spit it out Uchiha!”

The brunette shook her head “I promised.”

“I could always make an expedition myself. You know I would find out who he is” Jared challenged.

“No,” Saeko said icily, “leave it be. She is happy with this one and we will wait for her to introduce us.”

Jared pouted “But you know him, it's not fair.”

“Though luck. Besides I approve, it's totally differed than when she was with Kessler.”

“True,” Jared admitted. Then he sighed “Alright, I'll wait for her to say something. But it sucks, I'm really curious.”

Saeko had been as well before she met Chloe so she said nothing.

“Sooo” the boy spoke up after a while, “You looking forward to the holidays?”

The Konoha nin smiled “Sure, you?”

“Of course! Eggnog, TV, a great computer game and no school books! THAT IS HEAVEN!” he finished dramatically.

“Oh, and here I thought Christmas was a time for family”

Jared rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly “Yeah, them too.”

“Good to know you have your priorities straight” Saeko smirked.

“Shush you, you know precisely what I meant.”

Saeko hummed noncommittally “That reminds me, if anyone of you grows fat over the break I will be breaking something as well.”

The boy looked at his captain who had a sinister smile playing on her lips. He gulped. “I'm sure everyone will be keeping up with the physical regimen you set up.”

“Splendid!”

“You know, sometimes you scare me” Jared confessed.

The Uchiha smiled once more “Nonsense, I just need some incentives to fan your flames of youth.”

“What now?” the Brit asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Oh, you'll see” Saeko grinned. The other beater shivered.

* * *

**Great Hall**

“..…”

“…..”

“…..”

“Your staring is starting to be slightly uncomfortable” the Uchiha said breezily after she swallowed.

Caitlin laid one hand on her friend's shoulder and asked seriously “Saeko, tell me honestly… are you aware of what are you eating?”

“I consider myself fairly intelligent and observant, so yes”

The red-head gently shook her head “Aye, you are, but I don't think you realize the situation.”

Graham who sat beside Caitlin nodded emphatically. The rest of the group was torn between genuinely concerned curiosity and amusement.

“And what situation that might be?” the scarred brunette asked, her eyes never leaving her bowl.

Caitlin's voice lowered into a worried whisper “You're eating cereal. _Chocolate cereal_.”

“Oh? Well, that changes everything” Saeko said in a deadpan voice and scooped up another bunch of chocolaty hoops.

“As in a not so healthy substance?” the Irish girl pressed on.

Saeko shrugged.

“Seriously, what the hell? Why aren't you freaking out about j-j-unk foooood” Caitlin finished in a haunted voice.

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “I do like to indulge once in a while. Besides, in moderation even junk food is allowed.”

“uh-uh” Peter looked at her dubiously.

Saeko sighed “It's good, I like it, get over it.”

“True, sometimes even the stuck-up ones act human” Graham said with a smile to indicate he was joking.

Ashley nodded “Yeah, I even saw Helena eat a whole pie by herself once!”

“Hey! It was my favorite and I was feeling blue!” the blonde defended.

The smaller Brit grinned “Not judging. It was hilarious though.”

“New topic!” Daniel announced, “This Christmas, anyone doing anything interesting?”

“Are you going to see that boyfriend of yours or was he just a summer dalliance?” Helena teased to get back at her.

Peter threw a grape at the blonde. Ashley replied “We are not going to gram's place, so no.”

Helena nodded without looking at Ash and threw a handful of dry cereal at Peter who promptly dodged. Daniel who sat beside the blonde rolled his eyes and sighed. Peter threw another grape right between his eyes in reply.

Daniel's eyes narrowed and his gaze lowered onto the pudding he got before him.  Peter gasped and shook his head vigorously. The bespectacled boy chuckled, seeing his threat was enough answer. Graham did not seem to agree as he threw an orange slice which landed on Peter's robe with a wet sound.

Taking the offending fruit between two fingers Peter threw it back. Unfortunately for him his aim was poor and the orange slice splashed into Caitlin's breakfast.

The red-head stared at the new addition on her plate for a few beats, then she eyed coldly the other side of the table “This means war.”

“To arms!”

X

**McGonagall** **'s Office**

“I expected better of you all. I mean, starting a food fight? At your age?” the Scottish professor said sternly.

The group of Ravenclaws who were looking at their feet just murmured something indecipherable.

“Excuse me?” McGonagall prompted.

“We are sorry professor, we shall not do that again” they chorused.

“Especially not on pudding day” Ash said sotto-voce.

“Caitlin started it!” Graham defended.

McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose “House of the Wise…”

“…my ass?” Saeko finished for her.

“Miss Uchiha!”

Caitlin elbowed the ninja and whispered “Nailed it.”


	60. 4- 60 Crystalline Christmas

“You WHAT!”

“I'm engaged” Itachi replied. At the least he had the decency to look a bit sheepish.

Saeko shook her head as if to clear it “I know it is a cliché but I think I need a drink. You have one too and then explain. Everything. Slowly and from the beginning.”

The Uchiha lord obliged. With some potent rice liquor in hand Saeko sighed, Itachi took it as a sign to start “I told you about Eel, it's her. Well, Tadaoki Mihane, she left the corps and is now a regular jounin. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but she was ANBU and we are forbidden in disclosing anyone's identity, you know that. Plus it didn't get serious until a few months ago.”

“You have a fiancée and I haven't even met her. I only got a hint from you that you might like someone in ANBU” Saeko said sadly. Itachi lowered his gaze but said nothing. The raven-summoner sighed “But I understand. So, where are you hiding her?”

Itachi smiled “She's on a mission right now but she should came back in a few days. We could get dinner then.”

“I'm eager to meet her” Saeko said with a smile of her own, “So tell me about her. I remember something about being a sensor and good with katon jutsu, what else? Like how old is she?”

“She is 21…” Itachi began but was interrupted by his sister chuckled and comments about the Uchiha-to-be being a cougar. Itachi sighed “Come on, she is just two years older than me, big deal.”

“Sorry, I just couldn't keep it in.”

“Anyway” the man said after casting an admonishing glare to his sister “she's the last member of a minor ninja family, they all died during the Kyuubi attack. She went through the ranks pretty quickly too before ending in ANBU.”

Saeko sighed “That is good but I was hoping for some more personal info.”

“Ask her when you meet” the elder Uchiha smirked.

The brunette humphed “Alright. So when do you start getting cute fire-breathing kids?”

Itachi's eyes went wide and he gulped “Not for a while. The Council might have pressured me to get engaged by twenty but I, we, plan on a long engagement. Mihane-chan has no urge to give up her ninja career to have a kid just yet and I'm frankly not ready for them. If we got married now we would get sick of everyone asking about little Uchiha.”

“True. Is the date set?”

“Not really, maybe the year after the next”

“But no little Uchiha?”

“Not yet” Itachi reiterated a tad defensively.

Saeko chuckled “Okay.” They both took a sip of the liquor and the girl suddenly eyes her brother seriously “But you love her, right? It's not just because the Clan.”

“I do” Itachi said warmly, “And you'll like her too, I'm sure of it. She's a bit stern but has a wonderful sense of humor, and before you say anything I have a sense of humor too so shut it, and she's really smart and understanding. She hates slackers and bullies of any kind but is kind to those that put effort into things. She's a protector, like me. And she is not, in any way, a fangirl.”

“She sounds lovely” Saeko smiled again, glad for her nii-sama, “I'm happy you found someone you care about so strongly.”

Itachi made the most childish face “Awww, but no one will replace my little sister in my heart.”

Saeko laughed “That's good to know. But really, your reputation of cold and aloof? Poof, just like that.”

“But no one will never know, right?” the ANBU captain grinned.

“Nope” the brunette smirked, “Just me. Oh, and Mrs Uchiha naturally.”

The siblings chatted, intent on catching up even if they conversed fairly regularly in the summon realm. Unfortunately the relaxed atmosphere was ruined by a knock on the door “Itachi-sama?”

The Uchiha lord sighed and called out for his guest to enter. It was one of the more senior clan members, one that was part of the elder council after the 'purge'.

“Itachi-sama, I was… oh, Saeko-sama! How fortuitous you are here!”

Saeko suppressed a groan – for one that aspired to be Hokage, she didn't particularly liked dealing with petty problems masquerading as a 'crisis to the Clan'. Nonetheless she greeted him as befitting his station. Internally she chanted _“Please don't be trade agreements, please don't be trade agreements…”_

“I'm here concerning the trade agreements…” the elder started.

_“Fuck, kill me now”_ Saeko thought and eyed her brother who seemed to have lost all hope as well. The girl resigned herself at an evening of utter boredom. _“Well, at least it's good practice.”_

* * *

**Outside the Konoha Gates**

While Saeko waited for her team to arrive she talked with Keita, the now fresh chuunin she tutored for a little while, who had been on gate duty. The boy was rather proud of his performance in Suna and was eager to recount the exams to his once-sensei.

Just before the allotted time Saeko was joined by four other ninja that made up her team for the mission. The Uchiha nodded at her team but then turned back to the new chuunin “I need to go. Once again, congratulations Keita, the flack jacket looks good on you.”

“Thank you taichō!” the genjutsu user beamed.

Saeko smiled “Just don't let up, you play with the big boys now.”

“Sure thing taichō” the boy replied, “Besides, I still run with the team, they wouldn't let me.”

“Good. Well, see you around”

“See ya taichō”

The brunette waved and went to her team for the mission she was issued. The Hokage had selected a high B-rank for her that was right up her alley – search and destroy.

“Good morning team,” Saeko greeted the mix of chuunin and tokujō, “I take it you have been briefed?”

“Hai, Uchiha-taichō” said four voices in chorus.

“Excellent” the brunette smiled tightly, “I don't have many details to fill in, we are the ones to gather the information after all. Any questions?”

One of the chuunin nodded tentatively “How likely is a confrontation with Oto nins?”

“Very likely” Saeko replied grimly, “We are going to investigate 'suspicious disturbances' in their territory. I suspect some escaped prisoners or experiments of our dear late Orochimaru. Besides, my brother might have killed the traitor but his apprentice still remains.”

The team nodded. Since there were no more questions the Konoha nins broke into a run, destination Land of Rice.

As they traveled Saeko subtly eyed her team – she received some brief dossiers on them but those don't contain everything.

Her tracker was a Hyuuga which made sense – the team knew exactly where to go, they only needed to be able to spot trouble, and who better than the ninja who could see on hundreds of steps away and trough anything. Hyuuga Hoshi, a girly name for a girly man, was from the main branch and was one of _those_ Hyuuga, aka an arrogant prick that believes to be superior to everybody he meets. “ _Wonderful.”_

Her second and last tokubetsu jounin was Nakai Renji. He was a genjutsu user who worked primarily at T&I. Saeko could recall Anko mentioning him on occasion. He seemed aright.

The remaining two shinobi were chuunin and had more or less rounded skills. Inada Tetsu was said to be an excellent trap-maker and very inventive with ninja wire. A note in his file said he was being considered for promotion to full jounin – that meant very good taijutsu and ninjutsu as well.

Aburame Saki seemed bland in comparison, but then again members of the bug clan tended to be secretive. Still, his skill in Aburame jutsu was notable. He also carried a kusarigama, a weapon Saeko thought cool but something she would just get tangled in.

All in all a good team. Or at least competent.

The journey to Rice went mostly in silence, which in hindsight was marvelous – it took just one brief lunch break to find out that Hoshi was not just a prick but also a misogynistic one. His, oh so enlightened, opinions on kunoichi and women in general were really something. Saeko was secretly pleased he must be seething inside having her, a woman, as team leader and of higher rank instead of being back in the village cooking for her husband. The Uchiha briefly wondered if the man was married, if so she pitied the wife.

Finally hours later they arrived at the border with Rice. Saeko called for an extended break before they would venture into hostile territory.

“I could send my kikaichū to find areas with a large concentration of chakra. If indeed the disturbances are caused by shinobi my bugs should be able to find them” the Aburame volunteered.

Saeko nodded “That would be really helpful.”

As the black swarms emerged from Saki's coat the brunette thought about Helena and her indubitably hilarious reaction to the insects. The ninja did not flinch, even if she could tell nobody was really comfortable with the kikaichū.

It took quite a while for the bugs to come back but when they did, they didn't disappoint. The team flew over the Valley of the End and entered Oto territory guided by Saki.

Judging by their surroundings the site the Aburame found had to be near the ocean, exactly on the other side of Rice Country. When the hooded chuunin signaled they were near Hoshi activated his byakugan and his brow furrowed in both concentration and worry “There is something wrong, I can't see properly.”

The brunette was alarmed “What do you mean?”

“It's like little mirrors on the ground, I see just reflections” the Hyuuga explained, his voice on the verge of panic, “It makes my eyes hurt.”

That was very bad news, it was not often the white eye failed. Saeko was worried about her own dōjutsu but she calmly asked “Do you see around those mirrors?”

Hoshi sighed in relief “All but that direction is fine.”

The Uchiha nodded “Let's find out the source. Everybody, be on your guard.”

The team jumped on the branches on the biggest tree that made the border between the forest and a clearing near the cliffs, all of them ready for anything. Hoshi confirmed their thoughts “There is no one around. Living that is.”

Jumping down the Konoha ninja approached the corpses, and or more importantly, pink crystals on the ground with caution.

“What the…” Tetsu exhaled in disbelief.

That summed the scene up perfectly. The numerous bodies on the ground were all strange, misshapen, animal-like. They practically reeked of Orochimaru's labs. The method of how they died was even more singular. Most of the late Oto ninja were pierced by long needle-like crystals but some were shattered. That was most disturbing, the shattering part. Saeko looked at one particular body and could practically see the story unfold – the horned man had been infected with something and his arm began to crystallize so he cut it off before getting pierced by some more crystals. But even his death didn't stop the pink from spreading, all it accomplished was he remained more or less intact.

It was horrifying, even for ninja.

“Well, someone took care of them it seems” Renji announced and broke the spell.

Saeko nodded, trying to look unaffected as the T&I member “Indeed. But those crystal jutsu, this shoton, sounds like something Orochimaru would like.”

“You think Oto nins killed each other?” Hoshi hummed.

“Why not, the Snake sure wouldn’t care” Tetsu shrugged.

Saki joined in “It is possible this was a cleanup – those attacks and thefts did garner attention, it would be logical to dispose of the unnecessary attention.”

“These crystals seem to deteriorate, in a few minutes there will be no evidence left behind” the T&I member agreed as he observed the bodies.

Saeko nodded “It looks like we just missed this shoton user. We must find more information on him and his jutsu, especially if he used to work for Orochimaru.”

The team agreed and Saeko summoned a raven to carry a piece of crystal to the Hokage along with their report thus far. Maybe the Konoha research department would glean something from it.

“Hm” Renji still poked around the crystallized body parts.

Hoshi who finally stopped whining about his eyes squatted beside him “What do you think? A doton?”

It was the Uchiha who replied “I'm pretty sure it's a separate matter entirely, a kekkei genkai we haven't seen before. Maybe even artificially made by dear Orochi.”

“Sound plausible” Renji agreed.

”As much as I hate it we need to find this ninja, he should have valuable info” the Hyuuga nodded.

Saeko turned to the two members of traditionally tracking clans “Hoshi-san, Saki-san, can either of you get us a location?”

“If we move around then probably. He shouldn't be too far” the juuken user mused.

“Let's go then”

“Hai taichō”

In the end it didn't take long to find the shoton user – _she_ found them. The woman and presumably two of her clones stood high up a cliff, arms crossed and a sneer on her face “Konoha dogs, always sniffing around.”

“That's what dogs do, don't they? Besides Konoha always tries to clean up after their mistakes, Orochimaru and his pets are no exception” Saeko said clearly.

The woman's stance shifted as did her mood – right into pissed “Orochimaru-sama was a genius and far better than anyone of you can ever hope to be!”

_“Bingo!”_ Saeko thought, “ _Allegiance confirmed.”_ She had no time to taunt the kunoichi as she had to evade crystals shooting from the ground.

“I'm Guren, one of Orochimaru-sama's…” the woman began but was interrupted as well as Tetsu enveloped her in his wires.

Guren just scoffed, shook off both Saeko's and Renji's illusions and turned the wires into pink dust. Her two clones sprung into action as well.

Saeko concentrated on the original, her sharingan active and fortunately functioning.

The enemy kunoichi was fast, really fast. With one hand sign she rapidly threw a series of crystal needles at the Uchiha who had no trouble evading. Once the little pink shards touched the ground they seemed to take root and immediately grew enough to entrap their intended victim. Saeko thanked Kami for her eyes and honed reflexes as she somersaulted out of the way.

Guren took the few beats the Uchiha was in the air to capture the kikaichū that were working on one of her clones. As the small insects fell she aimed a powerful kick at the Aburame who rather blocked than risk more insects by creating a clone or shield.

Before the Oto-nin could do more she was forced to evade as Saeko threw a handful of shuriken that she immediately multiplied by the _Kage Shuriken_ technique.

As both kunoichi landed they took an instant to look around the battlefield to assess the situation. Hoshi's fancy poking did its job and Guren's clone was no more. Same went for the other one which fell prey to a small localized charge, courtesy of Renji's seal. Tetsu was conspicuously absent, no doubt preparing a trap of some kind out of sight.

Guren tsked.

Saeko did not hesitate and she unleashed a small earthquake to throw her opponent off balance. Then she charged, taking a deep breath, ready to burn the bitch to ashes from a distance she could not evade.

The shoton user lost her footing which surprised Saeko but then again, Renji had been standing immobile on a tree not far from her with a focused look on his face, obviously launching genjutsu after genjutsu.

Before Saeko could land the sure-kill Guren grew a huge dome-like wall in front of her for protection. The Uchiha did not waste her breath or chakra and just used the crystal as a stepping stone to fly over it, careful as not to have any more contact with it than necessary.

On the vulnerable side of the wall Saeko readily unleashed a powerful stream of fire that had been almost white in color. The katon jutsu had not been the only one to target Guren as Tetsu had emerged from the forest, clearly finished with whatever he was cooking up, and launched doton spikes from the ground.

Guren shook off another illusion and immediately closed the dome entirely but not before crystallizing and reversing the earth spikes. The fire impacted the dome a moment later but did not penetrate. Still, it heated up the air within the dome to an unbearable level and Guren was forced to abandon it.

_“Water and Earth won_ _'t work as she can turn it into crystals. Fire does not have the penetrative power so that leaves Wind or Lightening. Also there is some big trap in the forest now so we need to push her there”_ Saeko analyzed even as her hands formed the seals for the _daitoppa_.

The Uchiha could not finish as Guren seemed to fly high in the air, now enveloped with tiny pink shards that rained on them with an unrelenting intensity, forcing the Konoha ninja to retreat and defend.

Rolling out of cover Saeko shot several simple lightning bolts towards her enemy to force her to stop the assault.

It worked and Guren had to jump into a nearby tree. Saeko finally unleashed the _daitoppa_ and the enormous gust of wind launched both the tree and the woman deeper into the forest.

Then … _something_ happened. The air fizzled with chakra and the pressure seemed to go down. Tetsu grinned as his trap was put to use.

A few second later Renji asked “Is it over?”

“Hoshi?” Saeko prompted the Hyuuga to use his bloodline.

Before the man could give his report Guren showed up again, severely disheveled but otherwise okay. Tetsu's eyes went wide and he breathed out “No way. Just how powerful is she?”

“Konoha DOGS!” Guren screamed in fury, “I was slated to be Orochimaru-sama's next body, YOU CAN'T KILL ME!”

One beat later she was upon the Aburame who was standing to the side since all his skill were more or less useless against the crystal element. The Konoha ninja immediately threw their shuriken to get her to evade or just slow her down just as Saki brought up his kusarigama. Before any of the weapons could made contact Guren had the man by his throat and from under her fingers pink crystals sprung to life.

Dropping the man she effortlessly deflected all shuriken with a tonfa-like crystal blade. Then she jumped up another tree, leaving behind Aburame Saki, now firmly enclosed in crystal.

“One down, four to go” Guren taunted.

The team did not hesitate and all of them launched their attacks. They all impacted and shattered the clone that Guren switched with to give her time to unleash another crystal technique.

Three enormous crystal dragons sped towards the four ninja. Renji immediately delved into the shadows and Tetsu merged with the earth, both fighters more suited for support. Hoshi shared a glance with his captain and just as the dragons were about the strike he used his clan's most powerful defense jutsu, the _kaiten_.

That gave Saeko the time to unleash a dragon of her own, only fire in nature.

As the Oto-nin dealt with her jutsu, Saeko disillusioned herself and from a nearby tree she unleashed a barrage of binding spells. Guren had trouble with the unknown energy that bound her thus allowing the Uchiha to unseal her fan and let loose with fūton techniques.

A few seconds later Guren was in pieces.

“Is it over now?” Renji asked again.

“Yes, she won't be getting up again” the Uchiha confirmed.

Tetsu just hummed and went to the shattered remains of their teammate. Saeko glanced at Hoshi, looking him over for any injuries. He seemed on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion but otherwise alright.

As the trap-maker collected the small crystals from the Aburame to bury Saeko thought about how  most spells require a suitable distraction, magic was simply much slower than many ninja were. Guren had been particularly speedy. She sighed, nothing much she can do about it. Still, it irked her that a simple _petrificus totalus_ could've saved Saki's life if Guren just stayed put.

“There should be a camp of some sorts or lab. Those misshapen nin could've not come from nowhere” Renji mused.

“Hm” Saeko agreed, “Hoshi-san?”

The Hyuuga obliged and as he focused further he let out a sound of surprise “It seems Guren missed a pair of them. They did indeed have a camp and it's still guarded by two men.”

“Excellent, maybe now we get some answers” Tetsu said coldly.

Hoshi led the way and the rest of the team followed without a sound, all of them in a somber mood after the fall of their teammate.

When they finally arrived in front of the cave that served at the hideout for the ex-Oto ninja the fight that ensued was pathetically easy.

The T&I member eyed the two captives without any expression. Saeko offered “Renji-san, do you need help with the other one?”

“No need, you can wait here.”

“Oke-dokie”

Renji retreated into the cave with their prisoners while the others either kept watch or went through the possessions of the freshly deceased Oto nin.

It was not long and the expert interrogator exited the cave. Everybody frowned when they noticed his pallor.

“Report” the Uchiha prompted.

“They were going after the Daimyō!!”

“What!?”


	61. 4- 61 Going to Court

_It was not long and the expert interrogator exited the cave. Everybody frowned when they noticed his pallor._

_“Report” the Uchiha prompted._

_“They were going after the Daimyō!!”_

“What!?” Tetsu blurted out.

Saeko just frowned “Elaborate.”

“They made a deal with a noble in the Fire Court. They would attack the daimyō and in return the noble would guarantee them safe passage out of the country and enough gold to do whatever they wished” the interrogator summed it up.

Hoshi arched his eyebrows “How did a bunch of rejects get in touch with a noble? Is this Orochimaru's apprentice doing?”

“No, it seems they worked alone. It seems the Apprentice is more interested in his master's research than his men” Renji shared.

“That's good, they should be easier to get rid of without someone to organize them” Tetsu interrupted.

Saeko hummed “The name of the noble?”

“Ishikawa Hideyoshi”

“That explains it, the Ishikawa heir was suspected of having deals with the Snake. He must've had a contact within the organization” the Uchiha thought out loud.

Renji nodded “I don't have much details, Guren had to have killed their leader. Those two don't know much.”

“If the daimyo exploded or whatever and when the dust settled everyone would blame Orochimaru's experiments and hunt them down” Tetsu nodded.

Saeko agreed “And Konoha would be to blame also since Orochi and his mess are our responsibility. The absence of the daimyo compounded with the weakened Konoha position would give any shrewd nobleman space to maneuver.”

“Our people in the Capital would have caught them anyways” Hoshi said assuredly.

“Perhaps, but the attempt alone could serve Ishikawa just as well. I don't think he ever intended to go through the deal anyway. His men would 'discover' the ambushers post facto and he would be a hero.”

Tetsu arched his eyebrows “I know Orochimaru's monsters are not the sharpest kunai in the pouch but they must've had some assurances in place.”

“Or maybe they were just stupid and desperate enough” Hoshi shrugged.

The trap-maker smirked “Well, we disposed of them. This really had the potential to be a clusterfuck.”

“Indeed. But now it's an opportunity” Renji smiled darkly.

“A trap?” the Hyuuga voiced.

Saeko grinned “Yes, we'll catch a traitor and get Daimyō's favor in the process. Let me just discuss with the Hokage.”

“We need to hurry, their deadline is in three days” Renji nodded.

“ _Kuchiose no jutsu!”_

X

**Daimyō** **'s Palace, three days later**

“I'm beginning to envy Saki” Tetsu said irritably.

“He's a fine pink powder” the Hyuuga tokubetsu jounin deadpanned.

Tetsu eyed some distant nobles, his face strained to stay impassive “Exactly.”

“Not a fan of nobility?” Saeko asked absentmindedly.

“What was your first clue?”

The Uchiha looked at her teammate from the corner of her eyes “At least we are still in uniform. It could've been formal attire.”

Tetsu shivered “Good point. Hey, shouldn't you be used to this?”

“I am”

“Why are you angry then?”

Saeko sighed “We are basically just stand-ins for Jiraiya.”

“Well, he's the Konoha's spymaster, it would make sense he knew of the plot” Renji chimed in.

“Yeah. Plus we helped by taking them out” Tetsu nodded encouragingly.

“Hn” said the Uchiha, adjusted her uniform and approached a very well-dressed effeminate man who was one of the daimyō's aides.

The team observed their captain as she dealt with the nobles. After few moment Tetsu broke the silence “I know she is an extremely powerful kunoichi, a jounin, hottest flame of Konoha, the Amaterasu, sister to a ruthless ANBU captain and so on and on… but right now she looks like an adorable teenager.”

“Yeah, the pouting is kinda cute.” Renji smirked.

* * *

**Takeji's Bar**

“Savior of the daimyō, beat that Uzumaki!” Saeko exclaimed and she took a shot.

Yuuko chuckled “So you said already. By the way, didn't you say you are meeting your future sister-in-law later today? You should slow down.”

“Don't be a downer Yamanaka” Anko grinned as she refilled the glasses, “Little Uchiha can handle it.”

The brunette sighed “Thanks, but it is not my intention to get tanked. These shots were for the mission, for a fallen teammate and for the long-ass briefing I had to give to the Hokage. I'll stick to something light from now on.”

Anko made a disgusted sound “Pussies, both of you. Hey barkeep, another of the same, if you please!”

“Save some for Ebisu, I saw him with those little terrors he's teaching, he looked he needed to drink the whole bar” Saeko sniggered.

Yuuko chuckled “He did say once that the Konohamaru Corp was terrifying enough to warrant an invitation to the staff of the Torture and Interrogation department.”

“I'd rather have them as a customers of the department” the purplette made a strangling motion with her hands.

Saeko arched her eyebrows “Are they so bad? Worse than Naruto?”

“Nah, but Uzumaki had style, these three are just annoying” Anko shrugged.

The Uchiha hummed “Sooo, torture anyone interesting recently?”

“Oh yes” Anko grinned, “I got to play but blondie over here had to shove her Yamanaka stuff up her…”

“No fancy head tricks?” Saeko interjected.

“Nah, we went old school. Just how mama likes it” Anko said with her patent sadistic smirk.

Yuuko sighed “Yep, he was actually very well protected from the usual stuff, like drugs and such. We had trouble old-school as well, but he broke down eventually.”

“Took him long enough. I think even Ibiki was a tad bit impressed” Anko nodded and refilled her glass.

The Yamanaka nodded “Much better than the whiny kind. I hate those.”

“Ho?” Saeko smirked, “Who's your type then?”

“Young, female and sassy” Yuuko winked at the jounin, “Oh, you mean for interrogation? Then the defiant ones 'You will never break me!' and 'I will never betray my village!'. I love proving them wrong.”

“Hear, hear” Anko nodded.

“Oh, and then are those whose physiology interacts weirdly with some of the substances, those are hilarious.”

The snake summoner nodded with a grin “They are rare and Ibiki hates them. You have to wait for the high to wear off and try another method.”

“But they are so much fun! Like the last one we had, he was talking about rainbows and unicorns. And how the Raikage secretly loves small kittens and that he is the daimyō's concubine” the blonde recounted.

Saeko chuckled “Can this state be faked?”

“Not for long” the Yamanaka sing-songed.

“You two are quite a pair of sadistic bitches” the Uchiha said, almost admiringly.

Anko grinned widely “Yup, I even have a banner proclaiming it!”

“Speaking of bitches, Inuzuka Hana hooked up with Takahiro” Yuuko's eyes lit up at the gossip.

“I remember him, very… muscular” the brunette said in a slightly disgusted voice.

“Yum” the snake summoner smirked.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Ugh. Such a shame.”

“I was on a mission with her a while back. She _is_ painfully straight. Pity” the Yamanaka concurred.

“Well, she is the Inuzuka heir, she does need to continue her line” the jounin shrugged.

Yuuko smirked “Would it hurt her to be bi?”

The three kunoichi laughed.

“Also Genma has a huge crush on a girl and we kinda have a betting pool on the results” the blonde continued her recount of the highlights of Konoha's rumor mill.

Anko nodded vigorously “I have a hundred ryo that she will get annoyed enough to superglue his testicles to his thigh.”

“Sounds like an awesome gal” Saeko grinned.

“She's a Hyuuga” Yuuko smirked and waited anxiously for the Uchiha's reaction.

Saeko spluttered “Genma and a Hyuuga?”

“Oh yeah. I don’t know what happened but he's smitten. To be honest it's rather sickening” Anko said as she ordered another round.

“Oh? And what is her attitude towards our favorite senbon chewing ninja?”

Yuuko grinned “Classic Hyuuga attitude. I'm not one for stereotypes but she really is a typical one.”

“And Genma fell for her?”

The two interrogators just shrugged. Yuuko continued “Maybe she behaves differently around him.”

“Hn”

Anko snorted in amusement “Speaking of gossip and relationships, you have to tell us about the future Uchiha matriarch.”

“Not much to tell, I have yet to meet her” Saeko sighed, still irritated at the fact, “Speaking of which I need to go.”

“Already?”

The Uchiha shrugged “Sorry gals, but meeting my future in-law is a much more interesting prospect than just drinking with you.”

“Ouch” Yuko said dramatically.

Anko smiled evilly “Oh, you shall change your tune. You'll meet the woman and you will return here and get piss drunk. Mark my words.”

“Really?” Saeko arched her eyebrow, puzzled.

Yuuko nodded “Yup. You'll realize you'll have to share your nii-chan from now on aaaand it'll be drinking shots again.”

“Hn” replied the girl, refusing to acknowledge the point out-loud, and left the bar with a wave.

Saeko made her way through the village. It was already dark and it matched the mood the girl found herself in. She was nervous and very, very much so.

_“Here it goes”_ the scarred teen sighed as she hesitated in front of her own door.

Back straight, chin up, Saeko entered and made a bee-line into the dining room. She already had in mind to greet the guest and then go change for dinner itself, as was proper, also giving her time to calm down.

Itachi was already there. As was a beautiful woman beside him. Being a jounin Saeko could tell the woman was as nervous as she was which calmed Saeko instantly. _“That_ _'s right darling. Be afraid. I'm the cute little sister and I better like you.”_

The young Uchiha Lord smiled but otherwise made no motion to introduce the two kunoichi.

The silence stretched for a few beats. Then as one the two women smirked, at which Itachi gulped, losing his cool façade.

“Hello, I'm Tadaoki Mihane.”

“Uchiha Saeko, a pleasure” _“That's right brother of mine, you're screwed.”_

* * *

**Training Ground 38**

“Whatcha doing?”

“Meditating” was Neji's dry answer, “Meditating while waiting for a certain Uchiha to arrive for a spar that was scheduled half an hour ago.”

Saeko made a sad face “I was on my way but then a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way around.”

Neji opened his eyes and glared at his friend “Saw Kakashi-san recently, have you.”

“Sorry I'm late, don't get your youth in a twist” the brunette smirked.

The Hyuuga sighed in exasperation “So how was the dinner?”

“Mihane's cool, I like her and she complements my brother well. Though I'm not used to sharing him with anyone besides his job” Saeko pouted.

“Understandable”

“Though I'm rather curious who would win a spar between us. But I didn't bring that up, I'll wait a little while” the girl mused.

Neji rolled his eyes, which looked hilarious with the byakugan, “I would recommend waiting.”

“By the way, are the Hyuuga searching for a match for Hinata?”

The boy frowned in concern “I do not know. There is still some… unpleasantness regarding her status as heiress and Hanabi-sama has yet to receive the seal.”

“Rough”

“Indeed”

“So how about you? Any prospects?”

“Weren't we going to spar?” Neji said with yet another glare, “Scratch that, we _are_ going to spar. Right now.”

Saeko sighed “Alright, alright. I'm not really in the mood though.”

Neji just settled in the _Juuken_ stance and activated his bloodline. The Uchiha sighed but activated her eyes as well.

As soon as the long-haired boy moved Saeko drew her wand. With a swish and a murmur, she was not that confident in her non-verbals, and all the small rocks in a 10 meter radius went flying towards Neji at a breakneck speed from all directions.

Momentarily confused, the ninja defaulted to the _kaiten_.

“That was new” the shinobi commented as he stopped spinning.

“That was the point. En garde!”

“Nani?”

“Nevermind”

X

Once the spar ended the two prodigies just sat on the grass. Since it was more an exercise that a fight neither was injured nor overly exhausted.

“What now?”

Neji shrugged.

“We could pull a prank” Saeko grinned.

“Not my style”

“That’s why it would be perfect”

“Pass”

“What about… swimming!” the brunette proposed.

“No”

“Karaoke?”

“No”

“Kami you're boring”

The Hyuuga sighed “How about shōgi?”

“Booooring”

“Go?”

“Are you even trying?” Saeko rolled her eyes at another board game.

Neji shrugged.

“Saeko-san?” a voice interrupted the two ninja.

The scarred jounin smiled widely “Shizuka-san! Wonderful seeing you again. How have you been?”

“Great actually” the now named kunoichi replied, “Just returned from a mission.”

“Oh? How about we go for lunch? I'm always starving after a mission” Saeko asked.

The chuunin smiled “Sounds good. I need to give my report so… half-an hour? At the new BBQ restaurant?”

“I'll be there”

“Soo, see you soon”

“Bye” Saeko said and watched the girl disappear.

Neji cleared his throat “Did you just trade me for a hot chick?”

“Yup.” Saeko grinned. She waved and was ready to leave when she realized what her friend said “Hey, 'hot chick'? Did your icy Hyuuga heart melt enough to be capable of judging that?”

Neji uncharacteristically smirked and skipped away.

“Hey!” the girl called after him.


	62. 4- 62 Catching Up

_"Must not yell at the client. I must not yell at my client. Yelling at a client is bad for business”_ Saeko chanted in her head as she worked to keep an expressionless face.

“Miss Uchiha?” Dumbledore asked when the silence stretched.

Saeko took a deep breath “Let me summarize the situation headmaster. You have gifted Harry Potter, the Boy you wanted under surveillance, a cloak of invisibility. And not even your average invisibility device but one that is actually immune to any countermeasures.” _Are you insane?_ She itched to add.

“Under protection, not surveillance” Dumbledore corrected her gently.

The Uchiha gave him a 'really?' look. The Headmaster gave a dignified shrug “It was his father's cloak.”

“So I hear, I've peeked at the message. _'Use it well'_ it said. You are aware most boys his age, hmm maybe a bit older, would use it _well_ to stroll through girl's bathrooms and so on, right? Not to mention avoiding curfew. And generally going where they are not supposed to. Nice job on the Restricted Section of the Library though, I would have paid good money to see that spooked little face of his” the ninja smirked.

Dumbledore sighed “It matters not now, the cloak stays.”

_'Jiraiya would be proud'_ the ninja thought. Outwards she merely nodded and waited to be dismissed.

Few minutes later Saeko could vent her frustration on the walls in the freezing corridors of the Castle. Not that an Uchiha of her station would be crass enough to do so. Still, the cold air helped. Saeko always loathed meddling and Dumbledore was a master of it. He evidently had a very specific idea about the future and the kunoichi would have to get used to working without all the info and with surprise interferences.

_'_ _Like any other mission then_ _'_ Saeko sighed.

It seemed the Christmas holidays were eventful for the first-year trio too. She had a kage bushin present to the recap the boys gave Hermione about everything that happened during the break and she was astonished. What happened to nice and safe holidays? Instead Potter stumbled upon a highly addictive ancient artifact with the potential to drive him insane, met the Headmaster and broke into the Library. Though, if the first two things were coincidences Saeko would eat her flak jacket.

On the other hand the trio still hadn't found out about Flamel, which was no surprise since they were looking at all the wrong books. Pity they were so concerned about secrecy, Madame Pince, the librarian, would've been able to help them in a heartbeat.

Saeko shrugged, deciding to leave Potter and his friends to her summons and the occasional shadow clone. Instead she cast the tempus charm, the first period had been free but it was followed by transfiguration and professor McGonagall was very strict about punctuality.

Going at a casual pace the brunette arrived just in time to catch the stream of students enter the classroom.

The ninja greeted her friends with a nod and sat down in her usual spot, right in the first row near the window – aka in prime sharingan view and with a quick escape route, ninja paranoia at work.  Not long after everyone settled in their seats the bell rang, signifying the start of another semester at Hogwarts.

“Good day everybody” McGonagall greeted her students as she strode towards the blackboard, “I hope you all had a pleasant Yule. Today we will be starting something new.”

A wave of excited murmurs and annoyed groans reverberated though the class – something new in Transfiguration class always meant something really, really hard.

The Scottish professor ignored the reaction and continued “Building on last semester's switching spells we will be delving into the matter of Cross-species switches. First I will explain the theory, which you could also find in your book, pages 180 and beyond, and then you will try your hand at transfiguring a guinea fowl to a guinea pig.”

Right on cue an unpleasant sound rose from a cage nearby, containing said transfiguration material.

“Cross-species transfiguration is very difficult to perform and as a subject we now truly enter intermediate territory. Also I can promise you that this type of transfiguration will most certainly be tested during not only the exams this summer but also OWLS.”

The class now well and truly spooked immediately drew their quills and began dotting notes on the subject as McGonagall explained.

As the fowl were distributed and the first round of tries started Saeko sighed, she knew this was another of many steps towards human transfiguration, a subject she was burning to learn, but the fact remained that both guinea fowls and guinea pigs were boring, if not annoying.

“Saeko?” Helena nudged her friend.

“Hn?”

“Aren't you going to try?”

“Hn”

“Glad we had this talk” the blonde rolled her eyes.

Saeko smirked, her mood getting better “Hn”

* * *

**Saeko and Ashley** **'s Room**

“Why are you so disgustingly happy?” Ash asked her roommate.

“She got laid” Helena said flatly, her eyes never leaving her book.

Ashley blinked twice at the heiress and then she said “Oooh. Right. Which one this time?”

“Evelyn” Saeko replied with a roll of her eyes.

“That Gryff prefect you were working on before Christmas?” the short brunette asked.

The Uchiha huffed, rather offended “I wasn't _working_ on anybody. I was just hanging out with her.”

“But not anymore” Helena sing-songed.

“Nah, it was just a one-time thing” Saeko shrugged, “During break she saw a movie and she got curious.”

Helena looked up from her literature “Which movie?”

“Imagine me and you”

Ashley nodded “I like that one.”

“Curious yet?” Saeko joked.

Both Brits rolled their eyes. Helena sighed “Getting curious about lesbians is far better than what Michelle developed over Yule. I mean, it was just a few days and now she discovered a whole new religion!”

“Anime is not a religion” the Uchiha chuckled.

The blonde ignored her “Tell that to her. Our room is a shrine to… bishōnen.”

“Oh,” Saeko raised an eyebrow while Ashley laughed, “is that why are you here all the time?”

“Yes” Helena said with a solemn nod.

Ashley finally calmed down from her laughing fit “What does her boyfriend say about the bishōnen thing?”

“They broke up. I'm not sure when, I wasn't really paying attention, I was too busy being horrified by the posters and the action figurine or what the hell that thing is.”

Saeko and Ash looked at each other, silently agreeing to do a little breaking and entering to the room beside theirs.

“And don't get me started on yaoi” Helena shivered, “I mean there is nothing wrong with the concept, but some pictures are a bit disturbing.”

“Explicit?” Ash said with interest.

Helena shook her head “Nope, just some of the ukes, and I'm sad to say I know what that means, look like twelve year olds.”

“Ugh” the roommates said in unison.

The blonde rubbed her forehead with a sigh “It's worse than her obsession with Twilight last year.”

“I guess she is consistent in liking effeminate guys” Saeko shrugged.

Helena sighed and went back to her book whilst Ashley chuckled.

The girls sat in a comfortable silence for a little while when Ash spoke up once more “Boooring! Let's do something!”

“Like what?” the Grey said with another sigh, “What is wrong with reading a nice book in silence.”

Ash shrugged “Nothing. I'm not just in the mood. Come on! Any ideas?”

Helena ignored the short brunette and continued reading. Ash turned to her roommate with a hopeful expression. Saeko shook her head “I'm actually meeting up with the Team in a short while. They might've passed the Christmas fat inspection but that just means we can train harder.”

Ashley arched her eyebrows “It's freezing and our match is more than two months away.”

“I'm not losing the Cup the first year I was appointed captain. Hell, I don’t want to lose ever. Hence the training” the Uchiha said flatly.

“Are you sure it's not just because you're a wicked, wicked witch?” Ash asked.

Saeko smirked “That somehow sounds dirty…”

“Scratch that, an evil, evil bitch?”

“Better” the kunoichi nodded, “And _of course_ I'm an evil, evil bitch, I thought that was clear. Now, I need to torture my minions, bye bye!”

* * *

**Library**

_“This, this could be useful. Very, very useful”_ Saeko thought as she frantically read over and over the description of one phenomenon she found in a rather obscure book, _“It_ _'s like a cross between regular bushin and kage bushin. Only Yamanaka style. Manifesting one's consciousness does sound like something they would have. It would be perfect for communication over long distances, faster than any summon. Pity this book contains only theory. Maybe the restricted section would yield more? Hm, still, I can picture this spell working better on chakra than magic. I'll have to experiment. Safety first though, no one missed the last pages are seriously charred and still smell of flesh.”_

 “Good book?”

Saeko jerked up, never noticing her Slytherin friend approach her. She was a bit put out by that, being a ninja and all.

“I'll take it as a yes,” Lauren smirked, “What's it about?”

“A thesis explaining the possibility and theory behind astral projection”

“Sounds interesting” the red-read said genuinely and motioned to the kunoichi to hand the book over. The Raven obliged and Lauren leafed through it, pausing to read a few times.

“I don't think the last one to try it out for real had much success” the red-head said when she arrived at the black pages.

“Noticed that too, huh?” Saeko chuckled and took the book back.

“Just be careful” Lauren said in a genuinely worried tone.

Saeko smiled “What's life without risk.”

“No life, no life at all” Lauren looked pointedly at her friend to indicate she meant the literal meaning.

“I'll be careful, I promise” the Uchiha said in a placating manner, “So which book brought you to the Madame Pince's queendom?”

Lauren chuckled at the term “Venoms and Antivenin.”

The kunoichi grinned widely having been reminded of her Konoha friends “NICE! I don't know much about it but a friend of mine is an expert. Poisons too.”

The red-head knew now enough about Saeko not to ask weather this friend of hers was a medic or if he/she used venoms in practical application. She decided on a neutral “They are an interesting subject.”

“Indeed, and a hard one too” Saeko nodded with a smile. “So what's new?”

 “Yule was ok,” Lauren sighed, “had to attend a few boring parties though. Still, glad to be back. You?”

Saeko shrugged “Not bad. I met my brother's fiancée and I surprisingly approve of her.”

“Wow, relay my congratulations!” the Slytherin smiled.

“I will” the brunette chuckled, “What else, let's see… Oh, Daniel was a big hero yesterday! He stood up against bullies for a creepy kid in the corner. As Caitlin put it he was 'all big protecting auror and shit'.”

Lauren laughed primly “Sounds like him. So Ravenclaw has bullies too, huh? What was their issue, not smart enough? Or instead being too smart?”

Saeko rolled her eyes “You know even Ravenclaws are people with more defining characteristics then you people give us credit for.”

“Uh-huh” the pureblood smirked.

“Kid is obsessed with dragons. He speaks of nothing else, well, if he speaks at all. He _is_ a bit weird, he even compares people to different kinds of dragons. He doesn't work well in society” Saeko sighed, “At least the kid who wants to be a muggle accountant and is obsessed with math is functioning among people.

Lauren arched her eyebrows “A muggle accountant?”

Saeko shrugged “To each it's own.”

“True” the red-head agreed. Before more could be a said a rather loud and very fake laughter resonated from across a few tables. Both girls looked that way.

Lauren made a mildly disgusted sound and rolled her eyes. Saeko eyed her friend curiously “What did Aurora darling do to deserve such a treatment? Well, aside from being a colossal bitch all the time.”

The aspirant healer chuckled “Our favorite queen bee started dating Lachlan Kerr…”

Saeko interrupted her “Well, he's a douchebag so I guess they complement each other.”

“Quite” Lauren said flatly and continued, “They are even worse now, they apparently are a 'power couple'. I'm pretty sure that was the idea from the start. With Malfoy making waves everybody who is anybody in Slytherin is trying to cement their rule.”

“Is a bratty first-year that big a challenge?” the kunoichi asked skeptically.

Lauren sighed “He has a strong name and an influential father, but not at the moment. But give it two years and a bunch of daddy's money and he could be a shaker. Kerr and Gallaher are influential families as well but nowhere near Malfoy's league.”

“Hn”

“It helps he is fixated on Potter and Weasley and isn't working on making a base in the House. He is arrogant enough to think he can rule without putting some work in it” the red-head finished.

“The politics of Slytherin sure is complicated” Saeko shook her head.

“It's good practice. We are the House of the ambitious and cunning” Lauren sighed.

The Uchiha shrugged “I'm glad to be a Raven, your House sounds exhausting. I got enough of that stuff back home and I don't need it here. In Ravenclaw you are judged mostly by your merits. Not that we don't have our fair share of douchebags and bigots, mind you.”

“Good to know” Lauren smiled.

Saeko joked with a smirk “Not me though, I'm awesome.”

“Of course you are” Lauren said in her most patronizing tone.


	63. 4- 63 Drama Filled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: the first few paragraphs were taken from RWBY (I think episode 11, not sure now) but since it was hilarious I just had to use it. Or paraphrase it. Bottom line, that part isn't mine.

“So, there we were in the middle of the night” Ashley narrated dramatically.

“It was day” Pater interrupted flatly.

“We were surrounded by huge snarling gorillas-like monkeys” Ash continued in the same manner, completely ignoring her childhood friend.

“They were small howler monkeys”

“Dozens of them!”

“Two of them” the boy sighed.

“With a terrifying battle shout the all lunged at us, intent on devouring us, tearing limbs and spilling blood. But they were no match, and in the end Peter and I took them down and made a boatload of top dollar selling fur rugs!”

“The monkeys shrieked and we ran with our tail between our legs” Peter corrected in exasperation.

The Ravenclaws laughed while Ash just rolled her eyes “You are such a bore Peter.”

Helena shook her head “That’s your big adventure? You got lost in a jungle and nothing?”

Ashley huffed “That's Peter's version. I had a true adventure.”

“I agree, Pete ruined it” Saeko nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, shame on you Peter” Caitlin chimed in.

“Hey!” the boy in question defended.

The blonde heiress sighed “This is pitiful. Is this really how we are spending the afternoon? Attempting scary stories?”

“Well, the weather is awfully depressing” Daniel shrugged, “Even you wanted to socialize.”

“Should've stayed in my room and read” Helena lamented.

Graham grinned “Nah, you would miss us.”

“Nah, I wouldn't” the girl mocked back and stood up.

Saeko promptly pulled her back down “You stay put. We will find something suitably entertaining for you.”

Ashley snorted “I don't know, I think I'm fed up with 'entertaining' right now. We are lucky the Weasley twins already expended all the new tricks they thought up during Yule.”

“Those two are beginning to get on my nerves. They were pretty funny at first, sometimes even now, but I find them annoying” Daniel confessed.

“They are still pretty funny if we are not their target” Peter shrugged.

Caitlin smirked “You done sulking?” The boy rolled his eyes.

“So how about we default to a poker game” Ash proposed.

“That could work” her childhood friend agreed.

X

“Really, you ran upstairs for sunglasses?” Saeko said, very unimpressed.

Graham grinned widely “And snacks!”

He offered the little quiches all around but they all mostly refused. The boy shrugged and immediately stuffed his face “I'm rdy, deal m in.”

“Ugh” Helena said disgustedly, “Don't speak with your mouth full or I will demand you pay up all your debts I got written up in my book.”

Graham immediately swallowed “No need to be hasty!”

“Thought so” the blonde smirked and shuffled the cards.

The cards were dealt and the group went through the first round of betting. Graham adjusted his sunglasses “Cider anyone?”

Helena made yet another disgusted sound “You are a pig.”

“Nothing new there” Daniel smirked.

“Hey!”

Saeko chuckled “You are practically covered by crumpets and you still have a pile of food beside you.”

“Leave him be, those are his lucky crumpets. He'll sure need them to win” Peter taunted.

“Sounds legit” Caitlin hummed.

Graham dusted himself off “Pff, as if I need some lucky charms to kick your asses at poker.”

“I dunno,” Ash said mock-thoughtfully, “I seem to remember you calling out to 'the heart of the cards' last time we played.”

“I seem to remember it didn't help” Helena smirked.

“Hey, stop picking on me! Let's play!” Graham waved his cards as he pouted.

The group surprisingly obliged and soon they were engrossed in the game as usual. Helena's little black book was filling up nicely when Ash nudged Graham who sat beside her “Graham? Your turn, you in or out?

“Graham?” Caitlin frowned as she looked at the pureblood.

“I'm not feeling so hot”

“No kidding, you look green” Peter snickered, “Bad cards?”

“I'm…” the boy began but never got to finish as he stood up, swayed slightly and threw up on the beautiful blue carpet.

The rest of the group immediately scrambled away from him as he made a repeat performance. Saeko decided to bite the bullet and put a gentle hand on his back “You strong enough to walk to the infirmary?”

Graham wiped his mouth, sat down and mumbled “In a minute.”

“I told you not to stuff yourself too much” Helena reproached him even as worry filed her voice.

“What's going on?” a prefect called as he approached the fourth years.

Helena explained the situation, even keeping the snide remarks out of it, and they agreed that the fourth years would take Graham to Madame Pomfrey themselves. The prefect sent them to the infirmary and promised he would call the house elves to clean up.

In the end Saeko, Helena and Daniel volunteered to accompany the unfortunate Graham when he protested at having all his friends follow him as a 'funeral procession'.

They arrived to the infirmary without further incident. Graham was still very pale and wobbly and Madame Pomfrey immediately rushed to his aid. The other Ravens sat down on a bed near the exit as the nurse tended to their friend all the white muttering about idiots and faulty stasis charms.

“So it's food poisoning?” Daniel piped up.

“Wouldn't that be too soon a reaction?” Saeko whispered.

“Changing your ambitions to healer school now, miss Uchiha?” came a stern reply from Madame Pomfrey.

The Uchiha briskly responded “No ma'am!”

“Then yes, it was food poisoning” the nurse said dismissively over very loud retching sounds. All the Ravens pursed their lips in disgust. Pomfrey smirked and returned to her patient “Let it all out mister Gifford.”

Daniel lowered his voice even more than Saeko did before “I think she's enjoying it.”

“That is preposterous mister Fairbanks!” Madame Pomfrey called out with yet another smirk.

'Scary' Helena mouthed and the other two nodded, one with unease, the other impressed.

* * *

**Outside the Great Hall**

It was Valentine's Day, which as everybody knew meant heaps of lovey dovey couples, bitter singles, jealous rivals, hopeless dreamers and the genuinely indifferent to the significance of the day.

The little poker group of the fourth year Ravenclaws mostly fell into the last two categories. That said the group was one member short in the form of Caitlin who had been asked out by a Gryff she knew from divination, Leroy Crow, and to quote 'decided to see what the fuss was all about'. On the opposite end of the happiness scale was Paddy who against all words of caution decided he had to ask his crush out, a year older housemate, and predictably crashed and burned. His bad mood would've pretty much spoiled the day for everybody if his plan hadn't been utterly dumb. Not that anybody voiced their feelings on the matter.

As the group made their way onto breakfast they passed several snuggled up pairs. It was quite an amusing journey especially with pearls like “If I could reach up and catch a star for every time I think of you, I'd have the whole night sky in the palm of my hands.”

“Gay” Graham said derisively. Then he turned to Saeko and shrugged “No offence.”

“None taken” the Uchiha replied with a smile, “It **was** disgustingly saccharine.”

“Whatever” Paddy grumped. The Ravens just looked at each other and smirked.

“It's pretty calm this year” Daniel spoke up, “remember the Romeo and Juliet thing last Valentines?”

Ash laughed “Oh yeah, that was fun.”

“I still don't understand why it mattered the girl was a Gryff and the boy was a Snake” Peter sighed.

“That was not it,” Helena corrected her friend in exasperation, “He was from a Dark family while hers is classically Light.”

“Bollocks”

“It still matters” Helena held up her hands in surrender.

The discussion delved into a heated argument about the recent civil war, until they sat down at the table where the food distracted them. A multitude of hoots announced the arrival of the daily mail. As usual all the students looked up, trying to disconcert if would receive any love from outside Hogwarts. By the form of letter, not the owls, naturally.

“Shouldn't be crows something like a bad omen on Valentine's day?” Peter mused.

“Why?” Helena said distractedly while opening an envelope.

The boy shrugged “Dunno, they are black, depressing and feed on corpses?”

“So?”

“Nothing I guess” Peter backed off. Ash and Graham sniggered at him while Helena smirked into her yogurt.

Saeko paid no mind to the byplay as she unrolled of one of the scrolls she received - she was curious at its contents since nobody in Konoha would know the significance of the day. It turned out the letter had been from Hinata.

“Bad news?” Ash frowned.

The Uchiha did not reply, instead she abruptly stood up and briskly walked away. Once she reached the big space just outside the Great Hall Saeko sped up into a full run and right into the Forbidden Forest.

One quick reverse summoning, courtesy of Lykke, and Saeko could bark at the nearest raven she spotted “I need Itachi now!”

 “Excuse me?” one older raven said tad menacingly and flapped his wings.

“I'm sorry,” Saeko rubbed her forehead and began pacing, “I received some news and I need to talk with my brother. Would you please arrange it with the crows?”

The old raven was mollified “Very well. Just sit down and we will bring you the crow summoner.”

“Thank you” the kunoichi bowed in thanks.

It only seemed it to be a second and Itachi flew in on one of his own summons. Saeko immediately accosted him “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” the older Uchiha asked in genuine confusion.

“Neji being in the hospital?” Saeko said angrily.

“Oh”

“Yes, oh”

“Well,” Itachi shrugged, “He's a little banged up but he'll recover fine. I honestly think Neji's only stalling so he doesn't have to 'fan his fires of youth'.”

Saeko chuckled despite herself.

“Did his teammates write you? I didn't know you were friendly with them”

“Hinata wrote me. She is very, very worried” Saeko stressed, trying to pump him for more info.

Itachi raised one of his eyebrows and said nothing.

“Ok, Hinata is a tad overprotective in this regard, but still. Is Neji truly ok, what happened?”

“He is ok. I don't know what happened” Itachi said in a monotone. Then he smirked “His hair got cut though.”

Saeko burst into laughter “Really?”

“Only by a little,” the Uchiha lord actually chuckled, “Like a palm and half.”

When the girl finally stopped laughing she said “You don't know what happened on his mission but you know how much hair got cut?”

“It was the more interesting information”

“I bet, everybody knows how some Hyuuga value their long locks” Saeko grinned.

Itachi nodded “I was also busy, we had a little clan problem.”

“Oh?”

“Uchiha Atsuhiro almost went rogue”

“What!”

The crow summoner nodded grimly “He got drunk and he stabbed another Konoha nin in a fit of rage over a woman. When he realized he would be arrested he tried to take his chance outside the walls. Fortunately the chuunin police got him before he could lose himself in the forests. Even more fortunately, the arresting officer was another Uchiha but it still could've hurt us.”

Saeko smirked “Look at you, being all 'lordy'”

Itachi shot his sister an evil look but said nothing.

“Don't worry, I won't compare you with Fugaku,” the kunoichi smiled, “There is truly no comparison.”

Itachi smiled.

* * *

**Corridor on the Fourth Floor**

Saeko was quite exhausted but cheerful, she just returned from the summoner's realm and her weekly spar with Itachi. She was making her way to the prefect's bathroom, eagerly anticipating the huge bath pool and all the features such as bubbles and perfumed water.

When she arrived at the door, the password on her lips, she had to sigh in dismay as it seemed it was occupied already. That was the only downside of the luxurious bathroom – it being private meant if you were not invited to share it, you had to wait outside for your turn.

“Mendokse”

Just as the ninja resolved to a long wait, because who in their right mind would rush from such a wonder of magical engineering, the door opened in a cloud of steam.

“Uchiha” said the startled fifth year with damp hair.

“Wood” Saeko greeted the Gryffindor captain.

The two quidditch players squared off. Saeko had a vague feeling there should be dramatic music or at least blowing wind.

When the bathroom door clicked behind the Lion the boy in question spoke “Did you hear the news?”

“Depends on what it is” the Uchiha replied even if the was pretty sure of the information.

“McGonagall told me Snape will be refereeing the next match”

“I did hear that” Saeko admitted.

Wood frowned “Did you happen to hear why? Because all I got was our Head of House snapping at me.”

“Nope” the girl shrugged although she had a theory. The last few weeks her summons noticed Snape keeping an eye on the Boy-Who-Lived more than usual. A bit of an overkill with a Konoha kunoichi on the job.

The keeper sighed “Would you be willing to petition his removal from the referee position? After all Snape is not qualified and Madame Hooch is not ill or anything.”

“I doubt it would do any good,” Saeko sighed as well, “McGonagall is evidently in agreement and probably even Hooch herself – otherwise she would've protested to being replaced. Plus you don't really know anything, maybe Hooch needs to go somewhere.”

“True” Wood said in a defeated voice.

“Yup, you're screwed” the scarred girl said cheerily.

“That we are” the Gryff nodded.

Saeko smirked “Your only chance is ending the match before Snape decides it for you.”

“Yeah, that's what I figured as well”

“Good luck” the Uchiha sing-songed.

Wood just shot his Ravenclaw counterpart a glare. Saeko smirked in reply. The Gryff never paused his glaring but bid the kunoichi goodnight.

A wave goodbye later Saeko entered the grandiose bathroom which bore no sign of being occupied before. _Gotta love magic_.

Saeko hummed a cheerful tune and selected her favorite faucets, 3, 6 and 10, and waited for the pool to fill up, which actually took only a few moments. She settled in the warm water and sighed in contentment.

This was just what the ninja needed, a nice quiet time to kick back and relax. She had been pleasantly surprised her and Wood didn't argue – she half-expected that since it would've been quite in character with the week she just had.

***Flashback***

_“What is going on?” Saeko asked Terence Higgs as she surveyed the spectacle with what looked was half the school._

_The Slytherin didn_ _'t tear his eyes from the two fifth years that were brawling, muggle style all the way. They all winced when the blonde of the duo got a clean shot on the brunet's jaw._ _“Their fathers had a business together and it went under. Raven here thinks Snake did it on purpose since he_ _'s now negotiating with their major competitor.”_

_Saeko nodded and continued watching the fight. She briefly wondered why no prefect intervened yet but then she spied one talking with one of Helena_ _'s buddies, obviously placing a bet._

_“I have five sickles on the Snake drawing first blood” Terence shared with a smirk._

_“Loyal” Saeko chuckled. After observing both combatants she was actually more in favor of her housemate, both had no finesse or experience but the Raven was a smidge faster and definitely more pissed off._

_Terence shrugged “Nah, I just know the Snake, when backed into a corner he fights like a girl. And by that I mean very dirty - hair pulling and scratching included.”_

_“Ouch” the Uchiha commented._

_Just as the blonde fifth year was tackled to the floor and wrestling began the crowd parted to let professor McGonagall into the ring. She looked absolutely beside herself with fury. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!”_

_Saeko almost chuckled when she noticed all prefects and the head-boy phase into the crowd, trying to escape detection. Naturally she stayed silent as did everybody else, all of them trying to look as innocent and unremarkable as possible._

_McGonagall was in a prime form as she tore into both fifth years. Then when her gaze turned onto the audience everybody promptly lowered their gaze and shuffled their feet. Fortunately there was no subtraction of House points since the Scottish teacher_ _'was disgusted by everybody in the crowd' for not stopping the fight and instead cheering the pair on._

_As the duo walked behind the retreating teacher and into her office the crowd was slow to disperse. The only problem was that the friends of the two absent quarrelling parties decided to continue the 'discussion' in proxy._

_“I smell trouble” Terence sighed as he turned to leave._

_“Good nose” Saeko nodded._

_“What did you say!” one of the fifth years yelled._

_The Uchiha sighed “Oh boy, why can_ _'t it be Gryffindor as always?”_

_“_ _This means war!” the Ravenclaw fifth year shouted._

_“_ Here we go _” Saeko thought and rubbed her brow in exasperation, Hogwarts had too much unnecessary drama. She missed Konoha in that regard, there the drama was either political or truly interesting._

***Flashback***

 

And of course that was before all that drama regarding the _boggart_ that had taken residence on the second floor. It would've been quite funny if the two seventh years who found the creature were not so severely traumatized. Granted, not many would handle well their biggest fear jump them as the couple was about to… well, it was a nice, secluded supply closet.

It caused quite a mayhem before professor Flitwick arrived and _Riddiculus_ ed it out. Saeko was not around but it had been the talk of the Castle - ironically it had been considered more dramatic than the troll the previous semester. She was still a bit put out by that, she was curious as to what the _boggart_ would've represented. They had studied the creature under Bangasé but unfortunately only in theory.

Compared to all this, the usual animosity that accompanied the upcoming quidditch match was nothing. Still, the Gryffs were pumped and it showed.

Among other news Harry and his gang finally found out who Flamel was, from a chocolate frogs card no less, and they were all up in arms against their favorite professor. As if Snape would be that transparent.

As if summoned by her thoughts a midnight-black raven flew in though the window. Saeko smiled “If it isn't Skygge junior! How goes it?”

The bird seemed to sigh “Don't call me that, I'm not my mother.”

“I know, sorry” the kunoichi smirked, knowing full well they will have this conversation again next time, as they did every time in the past.

The raven rolled his eyes and flew onto one of the faucets “Fancy.”

“The bathroom? Yeah. Definitely not something we have in Konoha”

“The Konoha baths are very nice. The Uchiha one too” the summon countered.

Saeko chuckled “True, but this one is private and definitely out of Jiraiya's reach.”

“The toad pervert?”

“Yup”

“I don't like toads much, but they do make good sake.”

“Aren't you a little young to drink sake?”

Zake shrugged “If I'm old enough to accept a mission I'm old enough to drink. By the way following around that Potter brat is not my idea of fun, I'd rather be training.”

“Don't you need to grow up some more to be a combat summon?” the Uchiha enquired.

“I can still train. I don't want to be stuck in the shadows all my life”

“eeee” Saeko began, not knowing how to ask what she wanted to know.

“Genetics plays only a part in our growth. Besides I can be small but still deadly” the raven said resolutely.

“True” Saeko nodded. She distinctly remembered the Suna kunoichi she fought against in her chuunin exams – that lady had been the smallest ninja she ever saw, child prodigies included, but boy could she fight.

The raven nodded resolutely “Just give me a few years and you'll be awed by my control over wind.”

“Hn” Saeko taunted with a grin.

Zake seemed to mimic it “So, you want my report now?”

“Sure”

The raven stretched his wings “Let me just start by telling you I really don't understand how mom can do this all the time. The brat is boring and there is no fighting whatsoever involved.”

“That's actually good news” Saeko smiled.

Zake huffed in displeasure “This mission of yours, this contract, how many zeros before the comma?”

“Lots” the ninja smirked.

“Ah”

 


	64. 4- 64 Gearing Up

 

The Ravenclaw quidditch team sat together, eager to go back to their favorite sport even if only as spectators. Not that the team was idle during the winter pause from matches, Saeko made sure of that. Wayne and Rory made a big show of stretching their muscles every time they met her in the common rom. The Uchiha unsurprisingly enjoyed it.

Currently the team was sitting in front row of the stands, feet up, sunbathing in the rare winter sun. And waiting for the show to start.

“This could be fun – look even Dumbledore came to watch” Jared pointed with his chin.

Cameron shrugged “Who wouldn't, Snape is the referee. I wish I brought popcorn.”

“Why is Snape even refereeing, Hooch is alright, isn't she?” Rory asked.

“Dunno”

“Let's hope Potter stays on the broom this time” James sneered.

Wayne nodded “Yeah, what was that about. I thought the broom was brand new.”

“Maybe it was sabotage”

“Nah, manipulating professionally made brooms is extremely hard” Frost shook his head.

Saeko shrugged “It doesn't really matter, it's not as he could have died anyway. Any of the professors and most of the students would have been able to catch him if he fell”

“So maybe someone tried to scare him”

“We have been over this, it must've been a fluke” James rolled his eyes.

“It's a possibility”

“Shh, it's starting!” Cameron hissed as he noticed movement on the field. The team sat up straighter, eagerly anticipating the match.

_“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, fans of quidditch! Today we shall bear witness to the battle between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Please note that our esteemed potions master went out of his way to referee today's match. A big round of applause in thanks!”_

McGonagall who sat a bit behind the commentator glared at the boy and cleared her throat.

Jordan Lee resumed “ _This is the first match of the new semester and I'm sure we are all excited. But none are more excited than the players themselves! And here they come. Representing Hufflepuff…”_

All the players flew into the pitch when their names were called and both team gathered around professor Snape, all of them looking decidedly more uncomfortable than usual. Even the cheers from the crowd were a bit more subdued.

Snape stood there in the middle of the field, his usual black robe bellowing, sneering at the players. The Captains shook hands under the professor's watchful glare. He said nothing but he held up this whistle meaningfully.

_“And it's on, ladies and gentlemen! Bell takes possession of the quaffle…”_

Jared nudged the kunoichi “Maybe Snape will not be that bad…” He was interrupted when Snape promptly issued a penalty shot against the Lions. “…or not.”

“Well, Weasley did hit a bludger towards him” Saeko shrugged.

A few minutes later Snape gave yet another penalty in favor of the Hufflepuffs. This time it was for no apparent reason. Well, if you discount the dislike of Gryffindors as a viable one.

The Slytherin fans were obviously amazed and cheered on their head of House. The rest, even the Puffs who stood to benefit, were furious and let their displeasure be known quite loudly.

Meanwhile Potter was circling above the fray like a bird of prey. And then… he dived.

Snape had barely the time to get out of the way as the Gryffindor seeker flew fast him and caught the snitch.

All in all, the match lasted a bit over eight minutes.

Gryffindors cheered while the rest just sat there on the stands, dumbfounded at the sheer luck and yes, a nice set of brass balls Potter displayed when charging the potions master.

“Frost?” Saeko spoke up.

“Yes?”

“How would you like to be known as the man who took The-Boy-Who-Lived down?”

“Wouldn't that make me a Dark Lord?”  


The ninja thought for a beat “Nah”

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Well, that was a disappointment” Peter sighed as he sank into one of the couches by the window.

Caitlin rolled her eyes “Really, I couldn't tell by all those people who came up to Saeko and 'hoped the Ravenclaw match will be better'.”

“And I assured them as I assure you that it will be epic. As it always it” the Uchiha grinned.

“At least Malfoy getting smacked was fun” Helena smirked, eyes sparkling tad evilly.

Graham grinned “So that’s who that blond brat is! Awesome! I actually met his father, what a creep.”

The blonde girl nodded “Me too, father does business with Lucius Malfoy on occasion as well.”

“He sounds like a hoot” Ash said, not really interested, “Though some of our firsties did complain about a Malfoy.”

“That's him” Daniel confirmed.

Saeko chuckled “Lauren actually told me about him. Apparently even his own House thinks he is a douche.”

The Ravens laughed. Saeko wanted to say more but was distracted by a crow's caw. She looked over to the window and saw Skygge. Sighing she excused herself to her friends and went up to her room – if her summon deemed it important enough to interrupt her it must be worth hearing.

Apparently Potter overheard the professors Snape and Quirrell and it seems he's taken up a crusade against the potions master. Saeko rolled her eyes, she hoped Potter would develop better instincts it Voldemort is indeed still alive. Still, Snape isn't doing himself any favors by being an ass all the time.

The kunoichi sighed “ _Why can_ _'t my marks just stay put and be boring. I just have the feeling the golden trio will fancy themselves junior investigators and get into trouble.”_

* * *

**Flitwick** **'s Office**

“I understand the concept, but it still seems far too risky for me. There is no shield that can't be penetrated” Saeko frowned.

“That's why you layer the different protections. Besides, there are not many spells approved by the Dueling Association that can just ignore or shatter multiple shields. Not to mention the other defenses” Flitwick augmented.

The ninja nodded “As I said I understand, but…”

“…it's not your style” the teacher nodded in understanding, “It actually is the very opposite of your style, you are all speed. The 'moving fortress' style user is your natural enemy. You are very energetic and a fortress would just wait it out unless you get creative.”

“That I can do” Saeko said, already formulating strategies. “What about a good old-fashioned punch in the face?”

The diminutive professor chuckled “Good shock value but many fortresses include a kinetic barrier. It would work exactly once, if not even that.”

“Once is all it takes” the Uchiha repeated the ninja motto.

“Not in a dueling competition” Flitwick reprimanded gently, fully aware of his student's meaning and her career expectations.

Saeko nodded. “How about targeting the very floor the fortress is standing on?”

The charms master beamed “Excellent plan. But quite typical I'm afraid. Still viable though.”

“So what would you suggest?”

Flitwick launched into a speech, a big grin on his face, clearly discussing his passion. As he went into detailed strategy Saeko kind of regretted he was not a Konoha nin. He would've made at least tokubetsu jounin, full rank if he had the physique to match.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait” Saeko stopped her favorite teacher (well, now that Deirdre was out), there is a spell that lets you ignore pain for a while?”

“Only a short while” the quarter goblin frowned, “And as I said it's forbidden by the Association. It's a very dark grey, borderline dark.”

Saeko nodded, hiding her disappointment “Ah, that's why I haven't read even a hint of it. A pity, it sounds very useful.”

“Boosting potions are not permitted in official duels but outside of them can replace this spell entirely” Flitwick said in slight resignation but continued in warning, “They can be addictive, though, and I would not recommend them. I met a former hit-wizard, veteran of the war, who was addicted to several droughts and it was not a pretty sight.”

“I understand” Saeko replied. She truly did. “One should not rely on such crutches regardless.”

Flitwick perked up again and continued dissecting the fortress style. The man was truly a well of knowledge and Saeko was more than happy to listen and learn. Though, him being a pacifist, Saeko often wondered why was he sharing so much battle knowledge, however theoretical. She wasn't willing to ask lest he stopped. Speaking of continued favor…

“Ah, that reminds me, a little birdie told me that today is your birthday” Saeko smiled and unsealed a package, “You treat me to a lot of tea in this office, so I thought the least I could do is replenish the stock.”

The Head of House almost blushed “You shouldn’t have miss Uchiha. Thank you.” As he inspected the three small tins he got a realization “Who told you?”

“I have my sources” Saeko smiled coyly. At Flitwick's look the brunette surrendered “Ok, professor Sprout. I might've complimented on her gift in greenhouse 3 few months ago and pled for details.”

Flitwick smiled and nodded “Thank you again, I'll put it to good use. A cup?”

“No thank you, I had enough. Besides I already took enough of your time, I need to get back to homework. The teachers are being quite hard on us, already hinting at OWLs” Saeko winked.

The professor shrugged with a grin “Indeed. But I'm not scared for my Ravens.”

Saeko smirked “We do tend to do well. Although I saw several nervous breakdowns in the Common Room.”

Flitwick sighed and shrugged in a 'what can I do' manner. The girl chuckled and nodded.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Time” an exhausted voice called from the ground.

“Thank God!” Cameron exclaimed and aimed his broom down. Once his feet touched the grass he just let himself go and fell over like a sack of rice.

Saeko and Jared smirked and went to retrieve the bludgers. The Uchiha took a leaf out of Anko's book and put each and every player on her team though her dodging exercise. Well, with bludgers instead of kunai. Though, those were still an option.

“Is it over?” Caitlin wheezed hopefully. The juniors nodded with pleading eyes while the veteran players were quite resigned.

The scarred teen paused dramatically but then she nodded “Hai, I hereby release you. You may go.”

“Yaaaay” the team chorused, too tired to be enthusiastic. Or to even move.

Saeko was grinning as she stuffed the black balls into the appropriate place in the trunk, her team was ready for their upcoming match and they just kept getting better and better. They even laid off the whining about her drill sergeant attitude.

With one last glance at her downed team Saeko set to return to the Castle. Before the kunoichi was out of earshot she turned and yelled “Yo Jared? Are still up for that spar? Tomorrow?”

The beater seemed torn but then he nodded. Wayne shook his head “You're mad bro.”

“I think so too” Jared sighed. Saeko smirked as she walked away. She would not normally call what they do a spar but her partner was getting better. The ninja reminded herself to ask if he already thought up what he wanted to do after school. Last time he told her that something would turn up.

Saeko skipped up the steps into the Castle's foyer, ignored the nearest staircase and instead she made her way to the basement and the kitchens. She craved some fruit, Hogwarts served it only at breakfast and not in large quantities. The ninja found it rather typical of the mostly sedentary British wizards.

“Uchiha!”

The brunette withdrew from her thoughts and smiled “Lauren! You wound me every time you don't use my given name. How are you? Where are Lexie and Soldy?”

“They're behind on herbology and I don't like to be pestered with questions, I already helped them with most of the homework” the Slytherin shrugged.

“Ah” Saeko nodded sagely, “Where are you headed?”

Lauren shrugged again “Just out, maybe make a trip outside. You were at the pitch or you merely neglected to shower yesterday?”

Saeko chuckled at her friend's smirk “Yep, quidditch. Speaking of, how is Terence? Scared yet?”

“Let's just say he looks forward to next year when Frost isn't his opposing seeker” the red-head shared after a slight pause, loyalty and all. “Then again, word has spread you are grooming some replacements.”

“Hn”

Lauren chuckled “Just tell them to be a bit careful.”

“Oh? Is Slytherin thinking on making a move?”

“Just Flint and the team”

“Hm, they could be rather intimidating to my juniors” the ninja mused, “I'll deal with it should it happen. Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. Really,” the Snake stressed, “don't mention it.”

Saeko bowed slightly. Shifting her weight onto her other foot she asked “Soo, what's new? I didn't catch you at runes, I was occupied.”

“Nothing much. The Wizengamot passed a bill that as a side-effect prevents several exotic medicinal plants into the country” Lauren sighed.

“That sounds improbable” Saeko frowned.

The Slytherin waved it off “I said as a side-effect, an embargo is an embargo. In theory it shouldn't last that long, we'll see.”

“Ah, embargo on which country?”

“Do you really care?” Lauren asked with arched eyebrows.

Saeko chuckled sheepishly “Not really, but if you want to vent about it then sure.”

“How sweet” Lauren said sarcastically, “but that's ok, it's not like it touches me personally.”

“O? I thought your family was in the business. Potion ingredients business that is” the brunette inclined her head in question.

“Oh they are, but as I said I'm not really connected to it” was Lauren’s breezy reply.

The Uchiha arched one eyebrow “So you can vent about that then.”

“Nah. Besides, I can't do anything till I turn seventeen”

“Why does it feel that every time we speak outside of class problems with your family pop up” Saeko frowned.

“Huh, you're right. Well, let's speak of something else then. How's your family doing for a change?” Lauren asked, genuinely curious.

“It was not meant as a dismissal of your issues, far from it. It was a mere observation” Saeko hastily explained.

Lauren chuckled “I know. Besides you being always so secretive makes me want to ask and now it was the perfect opportunity.”

“Guilting me won't work” Saeko smiled cheekily, “but my family's doing fine. Nii-san is doing very well even if he has a distaste for politics. Many of my clansmen are in law-enforcement but Itachi-nii still managed us to get more popular than during out father's reign.”

“You admire your brother very much” Lauren observed with a soft smile, Saeko beamed and nodded. “I kind of wish I had a sibling too” the Slytherin said tad sadly.

Saeko wasn't really sure what to say. She briefly contemplated some cliché like 'you can make your own family' and things like that, but Lauren seemed only close to Isolde and Alexia and it still didn't scream of friendship for life. Finally she settled on “He's the best.”

“Sure sounds like it. Well, I better go. Or rather you better go, you really need that shower” Lauren forced a smirk.

“Hn” Saeko replied for lack of better thing to say. The red-head shook her head with smile and waved in goodbye. “Hey Lauren! Are you a member of any clubs here at Hogwarts?”

“Like what? Gobstones?” the Slytherin scoffed. “Or form a choir?” she snorted.

“Nevermind”


	65. 4- 65 To Arms!

**History of Magic Classroom**

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” Ashley said as she sat down at her table and closed her eyes.

“It's not _that_ bad” Saeko smirked at her friend.

Helena shrugged “Sure, if you are thinking of this class as a free period.”

“Which I am” the Uchiha smiled and unsealed a book.

“There you go” Helena said sweetly as she turned back to Ashley.

The small brunette sighed “I weep for our futures.”

“Don't be so dramatic, we have to read up on history to pass the exams after all. We are not deprived in this subject” the blonde rolled her eyes, “Now be a good girl, sit down and stop whining.”

“Yes, mom” Ashley mumbled but obeyed. Saeko snickered.

Professor Binns choose this moment to glide though the blackboard “Good afternoon, students. Today we will be discussing the goblin warlord Khuk the Ugly…”

“Ugh” the class exclaimed in unison and was completely ignored by the ghost.

As the professor started his lecture the students settled in their routines – Helena was doing her manicure, Daniel was reading yet another mystery novel, Caitlin and Graham were playing hangman. Some Slytherins decided to read the newspaper, Lauren included, and the rest settled into their afternoon nap or were reading a book. The precious few were doing homework for another class.

Spotting the dust under the windowsill Saeko decided on a fuuton exercise. She slid from her chair to grab a handful, careful to dismiss the more disgusting elements, quite grateful for her habit of wearing gloves. As she settled back into her spot she cast a glance around but nobody seemed to care, especially Binns. Saeko had a fleeting thought that even if she were to dance on her desk he would probably still ignore her.

Soon enough she had a small dust twister was hovering over her upturned palm. As she watched the grains dance in the breeze she was reminded of Naruto. Well, the rasengan and then the blond menace.

Saeko hummed and ceased to pump chakra into the vortex and let the dust fall back on the ground. Instead she unsealed a blank parchment and started writing a letter to her rival to the Hokage hat.

She was in the middle of writing a letter to Yuuko, when a scrunched up paper landed on her desk. Saeko sighed, getting mail from Slytherins just before a quidditch match was always so much fun. Especially from Cassius Daly, one of Kerr's posse. And sure it was a threatening note.

“What did you get?” Graham said sharply, brow creased in worry.

Saeko smiled brilliantly and decided to have her fun “A love letter. Thank you Cassius, but you're not really my type. I appreciate the sentiment though. Especially the poem.”

Daly spluttered and went red as a lobster in both rage and embarrassment. His friends seemed torn between laughing and dishing out payback.

Graham's eyes lit up “Oooh, I feel for you Daly. Love hurts, man.”

“Don't worry, there are plenty fish in the sea” Paddy said mournfully, not bothering to keep his smirk off his face.

“ _For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,  
Brightly expressive as the twins of Leda_ ,” Saeko intoned, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

The Ravenclaws snickered.

Helena's eyes shot up from her work, recognizing Edgar Allan Poe “May I?”

Saeko obliged. The blonde pretended to read and continued reciting the poem from memory

“ _Shall find her own sweet name, that nestling lies_  
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.  
Search narrowly the lines!- they hold a treasure  
Divine- a talisman- an amulet  
That must be worn at heart. Search well the measure-  
The words- the syllables! Do not forget“

The Ravens erupted in laughter. Peter cat-called “Damn, Daly! That is great. I didn't know you were such a poet.”

Caitlin began clapping. Graham and Paddy soon followed. Then the dam broke and all the fourth year Ravenclaws gave a grand applause. And that was even before the guys stood up for a standing ovation.”

“What is happening?” professor Binns exclaimed with a surprisingly strong voice.

“We are just applauding the tactic the goblin general Grigahh used in the battle of Shadowstone. Truly remarkable” Ashley utilized her historical knowledge.

“Oh” the ghost nodded, “It was quite novel, but I would prefer if you calmed down. Besides, it only gets better. Now, as I said, general Grigahh decided on…”

The Ravens obediently sat down but their grins stayed firmly in place. Saeko winked at Cassius Daly, folded the threatening note and blew him a kiss.

“We gotta spread this” Caitlin whispered to Graham. He grinned.

* * *

**Great Hall**

The Ravenclaw quidditch team decided to meet after breakfast, instead eating with their respective friends. Saeko's only instruction was to eat light and not to dally. Oh, and being wary of Slytherin fans was a given.

“So ready for today?” Peter asked while spooning up his oatmeal.

Saeko rolled her eyes “You know we train pretty much all year round, right? Almost twice as much before a match.”

“I can testify to that” Caitlin shivered, remembering the pain from the aforementioned training sessions.

The Uchiha smirked in satisfaction “And I already had this conversation with Jamie just a little while ago, so please change the topic.”

“No can do” Graham chimed in, “it's pretty much the only thing everybody will talk about today.”

Caitlin nodded sagely “He's right. What else should we be excited about? The new potions homework?”

“Hn”

“Oh and Leroy told me to tell you that 'you better kick the Snake's ass'” the Irish girl relayed.

“You're still seeing him?”

“We are… talking” Caitlin shrugged.

“Uh-huh” Saeko smirked.

“That's not what it means” the red-head shook her head with a laugh.

Saeko pouted “Then what does it mean?”

Caitlin shrugged and stayed silent. Since she seemed resolute not to share Graham picked up the slack “So guess who is having a date for the match?”

“I dunno, Daniel?” Caitlin said sweetly.

The bespectacled boy smirked “Not me, but maybe Paddy?”

“Guys!!”

“Sorry, your face was hilarious. So who is she?” Caitlin asked.

Graham gave them a reproaching glare but then he puffed up proudly “Myra Allen.”

Saeko's head shot up from her breakfast “The annoyingly perky Gryffindor in our year? I met her on the train in the first ride over.”

“Really? I was actually stuck with Graham here. And your pal from Slytherin” Caitlin shared.

“Cool. I was with Helena and… A propos, where is the rest?” Saeko started but was interrupted by Graham

 “Hey! Who cares! Be in awe of me and congratulate me!” Graham demanded with a pout.

Daniel, Caitlin and Saeko chorused “Oooooooooh.”

“Good job mate!”

“Way to go!”

“Congrats!”

Graham sighed “You killed it. I'm outta here.”

As he went away the other three Ravens high-fived. Saeko grinned “I meant it though, where is the rest?”

“I know Helena is reading upstairs so she doesn't get caught up in all this quidditch rubbish. And yes, that was a quote” Daniel tapped his chin, “And I'm not sure about the rest.”

The Uchiha shrugged “Well, I don't really care, I have to go. I'll see you at the victory party.”

“I sure hope so. The victory part I mean”

“Pshh” Saeko waved it off, “We got a standing plan B if things happen to go sour.”

“Oh?”

The ninja grinned widely “It involves the opposing seeker, blood and violence.”

“Oh”

X

“Cold but not unbearably so, overcast” Saeko mused.

“I like it” Frost hummed as he came to stand beside his captain.

Wayne joined them “How's the turnout?”

“Actually most people seem to have joined the emerald squad”

“Whaaaat?” Wayne exclaimed and went to look.

Frost shrugged “It seems people are a bit fed up with us winning all the time.”

“It's half and half. We got Gryffs on our side and they got the Puffs” Frost corrected.

 “Let me guess, 'it's not fair you win all the time'” Cameron put on a mocking falsetto voice, “Fucking Badgers” he finished normally.

Rory chimed in “It's not like it matters, we're going to in anyway.”

“Yeah” James sighed, “With just a small detour to the infirmary to get healed all those bruises. I hate playing the Snakes.”

“But utterly destroying them is fun, isn't it?” Saeko said sweetly.

“Yeah” the rest of the team chorused dreamily.

“So let's do it!”

“YEAH!”

The wait was not long and Lee Jordan, the commentator, called the Ravenclaw players to the field. It was decided that this time they would simply walk, no added theatrics or effect. Well, if you discount arrogant swagger and looking mean.

“Good morning Flint, I see you didn't get your teeth fixed from the last time. Oh wait, that’s how it always looked” the Uchiha trash talked.

The Slytherin growled “We're going to end you!”

 “Hm, I'm sorry?” Saeko pulled a flawless Kakashi.

Madame Hooch rolled her eyes “Ok, alright, shake hands. And remember, I want a clean game.”

Both quidditch captains made a face and resisted snorting. _Clean game, yeah, right._

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko smiled as she finished writing into her 'mahoujutsu' scroll which was coming along rather nicely. Three years in this place and she already amassed enough techniques that she could theoretically found a whole new village or clan. Even yesterday's charm had been a wonderful addiction to the still growing jutsu library.

As she stood up and stretched her legs she decided to go see what her friends had been up to.

She was still only on the first floor of the Ravenclaw Tower but she could already tell the Common Room was quite full and very animated.

Swiftly descending the last few stairs she was met by quite a sight. Sure, most of the Ravens were sitting on the sofas and on the ground by the fire like usual but the others were parched atop various pieces of furniture, se jumping from their various perches onto others. The Uchiha was also surprised the majority of the weirdoes were sixth and seventh years.

The ninja chuckled as she made that final step into the large space when a voice shouted “STOP!”

“Why?” asked the bewildered Saeko.

“The floor is lava” Rory, one of her chasers, replied with a huge grin.

Saeko actually looked down, one could never really tell with magic and all. But alas both the wooden floor and carpet were perfectly intact and harmless.

Rory and his friends began to giggle, soon followed by their classmates. Saeko just chuckled again and shook her head. She made her way towards her friends who were enjoying the spectacles of hopping upperclassmen.

“What is that?” Saeko asked.

Helena pursed her lips and answered “Apparently 'tis a muggle children's game. Personally I just think the pressure of NEWTs was too much and they cracked.”

The group chuckled at the dry delivery. Graham gently elbowed the blonde “It's actually quite fun.”

“How do you even know it?” the Grey heiress inquired. Graham just shrugged.

Saeko smiled, enjoying the easy banter. She settled into the sofa next to Ashley who was gracious enough to scoot up and set to watch the show. “Oh, shit!”

“What is it?” her roommate asked, her eyes never leaving a sixth year who was balancing on one leg on the fireplace arch.

“The brunette, four o'clock”

”Yes?”

Helena looked as well “It's that slut Saeko slept after the victory party.”

“Oh, yeah. Her” Ash shrugged.

“I thought you said you are slowing down with sleeping around” Caitlin said nonchalantly.

“However foolish decision that might've been” Graham muttered and was ignored.

Saeko shrugged “I'm. But that was a victory party. Victory! I thought I would celebrate.”

“Sure, whatever floats your boat”

“I sense judgment” the ninja said grumpily.

“Because I am judging you” Helena said with a sweet smile, “So what's up with her?”

Saeko squirmed uncomfortably “She's a bit creepy.”

Helena's eyes glinted “Creepy how?”

“I seem to run into her everywhere.”

“I bet you…” Graham started, earning a glare from the ninja “No innuendos please! This is serious.”

“You mean like she's following you around? Like a stalker?” Ash said with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah”

The blonde pureblood burst into laughter. One that didn't seem to cease. Saeko huffed “It's not funny. A tiny bit flattering, but still creepy and not funny in the least.”

“If you say so” Helena said, finally calmed down enough to merely chuckle.

“ _Kuso_! She's coming over here! Hide me!” the ninja said and covered her eyes in exasperation.

“Yeah, I tried that trick when I was three. It didn't work” Peter said in a serious manner. The group broke into snickers.

“Hilarious. Seriously though, help me!” Saeko hissed. She was met by several amused looks and shakes of head. Helena mouthed ' _karma_ '.

The ninja quickly calculated the distance and decided to plead one more time “Come on, it's not that hard. Try ' I’m Daniel and I’ll be your distraction! '” The boy in question flipped her off.

“Hello Saeko” the stalkery brunette said dreamily when she approached the group. The Uchiha put on a reasonably believable smile and stood up.

The two girls left to speak privately and the eyes of the little poker group followed them. Ashley sighed “She should be careful, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned after all.”

“This isn't going to end well” Daniel said worriedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I know you guys wanted a big quidditch match, but it just wouldn't come. Sorry... I'll make it up to you during the Gryff/Raven match. Scout's honor :-)


	66. 4- 66 Nowhere to Hide

“You've got a shadow” Daniel said tiredly as he looked up from his breakfast.

“I know” Saeko gritted her teeth and sat beside him.

Helena pursed her lips “This has been going on long enough. Lose her.”

“It's not that simple” the Uchiha sighed in frustration, “I spoke to her already. When she approached me the morning after I told her I don't wish to date and she said she understood.  Next time I look over my shoulder, there she is again. So I talk to her again and she is perfectly reasonable but it still changed nothing.”

“Maybe take it up to Flitwick?” Daniel proposed.

The blonde pureblood shrugged “She isn't really doing anything. Let's see how it turns out. My guess she will tire of it soon enough.”

“You think?” Saeko asked hopefully.

“Or maybe she will not. She will stalk your every move and eventually she will kidnap you, hide you in the dungeons, keep you in chains and then finally kill you and herself to be together forever” Helena said nonchalantly.

Both Saeko and Daniel looked at their friend utterly shocked. Helena just smirked “Just joking.”

“I'm scared” Daniel stage whispered to the ninja. Saeko just nodded, still looking at the blonde quite impressed. She always knew Helena was T&I material.

“Who died?” Ashley asked cheerily as she and Peter sat down to breakfast.

Saeko and Daniel snorted. The boy shook his head “Bad wording.”

“Oookay?” Ash shrugged, “What's up?”

“Danielle the stalker”

Peter looked around “Still at it, huh?”

“Yep”

Saeko sighed “Let's just eat.”

Ashley shook her head, now positively horrified “NO! We have to talk. About something. Anything!”

“Why?” Daniel asked, bewildered.

Helena just rolled her eyes “I knew this day would come, everybody went crazy.”

“No, I just have a tune in my head and I can't get it out. I feel I'm on the verge of humming it since the moment I woke up. It's awful” the small brunette shivered.

“What song it is?” Saeko asked.

“I WAS TRYING TO FORGET IT!”

“Oops” the ninja shrugged.

Peter snorted “It's the one from the stupid radio commercial for that cleaning solution, the one that goes…”

The boy nearly gets tackled off the bench by his childhood friend who looked positively rabid. Helena smirked and began humming.

“Bitch” Ashley breathed out and sagged in her seat in resignation. The blonde shrugged unapologetically.

“Look, the mail” Daniel tried to divert their attention.

“Sweet, I wanted to check the quidditch league results!” Graham arrived just in time, closely followed by Paddy and Caitlin.

Several owls dropped their letters in front of the fourth year Ravenclaws, a crow amongst them. Before Saeko could get to her scroll a loud whine emanated from Paddy.

When the boy just continued reading Helena prompted “Patrick?”

“Hm?”

The whole poker group looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Oh, yeah well. My older sister is getting married. She's a control freak even on a normal day, but with a wedding to organize… This will be a nightmare!”

“Sounds about right” Caitlin nodded sagely, “A cousin of mine is the same. The muggles have a term for this – bridezilla.”

Patrick snorted “Seems appropriate.”

“Why? What does it mean?” Graham asked.

Ashley and Peter jumped in to help the pureblood get the muggle reference. Saeko listened with interest until she noticed one of her letters was from Ino, not someone who usually wrote. The ninja immediately opened the letter, afraid for Shikamaru.

After reading the first few sentences Saeko sighed in relief, Shika was safe. On the other hand Ino's gossip sense flared up when she overheard her father talk to Yuuko at T&I about Saeko. And now she was flat out asking if Saeko was sleeping with her favorite cousin. Joy.

“Stop it!” Ash kicked Saeko under the table.

The scarred teen looked up “I beg your pardon?”

“You were humming” Ashley said in distaste, making it absolutely clear as to what was being hummed.

“Sorry” Saeko shrugged, she didn't even realize.

Caitlin lit up “That was from the cleaning commercial on the radio, right?”

“I love it, it's really catchy” Paddy chimed in.

Graham began humming as well “Man, that’s going to be in my head all day.”

“Ugh!” Ash banged her head onto the table.

* * *

**Infirmary**

“Yo”

To the ninja's surprise Lauren didn't even blink “Hello Uchiha.”

Saeko pouted “I told you to call me by name, I do it.”

“Wouldn't go well with my cold bitch persona” the Slytherin smirked.

Saeko couldn't help laughing, this was a good one, she would remember it. Lauren looked over her shoulder to check the entrance to the infirmary “Where's your puppy?”

“Puppy?” the brunette asked even if she had an inkling.

“The girl that started to follow you around on occasion and stares at you as the second coming of Merlin” the snake said in mild disgust.

“Hn”

“Eloquent”

“Hn. I managed to ditch her” Saeko sighed, “So, what's new? Where is Madame Pomfrey?”

Lauren smiled genuinely “She left me in charge while she's out for a bit.”

“Wow, that's big” the brunette said, impressed, “So you could actually heal the usual stuff that comes here?”

“Yes. Madame Pomfrey was very gracious with her knowledge. And of course I have plenty of books on the subject” Lauren boasted.

Saeko hummed “Hey, how come Pomfrey can teach you without your NEWTs?”

The red-head smirked “She doesn't teach me, she gives me tips.”

“Ah” the ninja chuckled, gotta love technicalities, “By any chance do you know which House she used to be in?”

“My own, naturally” the Slytherin's smirk deepened.

“Ha! That wins me a bet!”

“Grey's doing I believe”

“Who else” Saeko shrugged, “You got someone similar?”

 “A fifth year, McBride. He actually set up a room in the Dungeon dedicated to card games. Boys only” Lauren pursed her lips.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Figures.”

“So what brought you here? I see no visible injury and you seem ok” the Snake observed.

The Uchiha arched an eyebrow and folded her arms “Shouldn't that be the first question a medic asks?”

“You're tough, you could take it” Lauren shrugged, “And don't deflect.”

“I needed to lose the puppy”

“So you ran here?” Lauren snickered.

“I walked” Saeko shrugged.

“I take back the toughness comment” the pureblood laughed, “I could change it to heartbreaker, although that still doesn't explain why you got her following you around.”

Saeko shrugged, her Uchiha mask up. Lauren sighed as well “Come on, tell me.”

“It's nothing, she's only a bit cray cray.”

“Don't make me say please. I'm curious. Or I can start guessing” the red-head prompted. When the Raven still said nothing Lauren tapped her chin in thought.

“Just leave it, it will pass”

The Brit sighed “Alright. You're not fun.”

Saeko refrained from comments like 'that's not what she said', instead she asked “So what do you do for fun? We always talk politics, our families or runes.”

Lauren seemed to ponder that for a moment “I like muggle kung fu films.”

“Oh? How come? Purebloods usually don't follow anything muggle. I must confess I know nothing about them” the ninja blinked in surprise.

“My father liked them” was the simple reply.

Something told Saeko not to pry further so instead she said “Well, I don't know any kung fu but I do know several martial arts.”

“I heard” Lauren nodded. After a beat of silence she exclaimed “Look at us! Someone might even think we are friends!”

“You aren't?” Madame Pomfrey said as she strode into her domain and straight to her desk.

“Sure we are” Saeko said chipperly, “Good afternoon, Madame Pomfrey.”

The woman nodded “Yes. Now miss Uchiha, are you injured? Sick?”

“I came for the company”

“More like for the absence of company” the red-head smirked.

Pomfrey made a shooing motion with her hand “If you don't need a healer's attention the please go, I need miss Lewis for a bit.”

“Very well” Saeko sighed and stopped leaning on one of the hospital beds, “Bye, gals!”

Lauren nodded while the nurse returned to her papers. As the ninja was leaving the infirmary she noticed the elder woman began whistling softly.

Saeko had to grin, that fucking tune sure was infectious.

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

Saeko was thoroughly imitating Shika by apparently sleeping in her seat so she could avoid the 'troublesome' argument one row behind her. Apparently Graham and Paddy got married when she wasn't paying attention.

“So I forgot, sue me!” Graham exclaimed.

Paddy poked his friend on his chest “But not for the first time! We made plans and you stood me up.”

Everybody in hearing distance smirked at the wording but continued to play the uninterested card.

“I'm sorry!”

“I get it you're dating now, but you ditched your friends” the Irish boy accused.

“Don't drag Myra into this!”

“Oh, please, like she's not already involved”

“You…”

Professor Flitwick strode into the room and ordered “Settle down!”

Graham and Patrick glared at each other one more time but both shut up. The rest of the fourth year Ravens sighed in relief and opened their books.

“Alright class, let's try something new. Read up the introduction to chapter 35 and let me know what do you think about it” the teacher instructed.

“Nice!” one of the Ravenclaws exclaimed.

“We think it's awesome” another chuckled.

Flitwick shook his head with a smile “Let me guess, you read ahead.”

The Ravens nodded eagerly while the Puffs rolled their eyes and started on Banishing.

Once the students started fidgeting, a clear signal of having finished reading, Flitwick began his lecture in the fullest. Graham and Paddy continued their argument silently, shooting glares at each other, much to everybody's annoyance. Saeko wasn't in the mood to participate, she already was quite confident in the matter at hand and her Housemates would manage to score points on their own.

Instead she took up a scroll she had been given by a distant cousin of hers, he was a tantō user like herself and hoped to invent a kenjutsu style for it. It was not that often an Uchiha tried to create something original in place of merely copying with their sharingan.

Between her kenjutsu studies, purely theoretical if you discount using a quill to mimic some of the grips and slashes, and casting the spell every time it was needed, the class passed quite fast.

When the bell rang Flitwick holstered his wand and with a smile he dismissed the class. “And please try to practice, I can safely say that both summoning and banishing will be one of the things asked in the Charms OWLs” he finished.

The students stood up, talking between themselves, mostly about the new charm an all the possibilities that came with it, some were rushing to their dorms for some thing or other. And a few were still plagued by the tune, now dubbed 'the forbidden and addictive Thing'. The Brits really had no talent in naming things, one other example being The-Boy-Who-Lived. Well… Jiraiya had some stories about the Yondaime and his naming skills – who knew the big hero Namikaze Minato was the leader of 'The Village with Stupendously Fantastic Beautiful People Who Live in the Emerald Trees'. Apparently the rasengan was even more hilarious and the actual name was given it by the sage himself.

“Miss Uchiha, if you could stay behind?” Flitwick called. Saeko blinked in confusion but obliged.

When everybody was out the professor approached the ninja who sat down in the front row “I understand you had a small problem regarding a fellow Raven, Danielle Latham?”

Before Saeko could protest or explain the teacher held up her hand and continued speaking “I talked to her. She will follow you no more.”

“Sir” Saeko just nodded even if she was dying to ask for more details.

Flitwick sighed “I don't usually interfere in personal matters of the students unless there is serious cause. Still, we talked things over and the matter should be resolved.”

Saeko shot the man semi-grateful look.

“Also, I'm aware that is not my business, but I would appreciate if you toned down your… womanizing ways. Japan might be more liberal about this but here in Britain, among the magical society I mean, are things tad bit restrained.”

“I understand”

“Good, I would prefer not having another student in tears because the woman who, and I quote 'opened her eyes to her being a witches witch' doesn't reciprocate her feelings.”

“Oh”

“Indeed. Also consider that you might be quite mature for your age but others might not” Flitwick pressed on.

Saeko nodded “Avoid teenage drama, I get it.”

The Charms Master regarded his student for a beat and then nodded as well “That'd be best.”

“Aye”


	67. 4- 67 See It Coming

**Hogsmeade**

“Helena couldn't be bothered by fresh air?” Daniel said as he saw Saeko and Ashley approach.

The smaller brunette shrugged “She said she could always open a window.”

“You here alone?” Saeko asked.

Daniel shrugged “Graham is on a date, so is Caitlin. Paddy is with some Hufflepuff friends of his from Muggle Studies and I think the rest of the Ravens stayed at the Tower.”

“And you?”

“I decided to take a walk. Maybe look for some new books” the boy held up his new purchases, “Oh and I think I saw your ex.”

“Faith?”

“Yup, I'm sorry to report she is on a date as well” he said sadly.

“Hn”

Ashley looked around “Who?”

“Some fellow Puff girl” was the report, “Saeko is much prettier.”

The Uchiha in question chuckled “Thanks. So, now that you have your books do you have any plans? Cause me and Ash came only because we were bored at the Castle.”

“We could get something to eat at Rosmerta's” Daniel shrugged.

Ash hummed “I could eat.”

The Uchiha pondered it for a while – she was a little bit peckish but she was suddenly craving dango. A very tempting idea wormed her way into the ninja's mind. Then again, hopping in Konoha and back would not be that crazy. Even if only for takeout.

“Saeko?” Ashley said in concern.

“You know what, I think I'll pass. I'll see you at the Castle” Saeko said and with a grin she hurried in the direction of the shrieking shack, leaving her bewildered friends behind.

The procedure was rather complicated but twenty minutes later Saeko was standing before her brother in the Uchiha compound. Itachi was in his ANBU armor, clearly just off duty. He arched an eyebrow and asked “What is the emergency?”

“I never said it was an emergency” Saeko clarified.

“But surely it must be since you are here” the Uchiha lord said dryly.

Saeko rubbed the back of her neck “Weeeell, there is no emergency. We had a day off and the mission is still well underway. So I decided to pop in Konoha for a spell.”

“Unprofessional”

The girl hung her head, entirely aware of the fact.

“See that is doesn't happen again” Itachi sighed. At his sister's nod he continued “But I'm glad to see you, our platoon is really busy right now. I'm sorry about the spars.”

“I understand you can't make it every week, between your duties to the village and to the clan…” Saeko trailed out, “You are a wonderful brother, you know.”

Itachi stoic expression never wavered but his eyes sparkled in happiness “Good to know. Now, do whatever you came to Konoha to do and try to be on the down low.”

“That means I should change, huh” Saeko mused when her brother left the room.

After putting on the traditional Uchiha garb Saeko made her way though her clan's district. She enjoyed being at Hogwarts a great deal but nothing could beat home - the smell, the sights, the faint shouts of 'youth' in the distance…

“Saeko-sama!”

The scarred jounin turned and smiled “Misaki-san! How are you?”

“Like always” the woman smiled back, “The kids keep me busy.”

Saeko looked past Misaki at the yard where four boys between the ages eleven and ten were training. Those almost genin were a far cry from the pasty-looking, weak Brits that came to be sorted at Hogwarts. “They are looking good.”

Misaki grinned and invited Saeko to lunch. The girl hesitated, because dangō, but Misaki's cooking was renown. Besides, Saeko liked the woman – she was a civilian, never awoke her sharingan, and she took care of the children whose parents were in Fugaku's council. Orphans, that is.

As Saeko was scarfing down her huge lunch the matron updated her on Uchiha matters and gossip. And, naturally, the progress of both her children and her charges. As a bonus the jounin had to endure a slight guilt trip about her lack of training tips.

The best part though was the fishing expedition on the future Mrs. Itachi Uchiha. If the food wasn't just _that_ excellent Saeko would be annoyed. As it was she dutifully answered the questions about Mihane and gave the couple her blessing. It seemed like a big deal after the concerns about the potential of the future Uchiha heir voiced by some clansmen. Even with Fugaku gone the clan's policy was quite predictable.

“Well, I'm afraid I have to go” Saeko said in fear the next topic in line would be her own love life, “Thank you for the food, it was delicious as always.”

Misaki nodded with a smirk, fully aware of the girl's reasoning “Of course. Please come by soon.”

“Of course” the teen nodded with a smile and took off hastily.

Looking at the sky to gauge the time Saeko decided to take a quick tour of the shops in her Clan's district. She was especially interested in any treats she could bring back to Hogwarts with her. And some dango to snack on later, even after the delicious meal she was in the mood for them.

“Still here?”

Saeko chuckled “You sure make a girl feel welcome, niisan.”

“Hn”

“Alright, I'm going, I'm going” the girl sighed, “I'm done shopping anyway. Mochi?”

Itachi looked torn between his role as the stoic Uchiha Lord and his sweet tooth. Finally he took the offered rice cake. At his sister's smirk he said “Just go.”

“Yeah, yeah”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

The room was quite full, the ever studious Ravens had realized the exams were approaching and were pouring over books, never mind April hasn't ended yet. The professors seemed to share this state of mind and piled up homework for every year, especially the fifth and seventh ones.

Since professor Kettleburn blew himself up again, or something along those lines, his Ravens returned to their Nest and joined their housemates in self-study. The rest of the fourth years joined the Care group after the bell rang.

Only when the sky turned red the students began to stand up from their lairs full of books and study material. In the fourth year group Paddy was the first to close his book for Muggle Studies and gingerly stretch his legs. He was quickly followed suit by all his friends.

Nobody spoke, all of them rather tired. Finally Saeko broke the silence “Dinner?”

“Sounds good” Graham said eagerly.

It seemed the entirety of the Ravenclaw House had the same idea. The Raven procession made its way into the Great Hall. Their appearance gave credit to all the bookish and studious stereotypes the other Houses were fond of recounting. Their hasty exit only reinforced this notion.

Only when the blue-tied students returned into their Common Room they became more animated and finally traded study for play.

Helena and Saeko settled into a game of chess while the rest of their little group of friends decided on Exploding Snap. The ninja was even nice enough to share a small bottle from her hidden stash of Konoha alcohol - they deserved it and she was too tired to resist the puppy-dog eyed expressions.

“Goddammit!” Peter exclaimed after a particularly loud explosion, “Ok, I'm out!”

“Come on” Caitlin rolled her eyes, “It's just a little burn.”

The boy scoffed “I don't want to end up like Kettleburn, I know when to quit.”

Ashley chuckled “I don't know, a peg leg might suit you.”

“Pass”

“Why? I could use that for my Divination homework” Graham grinned.

Caitlin nodded vigorously “Yeah, Trelawney would love that!”

“Totally! I would get an Outstanding for sure” Graham said excitedly and was awarded by a frosty glare, courtesy of Peter.

Helena rolled her eyes and moved her bishop piece. Saeko was more interested in the conversation “What kind of homework is that? Predicting classmate's futures?”

“Yup. Tarot cards”

The jounin hummed and toyed with her queen piece “So let's hear it.”

“Huh?” was Graham's eloquent reply.

“Aaah” Caitlin said in a deep and wise voice, “the young lady wants to know what will happen next. Maybe a dark eyed beauty to love or a successful job? Let's find out. Graham, fetch the cards.”

The boy sighed at being the assistant but replied “At once, Mama C.”

Everybody chuckled at his choice of address. While Graham was searching for the tarot cards upstairs in his room Caitlin took one of the blankets from a nearby sofa and draped it over herself. Helena shook her head at her friends' attempt to look more mysterious but offered “Do you want some smoke? I could channel it from the fireplace.”

“Oh, yes. See to it” the red-head said imperiously.

With the smoke, the darkness mitigated only by the light of the fire the atmosphere was ideal for Mama C to work. When Graham came jogging down the stairs he bowed and presented the tarot cards. Caitlin took them with a nod and started shuffling. Then she looked at Saeko and said in a raspy voice “Come here, girl, let's take a peek at your future.”

After doing the spread Caitlin frowned in mock concentration “Aaah, my dear girl, you need to be careful - I see a woman, a beautiful woman but with a wicked heart. After the messy breakup you will decide to become a hermit and seek enlightenment. You will live in the desert, a nice hut built with your own two hands. With the heat and the cactus juice the hallucinations will come. Thinking you found god you will return triumphant back to society and found a religion. You will live as a priest until the day you die of natural causes.”

Saeko gasped theatrically “A priest? I hope not a celibate one!”

The group chuckled and shook their head with smiles on their lips. Paddy smirked “You can do better, _Mama C_.”

“The mister is next then” the Irish girl grinned and reshuffled her cards. “Aaah,” she started, “I see a great love, a love between a man and his sheep.”

Patrick spluttered while the rest laughed. Caitlin ignored her friend's protests and continued “After a few months of happiness with your fluffy girlfriend tragedy strikes - a plague washes over the land and Matilda dies with her herd.”

“Matilda?” Paddy exhaled in disbelief. Ashley shushed him.

“Drinking your grief away at Hog's Head you get recognized as Dumbledore's long lost grandson. Confused and angry you flee into the countryside but alas fate strikes again. This time in the form of a vampire coven which decided you would be a marvelous sex slave.”

“Wha-?”

“Kidnapped, chained but never bitten you manage to escape month later. You will write a book on the experience which becomes a bestseller. Filthy rich but known to have a vampiric STD you spend your days as a muggle movie director of B rated horror films. You die alone in a mansion in Wiltshire.”

The group fell into an appreciative silence at Caitlin's convoluted, if depressing, story. Even the unfortunate victim of her prediction had to give her an O for effort. “Forewarned, huh” Paddy shook his head.

Graham shrugged “Now do me!”

Helena snorted in laughter, as did Saeko. The rest of the group was not far behind. Graham turned beet red “Get your minds out of the gutter! Now continue!”

“Aaaah,” Caitlin started anew.

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Tell me it isn't true” Paddy sat down heavily at the Ravenclaw table.

“It isn't true” Saeko replied dryly. The boy sighed in relief, smile on his face up to the moment when Saeko asked “What is?”

Dramatically near tears Patrick explained “I heard a Gryff in Muggle studies tell that the Weasleys declared a prank war on Peeves.”

“I always thought they were barmy” Helena remarked. All ravens nodded solemnly.

“We haven't really seen any pranks and Leroy said the same. I guess they are planning the war or it was only an idea. I sure hope it was a purely theoretical debate” Caitlin remarked.

Graham chuckled “Amen sister”

“We did have a suspiciously calm April Fools” Saeko hummed.

“Relatively” Ash agreed.

Pater sighed “You think they want to compensate?”

“Could be, I have no insight into their twin madness” the small brunette replied.

Helena looked up from her book with a cruel smirk “I think the greatest prank ever would be if we managed to exorcise Peeves.”

Everybody fell silent, looking at the blonde in various stages of disbelief. Finally Ashley spoke up “I think Binns would be a better target.”

“Ash!” Peter admonished his childhood friend.

“What? We all know he's utterly useless” the girl defended.

Pater crossed his arms on his chest “He is still a living being.”

“Debatable” Helena said airily.

“You know what I mean, it would border on murder” the boy turned to face the blonde.

“Again, debatable”

Patrick took his friend's side “Shush, you. It still is putting someone sentient into non-existence”

“Very nicely put” Saeko was impressed.

“Really, I would've thought you would be the first to join the exorcist squad” Peter sniped.

“I don't really care either way to be honest. Besides I only said I liked Peter's phrasing” the sharingan user shrugged.

“Out of curiosity, would it be illegal?” Daniel asked.

“An exorcism? I don't know” Caitlin pondered.

“I don't know either, but I would guess no” Helena mused, “The British government is quite consistent in privileging only human magicals. Creatures, half-humans and so on have very little rights. I would imagine ghosts fall into that category.”

“True” Daniel agreed.

Graham shot a look at the professors' table “The groundskeeper, Hagrid, is part giant, right? I mean he must be.”

“Yeah” Paddy looked as well.

“How did that work? Is his mother…” Graham started.

“No! I don't want to think about it! Not now not ever!” Caitlin sat up in her seat, terrified.

Ash rubbed her forehead “Haah! I'm thinking about it!”

“Change the subject, change the subject!” Daniel joined the drama circle.

“What a nice day today” Saeko hummed.

Caitlin arched her eyebrows “Really, the weather?!”

“Quidditch then?”

“Pass”

“Soo, Saeko, I need a wingman” Paddy mercifully changed the subject.

“A what now?” the nin frowned.

Helena pursed her lips “He needs help with a girl.”

“I'm perfectly fine with girls, thank you very much” Patrick said indignantly.

“Do you have someone particular in mind?” Saeko interrupted.

“No”

The Uchiha arched her eyebrow. Caitlin chuckled “At least it's not…”

Paddy cleared his throat to shut her up. No matter, everybody knew about his slight embarrassment with his crush during Valentine’s Day.

Daniel pointed at one lone raven gliding towards the Ravenclaw table “Mail at lunch?”

Saeko frowned and looked up as well “Seems so.”

Zake landed on the ninja's shoulder and cawed. The Uchiha hopped up from her seat and made her way to the closest corner she could speak with her summon in private.

A minute later she banged the back of her head into the wall and whined “A dragon egg?”

“Yup” the raven seemed to chuckle.

“Three years of perfect boredom by Konoha standards and now this? I want my holidays back”

“Sorry”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I felt Saeko deserved a little break :-) Especially since canon comes knocking the next chapter.


	68. 4- 68 Yup, That´s a Dragon

**Library**

Saeko was pissed as she stalked among the shelves on Care of Magical creatures looking for books on dragons. She was researching the creatures to know approximately when that fucker was going to hatch. So far she determined that Hagrid's future pet was a Norwegian Ridgeback - joy of joys, it was one of the most dangerous ones.

“New interest?”

The ninja turned to see her former quidditch captain with a pile of five books in her arms. “Sure, let's go with that” Saeko sighed, “What about you, what got you out of your lair? I haven't seen you around for at least a month. The Team and I were considering an intervention.”

Jamie chuckled and shook her head “That's sweet. I was just so busy. Hell, I'm still. NEWTs are nearly here.”

“You seem rather calm” the Uchiha said a bit suspiciously.

“I just returned from Flitwick's, he really soothed my nerves” Jamie smiled.

Saeko nodded “He really is wonderful. We really lucked out. I don't know about professor Sprout but I can hardly see McGonagall and Snape serving tea and cookies and listening to their student's woes.”

Jamie began to laugh “I just pictured Snape trying to smile!”

“That would be really something” the brunette laughed as well.

Still laughing the two girls made their way to one of the last unoccupied tables and sat down. They calmed down when Madame Pince leveled her glare at them.

“So, how are things with Chloe? I imagine you made more time for your girlfriend than us, your good friends” Saeko said in reprimand.

Jamie sighed “Actually, yes. Thank Merlin she's a seventh year as well, a studious one too, or I might find myself dumped. We study together on occasion but she seems to understand Ravenclaw nerdiness.”

“I knew she was a keeper” the beater said warmly, “It looks like the relationship could last outside Hogwarts too.”

“I hope so” the blonde smiled dreamily.

Saeko grinned “Aww, our Jamie is in love.”

“She is” the seventh year said firmly and sought to change the subject, “What about you? I heard nothing from the rumor mill.”

The Uchiha shrugged “Hn.”

Jamie laughed “Ha! I missed that.”

“Hn” the ninja smiled.

“Well, I need to get back to it” Jamie sighed and collected her books.

Saeko grabbed her wrist “Come on, you still have time and I'm sure you already read everything over at least once. You've been MIA for ages.”

The former chaser hesitated but then acquiesced “Just you wait, next year you've got OLWs.”

“Yeah, I'm not looking forward to it. Michelle, Helena's roommate, will go completely nuts and Helena will go crazy from her. Her being irritated will transfer to all our friends which means at least two months of hell.”

“Sounds about right” Jamie chuckled.

“But this year I didn't hear about any meltdowns yet” Saeko said appreciatively.

“There's time” the Brit chuckled.

The sharingan user nodded with a sigh “True. Just make sure that'll not be you.”

“I'll try”

“Do that” Saeko smiled, “If the nerves come check in with me, I've got a really nice bottle of sake imported from Konoha.”

Jamie chuckled “I'll keep it in mind.”

“Good, I hear lawyers like good liquor, you could think of it as training”

“In that case serve away, this day is shot to hell anyway. And I do need to train, my job is lined up, provided I don't fail any of my exams”

“That's great news! Wait, you want to drink right away? It's barely past noon” the ninja arched her eyebrow.

“My schedule's free”

“All right! I always knew I liked you. Any chance Chloe is free too, we could party in three”

“She has Care and you keep your hands off my girl”

Saeko pouted “So I have lost you forever, not even a threesome will tempt you?”

“I really need that sake now” Jamie sighed.

“That's a no?”

“A definite no”

“Meanie”

“Drink, now”

“Hai, taichō!” Saeko saluted.

* * *

**Saeko** **and Ashley's Room**

“It's hatching”

“Oh, goodie” Saeko said without pausing her push-ups.

The raven summon rolled his eyes “That's not the best part, the blond human you tagged was there too.”

“Malfoy? What do you mean he was there too?” the ninja finally stopped her exercise.

“He followed Potter and saw the lizard. Was really happy about it too” Zeke reported.

“Joy” Saeko said dryly, “Anything else?”

“Well, it is my observation that the big buy isn't really bright. Other than that the trio seems really worried, now doubly so because of this Malfoy.”

“Did they mention any plans?”

“None as of yet, maybe mom will have something when her shift is over”

“Marvelous” Saeko murmured and stood up. Zake shrugged and dispelled himself.

The jounin sighed and put on her quidditch uniform. She unsealed her broom and descended into the Ravenclaw common room. She passed her friends with a nod, leaving them to their studying and made her way to the House Team.

Saeko eyed her juniors, Chang especially - the Slytherin Hufflepuff match showed potential in Cedric Diggory as a seeker. The Snakes won without much problems but the Uchiha was concerned for next year. She would need to up Chang's training. It was such a shame she will have a practically brand new team.

The nig group made their way out of the Castle and to the quidditch pitch. As they went Cameron started whistling a tune and Caitlin joined in.

“Are we now a marching band?” Saeko's bad mood manifested.

“I can actually play the trumpet” Rory declared proudly.

“How nice” the captain said dryly.

Caitlin and Cameron shrugged and resumed their musical performance. Rory joined in as a vocalist. And where he went Wayne follows, this time with a decent baritone.

It didn't take long and all the whole team, plus reserves, was singing along. With one notable exception. “Come on Cap, join in!” Frost needled the sharingan user.

“Nope. And I'm doing you a favor, believe me” Saeko shook her head.

Rory pouted “Don't be a stick in the mud!”

“Yeah!” Wayne chimed in.

Saeko shook her head again “I don't want to. Besides, I can't sing.”

“Everybody can sing at least a little bit. We won't laugh” Caitlin bumped her friend's side.

“No”

“What about we promise not to whine all this and the next training, no matter how hard the PT is” Jared bargained.

“You mad?” Roger Davies, the junior chaser, spoke up for the first time.

The ninja hummed “Make it all the trainings until the game against Gryffindor.”

“Give us a minute” Frost said and made a motion to the Team to surround him. Saeko stood flabbergasted on the side, waiting for a verdict.

The group finished whispering. “We'll take it” Rory announced.

“Really” the brunette arched her eyebrow, “You are ready to suffer just to hear me sing.”

More murmurs. “Yes” was the response.

“That's silly” Saeko shook her head in disbelief, talk about a bad deal.

“You seem embarrassed” James smirked, “We want to see why.”

“And I know just the song!” Cameron exclaimed.

The jounin sighed and resigned herself to her fate. When the Team started singing a song that was on the wizarding radio all the time she joined in.

A few moments later the song ended. Silence followed.

“I told you guys” Saeko defended her performance.

“Yeah but I did not expect... this”

“It was truly awful”

“Yup. I need therapy”

“Never thought I would see Saeko fail at something”

“It wasn't _that_ bad” Caitlin tried feebly.

“Good to know” the Konoha nin rolled her eyes, “Now, let's make good on your deal, take off those uniforms and start stretching.”

The Team bit back their whines, as per agreement, and stripped down in their work-out clothes. Saeko grinned and stuck the 'good guy' pose, complete with a glint off her white teeth “Now, let's fan the flames of YOUTH!”

Everybody gulped, already knowing that when 'youth' was being brought up it meant insanity, sore limbs and sometimes bouts of uncontrolled crying in exhaustion.

As soon as the Captain issued the order to run laps the Team obeyed, clearly trying to mellow her out.

The sound of pounding feet disappeared into distance and Saeko sighed dreamily and wiped a fake tear from her eye “Guy would be so proud. Maybe I could invest in spandex.”

* * *

**Hagrid** **'** **s Hut**

_“Yep, the half-giant is a proud papa of a baby dragon_ ” Saeko thought sarcastically when she observed the gamekeeper cooing over the little Ridgeback, offering him a teddy bear.

As the toy was being shred to pieces Saeko decided that she saw enough, her objective was merely taking a peek at the little bugger in person after all. She jogged back to the school, actually encountering Potter on the way, indubitably going to the same place Saeko has just been.

Nodding at the Ravens in their Common Room she headed up the stairs and into her room. Ashley was writing a letter at her table while Helena, visiting as always, was sketching. Saeko sat on her roommate's bed since hers was occupied. Her eyes narrowed as she asked her blonde friend “Helena, are you drinking wine?”

“Maybe” Helena said airily and took a sip from her glass.

“Where did you get your wine?”

“My father”

“Why did your father sent you wine?”

The blonde shrugged “Do you want some?”

“Yes, please. But I actually wanted an answer”

“Present me with a glass or you are not getting any of this delicious Pinot”

Ashley sighed “It's no use, I already tried, she wouldn't tell me either.”

The Uchiha shrugged and went to fetch a glass. Helena sniffed in derision at the cup that was presented to her but poured the wine anyway.

“Hmm, you were right, it's really good” Saeko said appreciatively. She settled into Ashley's bed and opened the History textbook, intent on revising for the exams.

The relaxing atmosphere was broken by furious knocking. “Come in” Ash called from her desk.

Graham, Patrick and Daniel came in. Helena took a look at them and sighed “What in Merlin's name happened to you?”

Ashley's head shot up from her writing, she scanned them and arched an eyebrow “Did you guys get in a fight?”

Patrick, whose cheek was beginning to swell, shrugged.

“Did you win?” Saeko asked with a chuckle.

Before they could reply, Ash asked in alarm “Where is Peter?”

“I think the Library. He wasn't involved” Daniel calmed the brunette down.

“Who was?” Helena asked.

“Well, us…” Daniel started but was interrupted by Patrick “More like me and Graham.”

“Yeah, Danny-boy was afraid to break a nail” Graham agreed.

The uninjured Daniel sighed “That's not true. I wanted to avoid conflict all together. We would've talked it out if you two didn't go all 'Hulk smash!'”

“We defended you!”

Saeko laughed “So you two got into a fight to protect Daniel's honor? How sweet!”

The remaining girls laughed as well. Helena chipped in “How chivalrous.”

“Ah, the wonders of brotherly love” Ash sighed dreamily.

“Does Michelle still like yaoi?” Saeko asked the blonde.

Graham hugged Daniel and laid his head on the bespectacled boy's shoulder “You know us, there isn't anything we wouldn't do for our Danny.”

“Thank you, cupcake” Daniel said with a smile.

When the laughter died down, Saeko repeated Helena's previous question “So who did you guys fight?”

“DeLuise, Sands and Paxton”

“Those are Gryffindor's in our year, right?” the ninja ventured.

“Yes,” Ashley replied with a roll of her eyes, “It never fails to astound me how you practically don't know anybody here.”

“They are inconsequential” Saeko shrugged, “I remember the people I care about.” Helena hummed in approval.

“Whatever” Ash sighed and turned to the boys, “So why them?”

“DeLuise was running his mouth off”

“DeLuise is the reddish-blond gay one, right?” Saeko finally realized for sure who they were talking about.

“Ye- what!” Graham exclaimed.

Helena tapped her chin in thought “You know, I think you're right.”

“I could see that” Ashley hummed. Graham and Paddy stood there speechless while Daniel seemed to be contemplating it.

The blonde brought up another point “He's a pureblood, how did it come to fists?”

Daniel rolled his eyes “Graham is a brute.”

“Hey!” the boy in question snapped out of his trance.

Paddy followed “It did catch him off-guard all right. Pity his friends are both muggleborns and not too shabby in CQC.”

“And why are you three here instead of the infirmary?” Saeko voiced the thought that just occurred to her.

“We wanted to be nursed back to health by three beautiful women?” Graham tried to grin but winced because of his injuries.

Helena scoffed “Pig.”

“You should let Pomfrey take a look at it” Ashley agreed.

Daniel looked over his friends “That might actually be a good idea.”

“Ok. And the next time we get in a fight you are going with us” Paddy looked at the Uchiha.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Don't drag me into it.”

“Just get out” Ash sighed.

The three boys obliged.

Helena, Saeko and Ashley returned to their activities. After a while the blonde hummed “DeLuise gay, huh?”

“Definitely” the aspiring Hokage said definitively “He just doesn't know it yet.”

“Cool”

“And he totally fancies Daniel”

“No way!!!”


	69. 4- 69 Torches and Pitchforks

Hogwarts was in uproar - everybody had noticed the sudden drop in Gryffindor's points and reacted accordingly - some students were cheering, some were indifferent and the last group, predictably Gryffs, was downright _pissed_.

Overnight Potter, Granger and Longbottom became pariahs in their own House. The Gryffindors were swift in letting them know their displeasure, some in meaner ways than others but nothing that would require an intervention.

Saeko herself felt no pity, Potter and Granger were simply colossally stupid and Longbottom was plain unlucky. Who in their right mind would forget putting on their invisibility cloak, the centerpiece of their entire plan, while trying to evade detection.

When the jounin first heard of the plan she was skeptical about Potter and Granger pulling it off but then she was pretty impressed they managed to get so far as the tallest tower without much trouble. And burns, not for Norbert's lack of trying. Then came the massive blunder though. Saeko just watched in disbelief as the duo merrily skipped back to their dorms without their protection.

After picking up the forgotten Cloak, intent to give it back to the headmaster, she at least had the satisfaction of watching her protectee get busted by McGonagall.

All in all an eventful night.

The only place that wasn't affected by any development, drama or scandal was the library. Madame Pince made sure of that. Saeko entered her domain with a slight smile on her lips and immediately walked into the transfiguration section.

After browsing for a little while she walked a little further, coming face to face with a lone Gryffindor. ' _Talk about the devil…_ ' “Miss Granger, I'm surprised to see you here alone. From the recent developments I would think it prudent to have your friends around.”

The bushy haired brunette jumped up in fright “Oh my God! You startled me!”

Saeko suppressed her smirk “Pardon me, that wasn't my intention.”

“That's alright” was the shy response.

“Transfiguration, huh? I hear you have quite a talent for it from our little Ravens” the ninja decided to converse.

“It's my favorite subject!” Hermione lighted up, “All subjects are fascinating but turning something into something else… that's the magic I always envisioned.”

Saeko chuckled “Even my Ravens are not so passionate about the subject.” Ignoring the first's year blush she continued “I understand you are muggleborn, yes?”

“I am” Granger said almost defiantly.

The ninja smiled reassuringly “My family and village pride themselves mainly on elemental magic so transfiguration was a novelty for me as well.”

“Really? You're from Japan, right? Where exactly? And why didn't you go to school over there? And... Oh, why do you call them 'your' Ravens? You are not a prefect or anything”

_But it makes me sound so conceited and I happen to be bored_ “Did I? I have not realized. Though I do help the younger years with their spellwork on occasion, but that is common in our House.”

“That sounds nice” the Brit said tad wistfully.

“It is. Although I'm afraid that if someone caused such a drop in points there would be a lynching taking place. Gryffindor's reaction seems almost tame in comparison” Saeko said sweetly.

Granger blushed again, this time in shame.

“Don't worry, this unpleasantness will blow over as soon as my team creams the Lions on the pitch.” At the girl's glare she dropped her slight smirk and exchanged it for a smile “I mean it, it will be ok. It will just take a new big story and poof, this will be forgotten.”

The smaller brunette seemed to gauge Saeko's sincerity and then she smiled genuinely “Thanks”

“Sure. Now please excuse me, I see a friend” the Uchiha said spotting a familiar shade of red.

When the Gryff nodded Saeko sought out Lauren only a few shelves over. The red-head was smirking “A firstie, really?”

“Oh, hush. She was looking so pathetic I could not help myself. You should hear what our firsties say about her, it's quite amusing.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “An insufferable know-it-all from what I hear. Though she pisses Malfoy off, so points to her.”

“Not at the moment I would wager, the Snakes are all gleeful. Are you gleeful?”

“Sure, but it's fun more than anything” the Slytherin shrugged.

Saeko hummed “True. But it is a lesson that popularity is a fickle thing.”

“Naturally”

“Naturally” the ninja echoed with a smile.

Lauren chuckled and changed the subject “Did you already finish the Runes assignment?”

“Nope”

“It's due Monday” the red-head reminded with a shake of her head.

“I've got time. You?”

“It just needs a bow”

“So I'm guessing you are hiding here from Isolde who hasn't done it yet?”

Lauren let out a short laugh and nodded.

“Why did Soldy take Runes when she hates it?”

“Everybody in her family takes Arithmancy and Runes. No exceptions” was the disinterested reply.

Saeko shrugged “Inefficient, but I can understand that.”

“I don't think she's a hidden genius in any other elective, the world isn't missing out”

“Harsh”

“Truthful”

“You don't like Isolde very much” Saeko arched one eyebrow in question.

“She gets on my nerves sometimes, but I like her. As long as you don't discuss anything serious she's a marvelous friend to have” Lauren shared.

The jounin observed her Slytherin acquaintance for a moment and then she sighed “You guard yourself too closely. Let someone in once in a while, you'll be happier.” She frowned, thinking back to Fugaku's reign “I would know, I truly would.”

Lauren blinked in confusion but before she could reply Saeko abruptly collected her books, done being helpful for today “You were right, I do need to get a move on the Runes assignment. See you, Ren.”

The red-head just stood there staring after her, torn between anger and appreciation.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Why are you riding us so hard? We've got it in the bag” Rory said as he collapsed in the grass.

“You all promised no whining” the captain sing-songed.

Caitlin sat next to her friend “He's right though. Potter's super depressed and the team tries to ignore him. They are in shambles.”

“That only means they'll be desperate and fight all the harder” McPherson contradicted.

Saeko nodded “James is right, plus they hadn't lost a match with their new seeker and if they won the Quidditch Cup it would not look so pathetic when they end up in last place for the House one.”

“Hah, true” Wayne grinned.

Frost mimicked the action “It'll be hard, I hear they call Potter just 'the seeker'”

“They refuse to use his name? Sweet!” Roger Davies, the reserve chaser exclaimed to everybody's surprise - he usually didn't speak much during practice.

“Indeed” Saeko laughed, “Well, I think we are done for today. Let's go.”

Everybody smiled and suddenly found the strength to hop up. They made their way to the locker rooms for a quick shower and a change of clothes. Saeko had to admit that having another girl on the team was nice as she and Caitlin chatted throughout it.

When the Team came into the Ravenclaw common room they dispersed in different directions. Saeko and Caitlin noticed their little poker group sitting by the window.

“What did we miss?” said Caitlin as she sat down beside Paddy.

“Another standing ovation for Potter, courtesy of the Slytherins”

“And my roomie freaking out” Helena sighed.

“The Exams again?”

“About OWLs actually”

Saeko blinked in confusion “Those are a year away.”

“I know, right!” the blonde exclaimed in frustration, “Besides, she decided she wants to work at the Ministry. For that you need top grades among other things and she is desperate she didn't start studying much sooner. I didn’t really have the heart to tell her the Ministry is pretty much a pureblooded club. Connections are more important than grades.”

“But they don't hurt” Graham said calmly.

Peter nodded “Yeah, she might still get connected here at Hogwarts”

The Grey heiress rolled her eyes “Sure, she could fuck a son of someone influential.”

“Helena!”

The girl just shrugged, unrepentant.

“Moving on” Daniel sought to change the subject, “So Saeko, how was practice?”

Saeko said “good” just as Graham said “Laaaame! Forget that, let's do something fun!”

“Such as?”

“Dunno”

…

…

“Cards?” Helena proposed.

Graham and Peter both shook their heads “We do that all the time.”

“We could play Maginopoly” Caitlin tried.

“You got a board?” Graham perked up.

Ashley spoke up when the red-head shook her head “We could ask around, I saw some fifth-years playing just the other day.”

“No need, Michelle has one. I remember her being ecstatic that wizarding monopoly existed” Helena rolled her eyes.

“Go ask her then” Peter prompted her.

Helena started muttering but stood up and went to up the stairs. In the meantime Saeko relayed the confidence in the Ravenclaw quidditch team for the upcoming last match of the season.

“Here you go” said Helena as she dumped the large box in the middle of the group.

Graham grabbed the box and started laying out the board. Daniel tried to take the fake galleons but Graham slapped his hands away “I'll be the goblin. The bank is mine.”

“Ooookay” the bespectacled boy backed down.

“We should play in pairs” Ashley mused, “Playing in eight would be too much. This game already lasts far too long.”

“Good idea” Caitlin nodded.

In the end Ash paired with Pater, Saeko with Helena, Graham with Paddy and Daniel was with Caitlin. Everybody got their galleons and the game could begin.

X

“And boom! Now you owe me 360 galleons”

“Come on!” Paddy exclaimed.

“I hate violet!” Graham growled.

“And I so do love Diagon Alley” Helena cackled. Saeko just smirked and put her hand up to receive the rent.

“I'll get you back. Just you wait, you'll step on my Hogsmeade set soon enough” Graham said with narrowed eyes.

“At least you're not in Azkaban” Ashley said grumpily.

x

“I saw you Graham!”

“What?”

“You dirty cheat! You took more money from the bank than owed”

“I did not!” the boy defended himself, full of righteous fury.

“He's a goblin, what did you expect”

“First, that's racist, second it's inaccurate and third I FUCKING DID NOT TAKE THE MONEY!”

x

“Screw this, it's the second time we drew the Grindelwald chance card!”

“Hehehe”

“Shut up”

x

“Grr”

“Grr”

“Calm down, it's just a game”

“Says the fucking tycoon”

“You know what, I'm outta here!”

“Don't be childish”

“How could I be, children are not broke!”

“Man up. And pay”

x

When the fourth year group started making enough ruckus to disturb the diligently studying Ravens, a prefect made his way to them. He tried to calm the situation down.

He failed.

But soon enough the group dispersed and went stomping out in different directions.

The prefect looked down at the board “Maginopoly, huh? We should really ban that game.”

* * *

**Study Room on 3 rd Floor**

The poker group sat in one of the empty but clean rooms near the Library, dubbed as study rooms mainly used for intra House assignments. Or inter-House courting. Everybody was waiting for Graham who had insisted his friends and his girlfriend met outside of class.

“Do we have to?” Helena sighed.

Ashley rolled her eyes “Yes”

“Saeko, back me up”

The ninja shrugged “I find Myra annoying as well but she's still Graham's girlfriend. Until he dumps her we will be supportive friends.”

Before Helena could gripe some more Daniel spoke “You guys are horrible. She's perfectly fine, a bit air-headed and perky but perfectly fine.”

“Besides, they will break up sooner or later” Caitlin chimed in.

“I dunno” Peter voiced, “What do you think Paddy?”

Graham's best friend hummed “I honestly can't say. I guess we will see after the summer holidays.”

“Oh, joy” the blonde pureblood said dryly.

Saeko shushed her “Quiet, they're coming.”

“How do you know that?”

“I'm a ninja”

“Funny” Peter rolled his eyes.

The jounin grinned, loving the irony “I try”

Graham and Myra indeed came through the door a moment later. The fourth year Ravenclaws greeted with a rather believable “Heeeey!”

“Hi!” the Gryffindor greeted back while Graham just nodded.

The 'study session' went pretty much as expected - Myra was her usual self, Graham kept staring at her in adoration, Helena made veiled acerbic remarks and the rest was keeping the conversation going.

Helena started smirking when Caitlin stopped sitting on the fence and firmly joined her side in camp, the 'let's get rid of Myra' - the red-head didn't appreciate that apparently 'Trelawney is awesome!'

Graham readily agreed even though he was always the fist of making fun of the divination professor and the subject as a whole.

And then there were the funny stories from the Gryffindor common room. Everybody forced out polite chuckles, only Helena was stony faced.

“Ha, that could never happen in our House. Hilarious,” Graham said excitedly, “Right, Helena?”

“Sure, I'm laughing. Just not externally”

Saeko bit her lip, trying not to laugh, for real this time. Seeing as Graham was giving the blonde the kicked puppy look she spoke up “She's no fun today.” Turning to the blonde she continued “Come on, you've been pissed since this morning, let's work it out. I still owe you that spar. I'll even use that thin sword you fancy.”

“It's a saber” Helena corrected her morosely.

“It that a yes?”

Helena shrugged “Ah, what the hell. Let's go.”

The two girls got up and gathered their things. Saeko smiled at the couple “Always nice to talk to you, Myra.”

Helena got nudged by her friend “Indeed, sorry about my mood.”

“No problem, I know you can be super nice!” Myra said cheerily. Saeko smiled and took Helena's arm before she could give a reply.

They were almost at the end of the hallway when Helena spoke up “Did I take it too far?”

“Yep”

“You didn't need to get me out of there” the blonde frowned.

Saeko shrugged “I dunno, you were starting to get harsh. We don't need an upset Graham.”

“I guess” Helena relented.

“You really don't like her, huh?”

“I found her annoying even that first day on the train”

“Hm, I actually found the second one more irritating. That Hufflepuff girl”

“Oh, I remember. Heidi Bright. She's annoying too” Helena concluded.

The ninja laughed. Then she looked at her friend “So how about it? We could still spar.”

“You know what? Yes” Helena said after a brief hesitation, “I'm heavily out of practice though.”

Saeko grinned, happy she finally got her friend to cross blades with her “Alright!”

They found another empty room, this one with all the tables pushed against the wall. Saeko shrugged off the cloak of her uniform while Helena rolled her sleeves up. The jounin nodded towards a half-smashed chair “You'll take care of those so called weapons?”

“Don't provoke” Helena chastised and drew her wand to transfigure them the sabers.

“So, how does your little sis fare at Beauxbatons?” said Saeko and settled into a stance.

“Not bad” the blonde replied while she inspected her blade, “Not the top of her class but pretty close. She found some friends and she seems happy. She misses speaking English though.”

As she finished her sentence she launched an attack which Saeko easily deflected. The Uchiha gave a nod in appreciation of using a distraction. “Which House do you think Vanessa would be in?”

“Gryffindor, maybe”

“Not a fellow Raven?” Saeko asked, circling her opponent.

Helena executed a rather complicated move. Saeko evaded and initiated a counterattack. When they were back to circling the Brit replied “I don't think so. She likes learning and all but she prefers having fun. And pranks, like those Lions. And yes, the prescribed bravery is there too.”

“Cool”

A few exchanges later Saeko thought up another question “So, do you fancy anybody?”

“No” Helena uttered and tried to trip the ninja.

Saeko kicked the offending leg, pivoted and put the blade of her saber on Helena's neck “Nice try though.”

“You always lecture to fight dirty” the pureblood stepped out of reach of the sword.

“With good reason,” Saeko smiled, “that move could get a less experienced fighter off-guard.”

“But not you”

“Not me” the ninja smirked.

Helena rolled her eyes “Arrogant as always”

“Self-assured” Saeko countered, “One more?”

The Grey heiress got into position. The next exchange was faster-paced, Helena getting back into her element. To be honest, Saeko was impressed. She knew her friend has been fencing since she was little but she never considered it a viable fighting style.

“Check mate” Saeko smirked when she managed to disarm her friend.

Helena sighed and ' _finite_ ' her sword “Alright, I'm done.”

“Already?”

“Yes. We can do this again though”

“Ok” Saeko perked up.

“I admit, this was fun” Helena smiled.

“Indeed” the Uchiha nodded, “Well, if we are done I think I'll go take a nap.”

“A nap?” the blonde arched an eyebrow, “At this hour?”

“Yep” Saeko nodded. She wanted to be all rested up for tonight, she was to be a shadow chaperone for Potter's detention. She was still a bit peeved about it - forcing four firsties in the Forbidden Forest at night was insane. Especially one that apparently had to be protected enough to warrant a ninja on the job.

“Goodnight then, I guess.”

“Night”

 


	70. 4- 70 Stumbling in the Dark

**Forbidden Forest**

“ _Little shits who don_ _'t know how to infringe rules and not to get caught_ ” Saeko thought morosely as she followed the detention group through the Forbidden Forest.

Longbottom, Grander, Malfoy, Potter and Hagrid, and don’t forget the dog, were supposedly in search of an injured unicorn. The theory was that someone was actually hunting the beautiful creatures, which made Saeko wonder why on earth they would send firsties to find who and not the gamekeeper. Or the resident ninja. Especially since unicorn hair, some innards, horn and above all blood were precious ingredients to both potions and rituals.

“ _Yeah, sure, split up. What a_ _marvelous idea!”_ the ninjutsu specialist continued her commentary. She sighed, quickly formed a Kage Bushin and sent it with the group that didn't have Potter in it.

Hopping from shadow to shadow high up the trees, evading the half-giant's surprisingly sharp senses, Saeko surveyed the boy's journey through the Forest. She was doubly grateful for the scent-erasing techniques she was thought in Konoha when the group encountered centaurs. Definitely not a friendly bunch when it came to intruders.

Red sparks flew and Saeko tensed up, ready to protect the boy. The sudden influx of memories from her dispelled shadow clone calmed her down. “ _Fucking kids. I miss working with professionals_ ” was the ninja's response to Malfoy's prank.

When the group reconvened Saeko made another clone to replace the previous one. True to her prediction the firsties split yet again, only this time in different teams.

Following Potter&Malfoy was getting harder as the boys ventured deeper in the forest. The thick trees made for perfect cover, unfortunately that fact went both ways. A byakugan would've definitely been useful.

When they boys found a silvery trail of unicorn blood Saeko withheld a sigh. Neither Potter nor Malfoy sent the green sparks and instead they skipped happily along it. The jounin withheld her sigh yet again “ _Well, at least the detention would soon be over.”_

The blood was becoming thicker and its the pools bigger. Then Saeko saw splashes on the roots of a nearby tree, as though the poor unicorn had been thrashing around in pain close by. The ninja tensed as she spied a clearing up ahead. She jumped onto another branch further up ahead to get a better look.

The unicorn was there. Very beautiful and very dead. All bright white and gleaming he matched Kettleburn's description to a T. Pity Saeko spared the downed creature just a cursory glance as she focused on a figure in the shadows. The unknown figure was an amateur to ninja standards, didn't blend in shadows properly, but they still cut an impressive figure. The hood and blood dripping from their mouth sure helped.

Seeing the same, Malfoy and Fang panicked - instead of backing out quietly they screamed, or barked in the dog's case, and started running.

Potter froze in place. Saeko wanted to curse but then she saw the boy double up in pain, pawning at his head and then collapsing. The ninja did not hesitate and even before the boy started swaying she jumped over and stood protectively over him, tantō and wand drawn.

The hooded figure did the smart thing and fled. Saeko would have wanted to pursue but that was not her mission. Instead she took the unconscious boy over her shoulder and ran back towards the edge of the forest.

When she heard clopping nearby she hesitated, the centaurs seemed friendly enough when Hagrid and Harry met them before. She moved to intercept.

The centaur neighed when he saw the ninja. Saeko bowed “Greetings, centaur-dono.”

“And to you as well” the palomino replied cautiously, “What might bring you here?”

“My apologies on trespassing onto your territory. I was tasked by the headmaster of the School to watch over this boy, unseen”

The centaur peered at the boy's forehead “Harry Potter.”

“Indeed. There was a man, the one that hunted the unicorns and drunk their blood. Potter interrupted him, fell unconscious from the pain but I intervened. The man escaped.”

“We suspected one such man. Mars is bright tonight.”

Saeko looked up at the sky “It is indeed.”

“You should return to the School. The forest is dangerous, even for one confident as you”

“I shall. May I only ask for a favor?” the Uchiha said as she nodded towards Potter, “I'm his guardian and I must remain in the shadows.”

“I heard Hagrid was in the forest. You want me to bring the boy to him”

“I would be most grateful”

The white blond centaur hummed, looking up to the sky as if seeking guidance “Very well.”

Saeko deposited her burden gently to the ground. Noticing Potter was starting to stir she bowed again “Thank you, centaur-dono.”

“Be safe, young one”

The brunette smiled briefly and concealed herself back in the darkness. When she was sure the centaur couldn't see her she jumped back in the trees. Then she watched as Harry woke up and spoke to Firenze, as the half-horse introduced himself.

As her charge was being carried back to Hagrid Saeko branch-hopped along, comfortably as only a Konoha nin could. She listened intently at Firenze and Potter's dialogue, just in case. It was actually quite interesting. It seemed the centaurs were expecting war, if the jounin managed to remember what she heard about Divination.

Finally Saeko heard large booted footsteps. “Harry! Harry, are you alright?” Granger came running towards the duo, Hagrid close behind her.

_“Well, tonight I definitely earned my paycheck”_ Saeko thought as the group made its way back to Hogwarts.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

“Not jogging?” Daniel asked as he sat down near the ninja.

Saeko paused her reading “Got enough of the Forest for a while.”

“Oh?”

The jounin shrugged. Besides, just yesterday she went to summoner's realm for an exercise meant to increase chakra capacity. Since she tried to train the physical side every time she got, yesterday’s focus was deep meditation. She deserved a little break.

“So whatcha reading?” Daniel gestured towards the ancient pages.

“A gift from my brother. A treaty on energy transfer”

“Knockturn Alley?” the boy wondered.

Saeko hummed “No, but it's not sunshine and rainbows.”

“It rarely is” Daniel shrugged, “So I was thinking of revising charms, care to give me a hand?”

“Sure, what do you have in mind?”

The bespectacled teen rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly “I might've been working on something.”

The ninja was intrigued and put her reading back into its folder “Go on.”

“Non-verbal _protego_ ”

“Ambitious!” Saeko said approvingly.

“You can do it” Daniel countered morosely.

“You do too” the jounin smirked, “Ok, show me what can you do.”

“I was thinking a duel. Like we had in Deirdre's class”

Saeko was impressed “Your shield is battle ready?”

“That's what I want to find out. Though, it's the only spell I can do without incantation”

“Let's do a trial run and then we can have an all-out” the ninja proposed.

“Alright” Daniel brightened up.

“Let's find us a room then!”

“I thought you were into women” the Brit teased.

“Good one”

X

“ _Aguamenti_ ” Saeko murmured and pointed her wand at her stationary opponent.

Daniel laughed in delight as the water harmlessly splashed on his shield. When the spell ended he dropped his barrier and wanted to say something but Saeko decided it was the ideal time to try again.

“Gaaah!”

“You know, any shield is useless if you forget to put it in place” the ninja said patronizingly.

The boy brushed his wet hair from his eyes and glared “No shit.”

“Just trying to help” Saeko smirked and shot another speedy spell. This time Daniel had been half-expecting it and rolled to the side. The girl went to compliment him but then she had to evade as well.

It was obvious Deirdre had been an amazing dueling teacher - Daniel glided over the battlefield, never static, firing spell after spell, his shield ready to go up at a moment's notice.

“Spell chaining, I understand that's pretty advanced” the Uchiha spoke during a lull in the fight.

The bespectacled Raven smirked proudly “Flitwick helped.”

“He does that” Saeko commented and shot a spell she too got from their Head of House in a combination she was pretty sure would result in a direct hit.

She was not wrong. Daniel staggered, disoriented “What the fuck…”

“I'm sorry but I really wanted to try this one out” the kunoichi apologized and watched her opponent sit heavily on the floor.

“I don't feel so good” Daniel announced bleakly.

Saeko immediately cast a _finite_ and knelt before him “Better?”

“Yeah” the Brit sighed in relief, “What was that?”

“The _vertigo_ charm” the brunette explained, “I think that Flitwick would not normally teach it to me but I already knew a variant from home. Though, I didn't expect such an adverse reaction. I thought you would be only slightly disoriented.”

“That's a pretty neat spell” Daniel hummed, “I want it.”

“I dunno…” Saeko started.

Daniel put on his best puppy-dog eyed expression “I nearly threw up right now.”

“That's emotional blackmail”

“I still feel weak”

“ _Effective_ emotional blackmail”

“Yay!”

Saeko smiled slyly “Still, if it caused so much damage then maybe it's too dangerous to be passed on…”

“No, see, I'm perfectly fine now!” Daniel shot up to his feet.

The Uchiha had to actually steady him as he got dizzy “Careful there. I'll teach it to you, just not right now. I think we better het to the Tower. Unless you want to take a trip to Pomfrey.”

“No, I'm good” the boy shook his head, “I just got up too fast.”

“Ok. Oh, and your _protego_ was good, fast and silent. And strong” Saeko complimented.

“Auror-worthy?” Daniel asked hopefully.

Saeko hummed “I think so, but I'm hardly the one to judge. For sure you're the most prepared fourth-year Hogwarts recruit though.”

“I'll take it” the Brit shrugged.

“You'll be catching bad guys soon if you keep that up” the ninja patted her friend's back.

“Thanks” Daniel beamed.

“You'll be needed. Like with that creep from today's newspaper” Saeko pursed her lips.

The boy nodded “Nasty business, kidnapping children.”

“Worse thing is that I heard a Slytherin say that 'they're only muggles'”

“Disgusting”

“At least he was the only one, the rest of the group seemed to disagree”

“How nice. Some Snakes really like to live up to the stereotype” Daniel sighed.

“Some of it is just posturing” Saeko shrugged.

“Apes”

“Hn”

“Hn, indeed”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

“Can't you do that signing history thing again?” Paddy asked the resident musician.

Ashley turned a page of her textbook “Nope, not in the mood. Besides druids aren't attractive material.”

“Bearded dudes high on herbs, what's not to like?” Graham snickered.

“Maybe their amazing course work? Brilliant potions?” Daniel arched his eyebrows.

“I guess” Graham grinned.

Helena grumbled “So we are officially done with studying?”

“Merlin, yes!” Caitlin exclaimed and threw her book aside, earning a few narrowed eyes for her carelessness with literature.

Saeko let out a perfect smoke circle “I agree, I'm quite hungry and this isn't exactly riveting.”

“All in favor?” Ash announced.

The grey heiress protested at first but eventually the decision to stop was unanimous.

“So, what now?”

Ashley shrugged “Dunno. Hey Helena, I saw your favorite roomie looking over the poster for the drama club. Is she thinking of joining?”

Helena sneered “I hope not, she's already annoying enough.”

“It's nearly exam time, she sure isn't joining now” Paddy reasoned.

“I bet she was only wiped out. I was going over the board too after completing that antidote homework last week” Caitlin pointed out.

Saeko put down her pipe “I don't think I ever noticed. We have a drama club?”

Ashley rolled her eyes “Hogwarts has, the same recruitment flayer is in every Common Room.”

“Huh, what do you know”

The small brunette sighed “You really have narrow focus - school, quidditch, your training. Nothing else gets through your blinders.”

“That's not fair” Saeko countered.

Ash arched an eyebrow “Really? Do you know the names of our classmates of other Houses?”

“Why should I?”

“My point exactly” Ash finished.

Helena shrugged “Saeko's already making nice with everybody in Konoha. She doesn't need this crap here too.”

Saeko nodded vigorously. Ashley was not impressed but let the matter drop. The ninja mouthed a 'thank you' to her blonde friend who merely shrugged again.

The discussion turned to general gossip. Since the ninja was not really interested, or more precisely did not exactly know the participants, she stood up “I'm really hungry. Anyone wants to join me for a midnight snack?”

“It's ten o'clock” Graham said helpfully.

Saeko rolled her eyes “My bad. So, anyone?”

Since nobody seemed interested the kunoichi shrugged and made her way out of the Ravenclaw common room.

The hallways were deserted which suited Saeko just fine. It didn't take much time to reach the fruit bowl canvas that guarded the entrance to the kitchens.

“Konbanwa everybody” Saeko greeted the house elves that were the kitchen's staff. All the elves greeted back and scurried to ask what how they could be of service. Saeko asked for some onigiri and tea.

As she was about to take her fist bite the door opened again. Saeko looked up at the two third-years who suddenly stopped talking. The ninja nodded at them “Weasley, Weasley.”

“Uchiha” the red-heads said in unison.

“Tea?” Saeko offered.

The twins looked at each other then shrugged. They sat down at the table beside the Ravenclaw beater.

“I'm a fan of your work. Well, when's not directed at me” Saeko commented on the duo's pranking.

“Everything's a lie” one of the twins fired immediately.

“We didn't do it” the second chimed in.

“Nobody saw it”

“You can't prove anything” they finished together.

Saeko laughed. Then she remembered one of the ideas for getting back at Snape “Hey guys, do you know if the potions classroom is protected somehow against intruders?”

“Why” one of the Weasleys asked, intrigued.

The Uchiha grinned “Let's just say we have a couple of Britney Spears posters we think Snape would appreciate.”

“Oooooooh” the Gryffs smirked.

Saeko smirked as well “So, can you get into the potions classroom?”

“It's tricky but we can” Fred nodded.

“But first, who is Britney Spears?” George asked.


	71. 4- 71 The Mirror, the Stone and the Man with Two Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I would like to address a few things that came up.  
> Being super powerful - I find that this fact is advertised in the whole concept of Naru/HP crossover. I mean a ninja, let alone an Uchiha, at Hogwarts. Genius quidditch player? Ninja, duh. If she were not amazing at quidditch she would be defective. As for the magic - sharingan. That is OP all on its own. If you combine it with actual ambition and hard work… And child genius? Should I mention Kakashi, Orochimaru, Itachi, Nagato, Konan and so on? Why them and not Saeko?  
> Favorite of Tsunade and Sarutobi - that was never my intention. Sarutobi likes to be the likeable grandfather yet firm leader, depending on the situation. He encourages the younger generation, from Kakashi to every little genin -will of fire and all that propaganda. Naruto is totally his favorite young ninja but does that mean he must be detached from everybody else? Especially after ordering the culling of the Uchiha clan? Would he not feel somewhat responsible and encouraging? As for Tsunade, I never showed her encounter with Naruto. Since Sarutobi was alive that meeting went differently - she might like Naruto but she simply didn't come back. Saeko's new knowledge brought from Hogwarts poses an interesting challenge but that doesn't mean she's suddenly Saeko's greatest fan.  
> Naruto and Harry - I tried to keep HP as close as possible (let's be honest, barring his knack for DADA he's not that stellar). And Naruto is far stronger than in canon - fuinjutsu, fuuton, more shadow techniques… And a chuunin. Definitely not the village idiot, thank you very much.  
> Rant over :-)

 

“Zake?”

“Yep?” the summon looked up from his meal.

“Why does Potter go through all this unnecessary trouble?” Saeko sighed.

“He seems to think it is necessary”

“I disagree”

“I thought you might” he snickered.

“Wipe that smirk off your beak”

“Touchy, touchy”

The Uchiha fetched her pipe and lit it with a resigned expression “So what they had concocted this time?”

“As I told you, they know about Dumbledore's little vacation…”

“… not a vacation. That old goat is actually important in the government. Though I wouldn't put it past him to stage his departure so Quirrell or whoever can make their move.”

“Whatever. They know the goat is out and that the half-giant babbled about Fluffy so they plan to get the Stone before him” the raven finished his report.

“When?” was Saeko's simple question.

“Tonight”

“Joy”

“Indeed”

“They still think it's Snape, right?”

“Yes, but I don't think it is. My money's on the turban guy, the one Dumbledore specifically asked you not to investigate.”

“He might've but I still snooped a bit. It's definitely him”

“Will he be a hard opponent?” the raven cocked his head to the side.

“I don't think so. The bigger challenge will be keeping out of sight as is my mission. 'Intervene only when absolutely necessary' is the order.”

“That sucks. I know you like being flashy and… well, present” Zake chuckled.

“True enough”

“So what's the plan?”

“Stick to the ceiling and hope that Potter doesn't fuck up” Saeko shrugged.

“Good luck with that” the raven snickered again.

“Yeah” the jounin said hopelessly.

* * *

**Gryffindor Common Room**

Yet again Saeko was waiting for Potter while stuck to the ceiling, this time in the Lion's den. Getting in hadn't been hard, what was more annoying was avoiding being seen by the students - the kunoichi needed to be there early in case the trio decided not to wait for the cover of the night.

As the evening progressed the Gryffindors left to bed, one by one, until only Potter and his lackeys remained. Well, them and Longbottom, who seemed forever destined to be in the way.

“ _Petrificus Totalus_!” was Granger's response to the Neville problem. The Uchiha was actually impressed - there was no hesitation in casting the full body bind, just an apology. Weasley and Potter callously stepping over the downed boy was in turn more disturbing than impressive.

When the trio vanished under their invisibility cloak and out into the school proper, Saeko followed them by sound.

Hogwarts at night was always pretty peaceful, the portraits were silent, the suits of armor did not clatter. Usually only Filch, his cat and the occasional ghost disturbed the peace. Saeko had no trouble tracking the first-years.

After a small altercation with the resident poltergeist the three Lions reached the Forbidden Corridor.

Fluffy growled deeply when he smelled human. Potter quickly scrambled for his flute and hastily started playing. Badly. But it was enough for the cerberus to start snoozing.

It was quite fortunate that Fluffy's heads fell onto his paws and not onto the relatively small trapdoor he was hiding. Weasley immediately went to open it and peer inside.

“What can you see?” Hermione asked anxiously.

“Nothing, just black. There's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop” Ron replied.

Potter who was still playing the flute waved at the red-head to get his attention and then pointed at himself. Saeko rolled her eyes at his need to be a hero, or savior more accurately, even if it was greatly impractical. Predictably the cerberus almost woke up when the wooden instrument was exchanged.

“If anything happens to me don't follow, go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore. Ok?” Harry ordered and then he lowered himself into the hole. Then he let go.

Saeko cursed at his recklessness but did nothing. Fortunately a moment later the boy shouted “It's ok! It's a soft landing, you can jump.”

The second youngest Weasley followed his best mate. Hermione waited for confirmation and then she jumped in as well. The cerberus immediately jerked up and snorted. Saeko wasted no time and threw herself into the trapdoor, expanding her chakra outwards, trying to stick herself to a wall or any other surface.

Finding something she cold grip onto, Saeko's fall broke. Her sharingan did not give her night vision but the ninja activated it all the same, immediately analyzing the situation.

“It's Devil's Snare!” Granger shouted in alarm.

Saeko noticed that as well and immediately changed her location. Since the plant was part of the first-year curriculum the jounin left it for the trio. She hoped Hermione's know-it-all attitude would come through.

Surprisingly it was Potter who came up with the solution “So light a fire!”

“Yes, of course…. But there is no wood!” Hermione started panicking. Saeko fought the urge to face-palm.

The boys, despite being constricted by the plant, had actually cooler heads. Following their terrified instructions Granger conjured blue flames. The Devil's Snare shirked back, away from the light and heat, and released its captives. Potter, Weasley and Granger immediately ran towards the only exit.

Saeko followed.

The stone passageway sloped downwards, leading the group and their shadow deep under the school. All three Gryffindors marched in silence until light could be seen.

“Do you hear something?” Ron whispered. Saeko could hear it too, it sounded like the fluttering of wings.

Finally the passageway connected with a large brightly lit room. The Uchiha stayed in the shadow that the passage provided while the trio went on.

“They are keys, winged keys!” Ron breathed out in awe.

“ _Hundreds_ of them!”

Potter looked back up after trying the door on the other side of the room “So, we've got to catch the right key for that door.”

“We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one. Probably silver, like the handle” Ron analyzed after inspecting the lock.

Each of the trio took a broomstick from the offered rack and flew into the swarm of keys. Hermione was clearly uncomfortable but was searching for the key, same as the others. Ultimately it was the Gryffindor seeker who spotted their target.

The three coordinated quite nicely and managed to capture a large silver key with bright blue wings. The key itself struggled heavily to free itself and Potter had to ram it into the keyhole.

Saeko, who had quite enjoyed the show, nearly chuckled - wizards truly had no upper body strength. Or any strength for that matter.

“Ready?” the scarred boy asked, hand on the door handle. Ron and Hermione nodded.

The next chamber was dark but as soon as the students cautiously stepped light flooded in, revealing a huge chessboard.

When Saeko first saw the chess pieces, each as big as a person if not bigger, she had to sigh - yet another stupid test. If it were only her she might've tried blowing up the 'enemy' king piece or the door itself. It would probably lead to an attack but what the hell.

As it was she only waited in a shadowy corner, hoping Weasley's boast about his chess skill would ran true.

The three firsties moved around the board - Weasley as a knight, Potter as a bishop while Granger took a rook's place.

“ _Well, shit_ ” Saeko thought as she analyzed the chess game before her.

Ron seemed to draw the same conclusion “I've got to be taken.”

“NO!” Harry and Hermione shouted.

“That's chess!” the red-head snapped, “You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and the queen will take me. That leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry.”

“But…”

“Do you want to stop Snape or not?” Wesley said desperately, trying to get it over with so he doesn't change his mind. Saeko sympathized, waiting to have your head bashed in had to be unpleasant.

At Harry's resigned nod Ron stepped forward, pale but determined. The white queen turned to face him and then she pounced.

Saeko winced, these stone arms looked heavy.

Ron crashed to the floor. Hermione screamed but had the presence of mind to stay on her square. As the Weasley was deposited to the side of the board, Saeko made her way there. When Potter and Granger focused back to the game the ninja quickly checked him over. Ron was bleeding, unconscious and definitely concussed, but otherwise he seemed fine.

Having won the match the two remaining Gryffindors reluctantly continued their journey. When Harry opened the door a disgusting smell assaulted their senses. Saeko quickly peeked into the next chamber and was reassured to see a dead troll. Seeing there was no imminent danger she quickly doubled back and stopped Weasley's bleeding.

“Ready?” Potter asked again, this time next to the other door. Hermione nodded again. The firsties stepped in, Saeko close behind.

As soon as all three entered the next chamber a purple fire sprang up behind them. Saeko nearly got singed.

“What do we have to do now?” Harry said tensely, eyeing the second fire that started on the opposite side of the room, in front of the next door.

“Look!” Hermione said as she noticed a roll of parchment lying next to the row of potion bottles.

The bushy-haired girl read the paper out loud. Saeko listened intently. “ _Snape_ _'s a poet, what do you know_ ” the jounin thought.

After a short while Hermione exclaimed “Got it! The smallest one will get us thought the black flames.”

Harry picked up the bottle and inspected it “There is only enough there for one of us. Hardly one swallow.”

The two first-years looked at each other. “Which one will get you through the purple flames?” the boy asked.

Hermione picked up another bottle and held it up. Saeko didn't need to listen to know Potter's plan. Instead she studied the black flames from afar. _Fūka Hōin_ , the fire sealing method, was capable of containing even Amaterasu. Since she was able to produce it Saeko carried the seal with her. She would chance it.

The Uchiha waited until she was alone - Granger managed it safely through the purple flames and Potter stepped into the black ones. When she was unseen she approached the fire “ _Fūka Hōin_!”

The seal started siphoning the flames. Saeko would never admit it but she was relieved it worked on this foreign fire.

When it was safe she slithered into the next chamber.

“ _Aaaand it_ _'_ _s Quirrell. Of course it is_.” Quirrell and a bound Potter were the only ones in the room. The DADA professor was in the middle of a monologue and didn't seem to notice the ninja. Saeko frowned when she noticed the Mirror of Erised in the middle of the room.

When the man turned to face the mirror he spoke out loud “I don't understand. Is the Stone _inside_ the Mirror? Should I break it? What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!”

To Saeko's surprise a voice actually replied “Use the boy!”

Quirrell strong-armed Potter in front of the mirror “Tell me what you see!”

Harry gulped but obliged. The jounin noticed his pupils dilating in surprise. The Potter's eyes briefly flicked onto himself, then Quirrell and then the mirror again. Clearly lying he spoke up “I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor.”

Saeko rolled her eyes at the obvious lie but the professor seemed to believe him. Quirrell sneered and returned his gaze to the Mirror until the voice from before spoke up “He lies. He lies!”

“Potter, come back here!”

“Let me speak to him. Face to face” the mysterious high voice demanded.

Quirrell argued it but then he began unrolling his turban. “ _Well, that_ _'_ _s disgusting”_ Saeko thought as the origin of the voice was revealed - a face stuck on the back of the man's head.

The issuing dialogue was quite enlightening but Saeko focused more on how to intervene without being seen. The first thing that came to mind was genjutsu. But the Uchiha had no idea how it would work on a parasitic entity or someone attached to it.

Harry who managed to get himself somewhat free sprung towards the fire-free door when both entities were focused on the Mirror. He didn't go far.

As soon as Quirrell caught Harry's wrist he screamed in pain, his hands smoking as if being burnt. “SEIZE HIM!” Voldemort ordered and his follower tried again with the same result.

The-Boy-Who-Lived realized what was happening and attached himself at his attacker, pawning at his eyes and face. Quirrell let out an inhumane howl of pain. Potter, much paler than before, seemed to wobble

“KILL HIM! KILL HIM!” Voldemort urged on.

Saeko had enough and jumped to the rescue. She gripped Quirrell by his robe, ripped him from the dazed boy and flung him into a wall.

The man recovered quickly, aided by the rage of his master. Saeko did not hesitate and released the flames she had stored in the _Fūka Hōin_.

Quirrell screamed in pain again as he caught fire. He struggled, trying to douse extinguish the flames but it was no use, the black fire clung to the man and didn't let go.

Voldemort screamed in rage. Seeing as his host was lost he chose to abandon him. Black, oily vapor escaped the burning professor.

“ _That_ _'s it? Oh, well…”_ Seeing as her main opponent evaporated, she switched her focus to Harry. She scanned him by a diagnostic jutsu. He was unconscious but alright, he seemed severely drained, like suffering from chakra exhaustion.

“ _Kuchiose no jutsu!”_

Lykke appeared in a poof of smoke “Hi! Who's the burning husk?”

“A very bad teacher”

“Bad at teaching or bad as in evil?”

“Both actually” Saeko shrugged, “Find Dumbledore and bring him here. Thanks.”

The bird nodded and took flight. Saeko made herself comfortable on the floor and resigned to long wait.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: So I know this was supposed to happen after the exams but it just didn't seem to fit - J.K wrote that because Harry was unconscious he missed the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw match. I like all quidditch to be done before the exams, since it makes more sense (at least to me) so I will be changing the timeline slightly. But hey, I'm a fanfiction author and we are allowed to do that.


	72. 4- 72 In Absentia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry, but Harry's absence is canon… I know you guys were looking forward to a match between him and Saeko's team.

 

Saeko put the finishing touches on her colorful make up since it was decided that the theme of this match would be 'war paint and war drums'. It was tame enough to pass muster McGonagall had set on quidditch matches after the Gryffindor fireworks fiasco. It looked good too.

All done she joined the equally painted male counterparts in the short corridor that led to the pitch “Ready?”

“Hell yeah!” Rory exclaimed.

Everybody made sounds of agreement except Frost who only sighed. Saeko patted her seeker's arm “What's up? I know this is your final quidditch game…”

“It's not that. Well, maybe a bit” Frost confessed, “It's more that I have been looking forward to one day telling my children all about the quidditch game in which I defeated The-Boy-Who-Lived.”

“And now the brat's in the infirmary and you are playing against a reserve” Wayne said understandingly.

Frost sighed heavily.

Saeko grinned “Well, we will still be defeating the team he plays in.”

“It's just not the same...”

The Uchiha decided tough love necessary “Unfortunate. Now pull yourself together, I won't have you make this easy on the no-name seeker by moping. Be careful, we don't know anything about him - I don't like not having information.”

“Unpredictable elements are often the most dangerous” McPherson said pompously. Everybody rolled their eyes but more or less agreed. True to his disposition he continued “Still, a pity about Potter, he was pretty good. Not that it would've mattered.”

“Bad timing that. Though he will be up for his exams. Lucky him” Cameron grinned.

The Uchiha clapped her hands together “Stop talking about Potter, he's a non-issue!”

“Yes, Captain” the team chorused.

“Good minions” Saeko said approvingly.

James growled but the other guys just chuckled. Jared put his broom on his shoulder and took a look at the pitch “It's time, I see McGonagall. So, how about a speech Captain?”

“Speech?”

“Uh-uh” the boys nodded and looked at the brunette in anticipation.

Saeko tapped her chin in thought. Then she struck a pose she saw Jiraiya use in his introduction once and exclaimed “Let there be cake!”

“…What?” Cameron ventured.

“I read it somewhere. You wanted a speech, here it is. Now let's go kick some ass” the ninja said flatly and mounted her broom.

The team followed suit, already used to their Captain's moods. It wasn't long and Lee Jordan was calling them onto the field.

_“And here comes Uchiha's little pack! Swarm? How do you call it with eagles, does anyone know?”_

“A convocation, mister Jordan. Now get on with it!” McGonagall said sharply from her place behind Lee.

_“All right, all right! Anyways we_ _'ve got Uchiha, Bishop, Martin, Young, Gallaher, McPherson aaaaand Frost r_ _epresenting Ravenclaw! I_ _'m sure everyone can see the big smile on Frost's face, might it be because the Gryffindor primary seeker is indisposed?”_

“Mister Jordan!”

_“And flying in scarlet, the glorious Gryffindors - Wood, Spinnet, Johnson, Bell, Weasley times two aaand Pickens! Go Lions!”_

“Mr. Jordan”

_“And GO Eagles!”_

Both teams chuckled as they arranged themselves around Madame Hooch. While Lee continued his commentary the referee gave her usual speech about fair play.

The Eagles focused all their attention to the reserve seeker, Pickens. The attempt to intimidate him fell surprisingly short, the sixth year seemed sure of himself. Cocky even. Saeko shared a look with Jared _'let's make this fun'_.

Madame Hooch cleared her throat significantly and put her whistle near her lips.

“ _And they_ _'re off! Spinnet stole the quaffle right under Gallaher's nose, great job Alicia!”_

Saeko tuned out the commentary, focusing solely on her role as beater. It was decided that the first wave of bludgers would go to the chasers since it would be expected to target the new seeker.

Weasley #1 intercepted the first bludger and the second twin took care of the second black ball that was aimed at his brother. This maneuver put them on the list of dangerously competent players. It was time to up the game.

The next minutes were marked by Saeko and Jared flying at break neck speed, effectively hunting the Gryffindor chasers. The Weasleys might have some kind of twin connection but the Ravens were just plain faster and stronger. And cooperated seamlessly with the rest of the blue-clad team.

The score difference rose steadily but then Frost managed to distract both Weasleys by feigning a dive for the snitch. Jared went to protect his teammate and Saeko used the opportunity to catch Bell right in her side. A loud whine of pain later and the Gryffindor chaser nearly slipped from her broom.

“We'll get you for this” Fred/George hissed at the ninja at his next pass. Saeko merely spun her bat and smirked.

True to his words the Lions became more vicious, the beaters especially. But the Ravenclaws had no problem enduring - they were used to overcome even Slytherin's style of play and the scarlet players never sunk to their level.

Lee Jordan was becoming more and more agitated in his commentary, especially after Saeko and Jared went to town on the Gryffindor reserve seeker. The two beaters smirked at each other when the once cocky sixth-year was barely hanging onto his broom.

When yet another bludger found his mark coupled with yet another goal Jordan abandoned all pretences and started cheering his team on _“Come, on Lions! Pickens, stop dallying and find the frigging snitch!”_

“ **Mr Jordan**!” came the scandalized response from behind him.

_“I_ _'m sorry professor McGonagall, but… **Fred, smash her face!”**_

The commentator and his warden started wrestling for the microphone, apparently enough was enough. Then the happenings on the field cause Jordan to unceremoniously yank the microphone for himself and resume his job _“Frost is diving! I repeat Frost is diving and this time it looks genuine! Pickens get a move on!”_

The boy was in a sorry state but dived after his Ravenclaw counterpart, never mind it would take a miracle to catch up with him.

Predictable Pickens failed and Jordan sullenly announced “Frost catches the snitch, Ravenclaw WINS! 450 to 110. Since the Eagles won all their matches it's a no brainer we've got our Quidditch Champions! Congrats, I guess.”

“Mr Jordan” McGonagall sighed and put her head into her palms, a picture of resigned helplessness.

The Ravenclaws didn't really care about the byplay and started cheering once Hooch signalized the end of the match. The sounds of drums and the inevitable caws nearly drowned Jordan's after match commentary.

Saeko and her team landed, they didn't even cheer, after all they all knew they were going to win. They all high-fived and then bowed to their fans.

Headmaster Dumbledore, closely followed by the grinning Flitwick, came onto the pitch carrying the quidditch trophy. The Eagles stayed put, big smile on their faces, waiting for the ceremony.

Wayne elbowed his captain and nodded in the direction of the Gryffindor team, who stood grumpily out of the way, all of them pretty banged up and glaring.

“I ruined my chances with the Gryff chasers, huh?” Saeko smirked, “Pity, all three of them are really cute.”

* * *

**Ash and Saeko** **'s Room**

The day after their big victory the Ravens were all business again, with nothing to distract them anymore everybody focused on their imminent exams.

Potter was still asleep, a fact the students stopped caring about as soon as quidditch season ended. Quirrell was another story - at first people thought he was sick or something and that he would be back. Now though, as the exams neared, his absence was felt keenly. Not much in class, most students self-studied anyway, but now everybody worried about the final examinations.

“I'm tired of this” Ashley sighed and closed his potions textbook.

“It's almost over” Saeko comforted.

“I really need the holidays, this is killing me”

Realizing her roommate only wanted to complain, not talk, the Uchiha just shrugged and continued her own reading.

Several minutes passed and Ashley spoke up again “How come you're calm.”

“I'm always calm”

“True” the smaller brunette sighed.

…

“Still, you're much more mellow than usual”

Saeko rolled her eyes “You _really_ don't want to study right now.”

“Nope. But I have to” the Brit glared at her book.

“Yes, you have to”

…

Not even a minute passed and Ash sighed theatrically loud.

“Sex reduces stress levels. Alleviates boredom too” Saeko said airily, her eyes not straying from her book.

“Saeko!”

The Uchiha smirked “Just trying to help.”

“Thanks” Ash rolled her eyes.

“No problem”

The two girls resumed reading. After a while Saeko had enough “Stop fidgeting! Take a walk or something.”

“No way! I don't want to get caught by the Weasley twins” the Brit exclaimed.

Saeko had to nod, the two Gryffindors went on a pranking spree after their lost match. In only a day they became a menace. Well, more than usual. “ _Sore losers_ ”

There was a knock on the door, Saeko called “Come in.”

Ashley looked at the entrance and smiled brilliantly “Helena! How nice it is to see you!”

“Is she high or something?” the blonde asked Saeko, eyebrows raised.

The ninja shrugged. The smaller brunette rolled her eyes “Of course not. I just want a distraction. Saeko isn't helping.”

“I suggested she got laid”

Helena chuckled “The Ravens do seem to get horny in exam time.”

“Not you too, Helena!”

Saeko roared in laughter and held up her hand for a high-five. The blonde smirked and obliged. Ashley put her hands over her face and started fake-sobbing.

“What did you came here for, Helena?” Saeko asked.

“I finished revising Potions, I decided I deserve a break”

“Shougi?”

“Why not” the pureblood agreed and made herself comfortable on Saeko's bed.

As the ninja went to fetch her shougi board Ash sighed yet again “You guys are boring.”

“You have known us for four years, you shouldn't be surprised by now” Helena said disinterestedly.

“Ugh”

Saeko spoke up “How about a drink?”

“How is that suppose to entertain me?” Ash put her book decidedly away.

“We are not gophers, you know that right?” the Uchiha arched an eyebrow.

Ashley scoffed “We've both seen Helena's cosmetics bag, she could sponsor a dozen clowns.”

“Says the girl who's bordering on goth when we don't have class” the blonde shot back.

“You know what goth means?” Ashley was surprised enough to forgo a quip back.

Helena flicked her hair with an air of superiority.

Saeko chuckled while Ash rolled her eyes “You know what, I'm going to find Peter.”

“Sounds fun” Saeko sing-songed and mover her first piece on the board.

When the smaller brunette left the girls played in silence. It was quite relaxing, everything fell away as their concentration went full to the game. Saeko played with a small smile, being reminded of her matches with Shikamaru.

There was a knocking on the window and both girls looked up. It was Skygge, the summon assigned to Potter.

Helena stood up and stretched “You've got a message. I'm going to the bathroom anyways. Don't cheat, I'll know if you will.”

Saeko rolled her eyes and went to open the window. When the door closed behind the Gray heiress, Skygge landed on her summoner's shoulder “Potter woke up.”

* * *

**Great Hall**

The Hall was buzzing as always during dinnertime, maybe a bit more since it was noticed that Potter resumed sitting at the Gryffindor table. The chatter stopped almost immediately when Dumbledore stood up and waited for silence.

“I know there had been whispers about the absence of professor Quirrell. I regret to inform you that he will not be returning. Nonetheless the Defense Against the dark Arts exam will be taking place, though it will be purely theoretical.”

Whispers erupted, most students were upset that they studied for the practical part in vain.

Dumbledore raised his voice slightly to achieve silence once more “There is one other matter. I need to allot several House points.”

More murmurs.

“First, to Ronald Weasley for an excellent tactical mind, I award Gryffindor 50 points.”

The Great hall fell completely silent for a beat - this was a massive jump in points. Then the Lions started cheering wildly. The rest of the student body was much less enthused, the reason Dumbledore gave was very, very vague and with such an amount… They knew something was up. Or more precisely, something _had been up_.

“Secondly,” the headmaster continued, “to Hermione Granger, for her cool use of logic, I award Gryffindor 50 points.”

When the elder showed no sign of stopping Slytherin, Hufflepuff and mainly Ravenclaw grew fearful for their position in the race for the House Cup.

“Thirdly, to Harry Potter, for his outstanding bravery and determination, I award Gryffindor 60 points.

This was getting ridiculous, the House of the Brave just gained enough points to jump onto second place. The Badgers and Snakes were all frowning or hissing in outrage, not at all happy about this mysterious development. The Ravens were still as statues - they had a big lead thanks to their proficiency in academics and the victories in quidditch, but they would not be able to withstand another blow.

“And last but not least, to Neville Longbottom, for his courage to stand up for what is right, I award Gryffindor 10 points.”

There was a pause when everybody did the math. Paradoxically it was the Ravenclaws who made the most noise as they all chorused “YES!”

The Gryffindors were hoping for another 50 point boost when Dumbledore kept speaking so they were a bit bummed out. Still, getting from last place to second in only a couple of seconds was not bad. The cheers built up - the Lions actually had a chance to win. A small one but it was there - it would require being on their absolute best behaviors during exams week and the Ravens to do the exact opposite.

Dumbledore sat back down, small smile on his lips, eyes twinkling. The rest of the teachers seemed torn.

“The hell!” Graham exclaimed over the party sounds coming from the far left table.

The other fourth year Ravenclaws nodded, all of them quite confused and pissed. Caitlin sneered “It must have something to do with Quirrell's disappearing act.”

“Totally” Peter agreed.

“At least we are still in the lead” Daniel tried to look on the bright side.

Paddy arched his eyebrow “Not trying to get to the bottom of this mystery mister auror?”

“I'm sure that everybody involved will be tight lipped. If professor Dumbledore chose not to divulge anything I doubt we will be able to find out” Daniel shrugged.

“I agree” Saeko spoke up hiding her disinterest - she already knew what the point were for. Not that she was happy about it.

“Potter and his friends are heroes again. It restores the points they lost and then some” Peter pursed his lips as he observed the celebrating Gryffindors.

 “They do seem out of the doghouse” Helena hummed.

“I don't like it” Graham announced.

“Potter & co?”

Graham shook his head “The situation as a whole. I don't care about BWL.”

“We'll just have to behave” Ashley replied.

Caitlin looked at the ninja, arms crossed “Next year we'll have to squish Potter personally on the quidditch pitch.”

“Aye, but you'll have to make the team first. I _will_ be holding trials” the Ravenclaw quidditch captain smirked.

“Please,” the red-head rolled her eyes, “There is no way I'm messing it up after enduring your training.”

“Good to know. You better train during summer too though” Saeko smiled.

“You betcha”

“Did you talk to the team? About then staying I mean” Paddy inquired.

“I did”

“And?”

The Uchiha sighed “All of them are out except Jared.”

“Bishop's staying? Awesome! The unbeatable beaters!” Graham cheered.

“Indeed” Saeko hummed. Her stance was that everything would sort itself out next September, no need to obsess now. At the moment she was focused on the exams and then Konoha.

It seemed Ashley was of a similar mind “Let's focus on the exams now, we begin the day after tomorrow.”

“Buzzkill”

“I prefer responsible”

“I distinctly remember you setting fire at the curtains in the Common Room” Graham arched an eyebrow.

“That was an accident” Ashley replied flatly.

“That was apparent when you shrieked, ran like a headless chicken and then started shouting 'Water! Water! '”

“Shut up or I'll feed you to the Whomping Willow”

Graham gulped and promptly obliged. When Ashley looked away in satisfaction the boy shot Saeko a reproachful look. The Uchiha smirked, she _did_ try to cultivate her friends' sadistic sides.

“Hihihi”

“Saeko?”

“Yes?”

“Did you just… giggle?”

“The Uchiha don't giggle” Saeko shot them her clan's patented stare.

“uh-uh“

“Whomping Willow”

“Shutting up now”

“Good boy”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Since Saeko clearly helped in defeating Quirrell and retrieving the Stone, I felt Gryffindor winning would be plain unfair… Also, I always hated this part in the Books - I mean Dumbledore giving enough points to go from last place to first with a bullshit explanation?


	73. 4- 73 A Day at the Office

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A bit of a silly chapter, but hey, I was in the mood. Jack Daniels Honey might've played a part too…

 

“Oh, thank Kami!”

“Niisan?” Saeko asked, still a bit disoriented by the suddenness of a portkey.

“I need you to go to the Council Meeting in my stead” Itachi announced.

The younger Uchiha arched her eyebrows in disbelief “I literally _just_ arrived”

“It's a routine one, we have no predetermined stance”

“So I should only sit there and look mean” Saeko said, unimpressed.

“Please,” Itachi fluttered his eyelashes, “I have got an ANBU drill”

“One you indubitably scheduled” the girl murmured, “What was your plan if I didn't come?”

Itachi seemed to glow in happiness “You're the best imouto-chan!”

“I still didn't say yes”

“You will” the black-ops captain sing-songed.

“I will. So, the plan?”

“Uchiha Jin”

“Ah”

“Precisely”

“You should hurry up and get married, Mihane could stand in while I'm on mission” Saeko grumbled.

“Not in years. The elders would have a fit”

“Maybe even a heart attack!”

“We're not that lucky”

“Let me dream, brother” the witch chuckled. “So when's the meeting?”

“Thirty minutes” Itachi shared happily.

Saeko sighed long-sufferingly “Itachi…”

“I hoped you would arrive in time. Good luck” he hastily added the last part and fast-walked out of the room.

“Swell,” the brunette commented and then looked down at her school robes, “I need to change.”

X

“… I would direct this honorable council's attention to…”

Saeko was hidden behind her Uchiha stoic mask, cold and unmoving. She envied Nara Shikaku who appeared to be snoozing. The girl knew perfectly well that he was paying attention but still, he looked mighty comfortable.

The civilian banker droned on and on. The worst part was that he already relayed all the relevant information in his first few sentences and now he was just enjoying hearing himself talk.

“Thank you Yamada-san. Your insights are greatly appreciated.” Sarutobi said with a genial smile. The banker smiled and nodded. “Haruno-san, you requested to speak next” the Hokage continued with the meeting's agenda.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama” the merchant nodded with a tight smile and started talking about general trade.

Her speech was followed by a short discussion. Even the Nara Clan Head woke up to chime in when medicinal herbs and remedies were brought up.

“Very well. Meeting adjourned” Sarutobi announced when it was clear everybody had their turn. Everybody started to stand up when the elder spoke one more time “Could the Shinobi Council stay behind.”

“Troublesome” the jounin commander murmured.

The monkey summoner chuckled “Fortunately not. There are several promising candidates for jounin, but none that would warrant a decisive and immediate promotion.”

“Jounin Examinations” the Hyuuga lord nodded.

“Indeed”

“How many candidates?” Saeko asked.

“Fourteen”

Asuma started playing with an unlit cigarette “Quite a number.”

“Some of them have the potential to surprise us” the senior Sarutobi smiled in satisfaction.

“How many for real?” asked Inuzuka Tsume.

“Four” the Hokage hummed, “As for the examiners I was hoping to borrow Inuzuka Keigo.”

Tsume barked a laugh “He'll be glad to stretch out his old bones.”

“Excellent” Hizuzen nodded, “Shikaku, if you would help him plan the Examination.”

“Troublesome”

* * *

**Training Ground 16**

Saeko was dreading slightly what she was about to do. But it was necessary.

Finally walking into the small clearing she nodded at Lee, Neji and Tenten, but her target was different this time “Guy-sempai!”

“Saeko-san! I see you have returned from your mission unharmed. Yosh!” the green-clad jounin exclaimed boisterously.

Lee gave her thumbs up “How youthful, a solo A-rank uninjured. I shall try as well! If I fail I'll do 1000 laps around Konoha!”

“What a splendid sentiment! Yosh, my beautiful student, let's request an A-rank!”

“Guy-sensei!”

“Lee!”

“Guy-sensei!”

“Lee!”

The Uchiha averted her eyes almost on reflex. _It's not too late, you can still back out. Invite Neji out for lunch or something._

“Guy-sempai, I wanted to ask if I could join you in training today. Maybe a spar later” Saeko braved.

The two sane members of Team 9 looked at Saeko incredulously. The Uchiha could understand. Oh, how she understood. But the fact was she needed a refresher. At Hogwarts she trained, sparred as well when Itachi had time, but it was not enough. She needed at least a week of intensive training. In Scotland she got her chakra control to medic near-Tsunade level, her affinities close, a ton of new techniques but her reflexes were deteriorated. Guy-sensei was the perfect cure. If you had mental fortitude, that is.

Guy started crying anime tears and then shouted “How YOUTHFUL!!....”

Saeko tuned out the rest. Instead she got herself in 'the zone' - where pain means nothing and crying is resisted.

X

**Konoha Onsen, hours later**

“You alright Saeko?” Tenten asked after the first few minutes of soaking in the hot water.

“Hn” was the tired reply.

“I think Guy-sensei got a bit overenthusiastic, it's not often he gets to spar with somebody who isn't Kakashi-sensei. Or one of us, but then he holds back.”

“Hn”

“You made sensei very happy though” the older girl continued, “He loves to work hard.”

This time Saeko didn't even bother with the classic Uchiha reply.

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” Anko called from the entrance and strolled into the water. Kurenai who was following her just greeted the two girls softly.

“Hello Kurenai-sensei, Anko-san” Tenten smiled.

“Hn”

The purplette cozed up to the Uchiha prodigy “So what's happened to you? You look exhausted. Threesome with people who like it rough?”

“Anko!” Kurenai chastised her friend.

Saeko spoke up for the first time since entering the hot springs “How could I, you and Yuuko were busy.”

“Saeko-san!” Kurenai exclaimed.

Tenten just awkwardly chuckled while Anko laughed loudly “We'll make ourselves available.”

Kurenai just shook her head and resigned herself to her friend corrupting youths “So what did happen?”

“Hn”

The older kunoichi looked at Tenten who shrugged “It was decided Saeko was very youthful.”

“Aaah” Anko and Kurenai said in understanding.

“I might need some doctoring” Saeko joked salaciously.

“I don't think you are up to it” Anko smirked, “You know I can be very demanding.”

“Didn't you hear, I'm youthful”

Both Kurenai and Tenten pace-palmed.

* * *

**Nara Compound**

Saeko moved her lance piece after her long deliberation. Shikamaru got into his thinking position which was the highest form of flattery the next Nara Clan Head could give.

Then he finally moved one of his pawns “You got better.”

“I trained”

Another exchange went quietly. After a while Saeko spoke up “How is Logistics?”

“Troublesome”

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “Naturally, but I wanted a little more than that. Now that Chouji and Ino got promoted you don't go on missions that often. And your Department is boring.”

“Just how I like it” the chuunin shrugged.

“Well, it's not like I'm complaining, you are being groomed for Jounin Commander and I can only benefit” the aspirant Hokage grinned.

Shikamaru sighed and moved another piece. After some more silence Saeko sighed as well “You are no fun. You're lucky I'm not pestering you for gossip.”

“Check mate in ten” the Nara announced with a little smirk, “Do you want to watch clouds?”

Saeko studied the board “You little shit. Another?”

“Nah, I'd prefer watching the clouds.”

“But that's boring”

…

“Yeah, right, look who I'm talking to” Saeko sighed and stood up, “I'm going to find someone more active.” Shikamaru just shrugged and lied down on the grass. The Uchiha rubbed her forehead and muttered “That's not going to be hard.”

“Try Ino, she's been in a nagging mood recently”

“Hn”

Before more could be said an ANBU appeared in a whirlwind of leaves “Uchiha-san, you are called for a mission.”

“Oh, thank Kami” Saeko sighed in relief, happy for something to do.

X

**Hokage** **'s Office, four days later**

Sarutobi sighed and went fishing for his pipe “So, let me get this straight…”

Saeko and the other three ninja who had been the team for that particular mission still stood at attention, not daring to even blink.

“… you started with an easy low B-rank for fresh chuunin that you three are and you ended with… with…”

“A clusterfuck, sir?” Saeko piped up helpfully.

Hiruzen paused and then rubbed his brow “Actually, yes.”

The four ninja waited patiently for the aged leader to speak again. Finally he sighed “I might pass your report to Kakashi, his stories are getting a bit old and he could use some new material.”

Saeko stood up even straighter “It might be a bit bizarre but the report is accurate.”

“Oh, I believe you” Sarutobi said and let out a smoke circle, “Though it might've helped not starting one of the reports with 'a transvestite, a fat guy and a thief entered the bar'”

Three of the temporary team members looked at the fourth who blushed “I couldn't resist. How often that happens!”

“Indeed” the Hokage hummed and the team fell silent again. He leafed through the pages of the reports “I also especially liked how the stolen treasure was being used as a prize in a haiku competition.”

“We decided winning it would cause less ruckus than stealing it back” one of the chuunin reported.

“A lovely poem indeed” the Hokage said airily.

The third chuunin brightened, grinned and said “Thank you Hokage-sama!” The rest of his team glared at him incredulously and the chuunin shut up immediately.

Sarutobi chuckled “And then there was the family drama concerning Lord Shimizu's family and court.”

“It's not our fault everybody was sleeping with everybody” one chuunin muttered.

“You left the palace in absolute chaos” Hiruzen continued.

“Not of our making” Saeko countered respectfully.

One chuunin nodded emphatically “Yeah. We just showed up with the object of our mission and everybody just started shouting at each other.”

A corner of Sarutobi's mouth twitched upwards “The advisors to the daimyo are not pleased.”

“And the daimyo himself?” the Uchiha asked in a concerned tone.

“Quite amused”

Saeko permitted herself a smile.

The Hokage finally chuckled “Dismissed.”

When the team bowed and exited the office Sarutobi Hiruzen put his feet on the table and laughed out loud. Then he addressed a corner of his office “Would you believe that?”

The ANBU stayed professionally silent.

“I love this job sometimes” Sarutobi smiled and puffed from his pipe.


	74. 4- 74 Shawshank Unrepentant

 

**Akemi** **'s** **Tea Shop**

“…and then when I looked at them I realized they were sisters!” Saeko finished her story and roared in laughter.

Mihane chuckled and shook her head in faux exasperation “You slept with two sisters and you didn't even know?”

“Both were civilians and I checked them out for potential danger, not familial ties” the teen defended.

The former ANBU smirked “ _Check them out_ , alright. You know, Itachi-kun warned me that you've got such great stories.”

“He's not really happy about my… proclivities but hey, every jounin has some quirks” Saeko shrugged.

“I worked with Tonbo-san for quite a while” Mihane waved it off.

“The sensor with the whole head covered in bandages? He works for Intel, right?”

“That's him” the older brunette sighed.

“Though I must confess now that you live with Itachi-nii I find myself a bit envious. It seems nice” Saeko shared.

“I'm quite happy” Mihane smiled unguardedly.

Saeko smiled back. Both her brother and his fiancée really _did_ seem happy, she wasn't kidding that she felt a twinge of envy. Maybe when her Hogwarts stint was over she would look for a stable relationship.

“Shit” Mihane swore as she looked up.

Saeko mimicked the action and she spotted a Konoha messenger hawk. ' _General alarm, all available jounin, prison break, chuunin on lookout._ ' Shit, indeed.

Both jounin shot up from their seats and began running towards the Konoha High Security Facility. Along the way they picked up another two jounin who had been eating at a restaurant nearby.

The first thing the foursome encountered was a lone Nara chuunin who was struggling to keep five men in prison jumpsuits in his shadow bind. The jounin immediately knocked the prisoners out.

The chuunin slumped down, breathing heavily. “Nara-san, tie them up and stay with them. If another chuunin passes by get him to help you drag them to the village” Saeko ordered when Mihane and the other two continued running.

“Yes, ma'am”

Saeko took off after her brother's fiancée. She passed another jounin who was tying up a prisoner along several others who had been caught quite easily since they still had on chakra repressing seals.

Before she could go on she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. She immediately dodged to the side, evading a small hail of shuriken.

The prisoner grinned, attacking with a kunai. Saeko growled - the equipment meant the man had stolen it from a Konoha nin, possibly from his dead body.

“My name is…” the prisoner began.

Saeko slashed him with her tantō “I don’t really care.”

As her enemy fell Saeko felt another presence nearby. This prisoner wasted no time speaking and shot twin bolts of lightning from his palms.

The Uchiha prodigy substituted onto a tree nearby, immediately casting a genjutsu. The prisoner shook it off with surprising ease and retaliated with ninja wire, electrical current running through them.

Saeko shoved the wires aside with a strong wind push, wind winning against lightening as always, and with her other hand she cast a limited body-bind.

The prisoner tripped and Saeko kicked him hard into his head. Then again, just to be sure.

“Uchiha-san!”

The girl turned to see Kotetsu and Izumo. Saeko smiled and nodded towards the two unconscious prisoners “You guys are Intel, right? Glad to see you ok, could you get those two out of my hands, please.”

“Sure thing” Kotetsu nodded.

“Be careful, we're part of the med-evac - we've got people down, including Asuma and Kurenai” Izumo cautioned.

Saeko frowned “Who got them?”

“Unknown”

The jounin nodded and took off again.

Saeko encountered two more fights but did not interfere, the jounin who intercepted the prisoners in question seemed to have it well in hand.

When the girl was nearly at the underground facility she heard voices, one in particular she was surprised to hear “Iruka-sensei?”

The scarred teacher was exhausted and injured, demanding an explanation from his once-friend. Mizuki on the other hand was covered in black markings akin to the famous curse seal of the Oto ninja. Since Mizuki seemed in a chatty mood Saeko hid and listened, ready to spring in Iruka's defense at the slightest hint of attack.

Just as Saeko was thinking up a plan of attack, already having confirmed Mizuki's allegiance to the late Orochimaru, another chuunin showed up.

Apparently Mizuki's fiancée.

The traitor didn't seem to care and threw her off. Iruka immediately jumped to catch her. Mizuki's seal seemed to have been geared to speed as he immediately appeared behind the scarred chuunin and drop-kicked with massive strength.

Saeko immediately activated her sharingan, making Mizuki's movements easily readable and jumped in the small clearing.

“An Uchiha, huh?” the prisoner grinned in a feral manner, “No matter, nothing can stand against me with Orochimaru's power running through my veins.”

“The Snake is dead, it didn't help him” Saeko said in a disinterested manner, waiting for Iruka and the unnamed female chuunin to clear off.

Mizuki just laughed “You lie. I will just kill you three now and then I can find that Kyuubi brat and have my fun.”

“Naruto beat you when he was still an academy student, the dead last to boot, what do you think you can accomplish now?” the brunette mocked.

The man growled “With this gift I'm ten times stronger!”

“Zero multiplied by ten is still zero” Saeko smirked.

Mizuki growled again. Then chakra seemed to leak out of him as a light purple fire and the black marks on his skin spread rapidly.

Saeko got into a defensive stance, watching as her opponent's body changed. When the curse settled Mizuki looked like a creature from her DADA books - a werewolf. Well, a were-tiger. The Uchiha would've laughed if the situation didn't seem so dire.

She needn't have worried. Mizuki came at her, no style, no techniques, just pure speed and animal like agility. Like Guy on an average day.

As she systematically beat the traitor down she thought “ _Pity Naruto_ _'s_ _not here. I_ _'ll have to write him a letter_.”

“Hm, Saeko-san?”

“Yes, Iruka-sensei?”

“I think he's out” the teacher ventured.

“Oh” Saeko looked down at the bloody mess, “You might be right.”

When the Uchiha dropped Mizuki he proved he was still quite conscious as he started to slowly crawl. Then suddenly the light purple chakra appeared again but this time it seemed to take something from its carrier. In a matter of seconds the huge were-tiger shriveled into a mummy-like man.

“What... what happened! This is the ultimate body Orochimaru-sama gave me!” Mizuki breathed out in panic.

Saeko shrugged “I would say Orochi would mark this experiment as failed.”

Mizuki started retching.

“Let's get him back” Iruka pursed his lips, “The hospital might want to take a look.”

“I'm sure Ibiki will want to take a peek as well, especially after him attacking his people.”

“Ouch”

X

**Konoha Hospital**

“Saeko?”

The Uchiha who had just entered the hospital room just blinked “Ino? Hey.”

“Saeko, darling” Yuuko greeted tiredly from her bed. She smiled and tried to sit “What, no flowers?”

“I'm actually going on a mission in an hour or so I didn't have the time. Besides, you don't seem like that kind of gal” the brunette smirked.

Yuuko scoffed “I'm a Yamanaka, of course I'm that kind of gal.”

Ino who had been observing the byplay pointed an accusing finger at her friend “I knew it! You're totally dating!”

“We are not” her cousin countered, “We are good friends who sometimes fuck.”

“Yuuko!” Ino exclaimed.

 “You could've put it more nicely” Saeko gently admonished.

The older blonde shrugged “I'm too tired for subtlety.”

“I heard what happened from Anko. She had more luck for opponents” the jounin said as she inspected her lover's chart.

“Good for her” Yuuko grumbled, “I just withdrew from one of our jutsus and bam. Bastard got me good.”

“I bet Saeko could kiss it better” Ino smirked.

“Don't be jealous” the interrogator smirked back.

Ino scoffed “Please, Iesada-kun's much cuter.”

“Who?” Saeko asked.

The older blonde rolled her eyes “Some punk chuunin. A pretty-boy. You got him beat, no worry.”

Both Yamanaka girls started arguing, it almost seemed like a habit. Saeko sat down on a chair nearby and enjoyed the show. She knew the girls were family but had no idea they were so close.

“Not again” Yamanaka Inoichi sighed as he stepped into the room. His girls didn't even pause. Saeko shared a long-suffering look with the man. Inoichi sighed once more and sat down next to the Uchiha.

“You're ok?” Saeko asked. She liked the head of the Yamanaka Clan, she talked to him often when she stopped by T&I. Besides, he and the rest of the Ino-Shika-Chou were a blast during the shinobi council sessions.

“I wasn't in the building” Inoichi answered sadly.

“Ibiki?”

“With me. Unfortunately most of the staff on duty were chuunin” the man sighed.

“Were there many casualties?”

Inoichi shook his head “Many injured but only three ninja were killed. The prisoners fared a bit worse. Fortunately none of them had any more useful information.”

“What are you two whispering about” Ino demanded.

“Just the job, sweetheart” her father answered.

Yuuko looked at Saeko “Oh yeah, you did say you are going on a mission. Any fun?”

“I'm tracking Tsunade-hime again” the Uchiha answered.

“Why?” Ino asked.

Saeko shrugged “Can't say.” She was pretty sure Inoichi knew about Orochimaru's super chakra juice but it still was classified. “I'm going with Team 8 though. Kurenai's injured so I'm borrowing them.”

“Cool” the female Yamanaka chorused.

“Speaking of, I need to go” the scarred jounin stood up.

“Bye” said Ino and her father.

“Hey, no kiss?” Yuuko protested.

X

**Naka City, three weeks later**

“You again” Tsunade sighed exasperatedly into her sake.

Saeko smiled “Nice to see you. Love what you have done with your hair.”

“Ugh. What do you want?”

“Oh, you know, the usual - your charm, a try to get you back to Konoha, Orochimaru's latest medical experiment…” the Uchiha prodigy shrugged.

Tsunade grunted and held up her hand. Saeko dug out the formula for the chakra juice from one of the pockets of her jounin flak jacket and gave it to her. The Senju looked it over “I thought ANBU killed my dear teammate.”

“They did, but we are still finding his stuff everywhere” Saeko shrugged.

“Ha” the woman chuckled. “How did you find me anyway?”

Saeko looked over her shoulder to look at Team 8 who was dutifully standing out of the way as instructed. “I would say Konoha superb tracking” the teen began and Kiba puffed out his chest in pride, “But that would not be accurate. Jiraiya's toads helped.” Kiba deflated and Hinata patted his shoulder.

Tsunade hummed “Hyuuga, Inuzuka and Aburame, a specialized tracking team. You think you could find Shizune?”

“You lost her somewhere?” Saeko asked.

“We had to make a hasty exit from the last town” the medic said without much interest.

“You know, I heard that the head of Konoha Hospital makes quite the pretty ryo” the brunette smirked.

“Not a chance gaki”

Saeko laughed and then called over her shoulder “Yo, Team 8!”

“Hai, taichō!”

“Could you please find Tsunade-hime's apprentice and their pet pig” the jounin instructed.

Kiba blinked “Pet pig.”

“Yep”

“Alright. On it” the Inuzuka arched an eyebrow, “That shouldn't be hard to find, right Akamaru?”

“whoof”

Hinata smiled kindly “Do not worry, Tsunade-sama. We will find your apprentice.”

“Then get to it” Tsunade shooed them out.

Team 8 frowned. Well, Kiba frowned, Hinata was too kind to and Shino's face could not be seen, but all of them nodded and exited the inn.

Tsunade's eyes went back to the paper “This one's nasty. But nothing the medics in Konoha couldn't handle.”

Saeko shrugged “Hokage-sama wanted your opinion.”

“Yeah, sure”

“Don't you miss research or something? What do you do with your day anyway?” the jounin said and ordered a drink as well.

“I make myself busy” Tsunade said unashamedly.

“Sound fun”

“Yeah, like ninja life. Killed anyone recently?” the blonde baited.

Saeko made a show of thinking “Actually no. It was all non-lethal lately. Besides, we both know that's not your issue.”

“Whatever”

The Uchiha resigned herself to another fun weekend. At least the booze was good. _'Someone really needs to give this lady a swift kick in the butt and drag her to Konoha. Preferably someone with an excellent healing factor._ '

* * *

**Training Field 22**

…

…

…

*couch, cough*

“I WIN! Mwehahahaha!” Saeko broke into a maniacal laughter. Asuma just glared and continued coughing.

“Told you to lay off the cigarettes, Asuma” Shikamaru spoke up from the sidelines.

Kurenai sighed and moved a shougi piece “I try to get him to quit but sadly so far my effort had been in vain.”

“Fuuton arm-wrestling would work much better with smoke not hindering you Asuma-sensei” Chouji chimed in and opened yet another bag of chips.

“She smokes too!” Asuma pointed a finger at the smirking Uchiha, “And you know I coat my lungs…”

Kurenai scoffed.

“Don't be a sore loser Asuma-sempai” Saeko taunted.

“Again!” the Sarutobi junior said firmly.

“Can your lungs handle it, old man?” Shikamaru called from his game.

The former Guardian scoffed and redrew the line in the dirt he had been pushed over. “Ready?”

“Born ready” the girl replied, “Shika, star it up!”

“Three… Two… One… Start” was the bored reaction.

Both Asuma and Saeko took a deep breath and fired a continuous push of air. Both gusts of wind collided and the battle began.

…

…

…

“Gah!/Cough”

…

“Draw?”

“Draw.”

“You still lose two to one” was Kurenai's helpful shout.

The man frowned, not happy at losing face in front the kunoichi he fancied “Again!”

Saeko sighed “I'm thirsty and actually have work to do. Maybe another time. Thanks for the workout.”

“Come on, just one more”

“Nah” the girl shook her head, “See ya Kurenai-san, Shika, Asuma-sempai.”

“Bye” was the collective reply, even if it was rather sullen on Asuma's part.

Saeko waved and walked out of the clearing, she had already put off doing Hogwarts homework for long enough. Stopping by Naruto's favorite ramen stand for take-out she made her way home.

In her room she unsealed her magic books, parchment and quill, ready to get to work. Until she was plunged into complete darkness. “Nii-san?” she sighed in exasperation.

She was met by silence.

“Seriously, Itachi-nii, the bringer of darkness genjutsu should only be used on the enemy.” When her brother still did not answer she dispelled the illusion. Then twice more - she knew Itachi liked layering his genjutsu. “What gives?”

Itachi entered the room completely and sat beside his sister “Training.”

“I call bullshit”

“I was bored” the ANBU Captain shrugged.

“Go bug someone else, I've got stuff to do”

“I had a small disagreement with Mihane-chan”

Saeko narrowed her eyes and glared “What did you do?”

“Nothing”

“Go apologize”

“You don't even know what happened”

“It doesn't really matter. Just say the words every woman loves to hear” the girl said sagely.

Itachi's brow furrowed “I love you?”

“That too. I was thinking more like 'I was wrong'” Saeko advised.

“… Hn”

“So, what happened? Did she start redecorating your room? I know how touchy you are about that”

“No”

“Confess your sins” the girl prompted.

“She likes raisins in her oatmeal”

After a beat of silence Saeko glared “Get out, I need to do actual serious stuff.”

“Then it kinda spiraled and…”

“Out!”


	75. 5- 75 Old Grudges

 

Saeko leisurely made her way through the train, looking for her friends. She had arrived rather early but wasn't in the mood for a tea or anything else from the small café on the end of the platform. She was near the end of the train when she spotted a familiar blonde immersed in a book. “Yo!”

“Hey” Helena said looking up from her literature.

“How was Germany?”

“Not bad but that was mostly business. We took a trip to Prague afterwards through, for the Alchemist Expo. That was amazing.”

“Was Flamel there?” the brunette asked, thinking it would be a fun coincidence.

“Nope, pity that. Got quite the shopping done in Faust's Quarter at least”

“That's like Diagon Alley of the Czech Republic, right?”

“In muggle geography, yes” Helena nodded, “I love it there. Father too, he loves alchemy and Prague in the capital of it. Nice architecture too - very gothic.”

“Sounds nice”

The pureblood nodded “How was Konoha?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. We had a small situation regarding a prison break but it was swiftly handled. I also got to know my brother's fiancée a bit better. I like her”

“That's good” Helena smiled but then sighed, “Little sis has a crush in Beauxbatons and I'm not impressed. I hope it passes.”

“What's wrong with him? Or her?” Saeko's eyes sparkled.

“Hold your rainbow, it's a boy. For one he's older and has this 'bad boy' image going on” the blonde gritted her teeth.

“Ah”

“Speaking of, I got another marriage proposal” Helena pursed her lips in disgust, “I feel like a prize horse.”

Saeko shrugged “The price you pay for a big business empire. My summer was calm on that front - Itachi-nii's betrothal has the Clan appeased for the moment.”

“They'll try to find you a man or a woman? Is gay marriage even legal in Konoha?” the Grey asked.

The ninja shrugged “When I'm Hokage I'll make it legal.”

“That works” Helena laughed.

“What does?” a voice came from the door to the compartment.

“Daniel” Saeko said in greeting.

“Well hello, Mr prefect” Helena smiled.

The bespectacled teen grinned widely “Hey girls.”

The trio chatted about their summer as they waited for the rest of their little group.

Ashley and Peter were the last to arrive as usual. When the duo entered, everybody's eyes were drawn to Ash.

Caitlin was the first to react “Cool hair.”

“It's pink” Helena said flatly.

“I like it” Paddy complimented.

“Thanks” Ash grinned and flicked her new pale pink locks.

“At least it's not bright bubblegum pink” the Grey heiress acquiesced.

“I think it's nice” Saeko shared her opinion.

Graham nodded “It clashes a bit with that new shiny badge of yours.”

“Nah, you're just jealous of my new bathroom” Ash winked.

“Of course I am” Graham admitted freely. His reply was almost drowned in a sudden shrill whistle that signalized their departure was imminent.

“How does it work? Do we just go to the front of the train and find the other prefects?” Ashley asked.

Daniel nodded “Yeah. Front carriage, first compartment.”

“We came so late because Ash wanted to change into her robes. What a drag” Peter shared. The new pinkette swatted his arm.

Helena whipped out her little black book “Go already, I need to know who the other prefects are.”

“Someone actually bet on that?” Ash arched her eyebrows.

“Sure” the blonde shrugged.

The pinkette rolled her eyes “Come on Daniel, now I kinda want to know too.”

Daniel obliged and the two newly appointed prefects left.

“So, let's see who guessed Daniel and Ashley” Helena hummed.

X

“Ted Hewlett and Heidi Bright for Hufflepuff, Roland deLuise and Irene Bass for Gryffindor, Lachlan Kerr and Aurora Gallaher for the Snakes. And of course, us” Daniel reported as soon as he and Ashley stepped into the compartment.

“So nobody surprising” Caitlin summed it up.

“Aurora and Kerr are going to be insufferable - they seem to think they just got crowned king and queen of Hogwarts” Ashley rolled her eyes.

“We'll just sic Saeko at them” Paddy smirked.

Graham grinned “Yeah, she can glare them to death.”

The Uchiha smirked proudly “Just point me at them. Besides I have to practice, Bright is a perfect too.”

“What did she ever do to you?” Daniel asked.

“She's annoying” the ninja shrugged.

“That bitch” Daniel deadpanned.

Helena smirked “At least deLuise is going to be fun, he and Daniel can bond over their new stations.”

“He's not into me, stop saying that!” the bespectacled teen turned a deep shade of red.

“Daniel and Roland sitting in a tree…” Ashley and Peter started singing but fell silent when the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.

“Good afternoon,” Lachlan Kerr said after entering without invitation, “just checking that everything's alright - like a good prefect should.”

Ash refused to be baited “You make a good point, we'll do a round in a little while.”

“Glad someone's reasonable, professor Flitwick chose well. For a second there I was concerned that Uchiha got the badge. Then again, she is always so difficult” Aurora said disdainfully.

Saeko smirked “Really? I heard I was rather easy.” The Ravens chuckled.

 “At least you are aware of that. How unseemly” Aurora sniffed.

“Oh,” the nin made a crestfallen face, “does that mean we will not be making sweet, sweet love in the prefect's hot tub?”

“Ugh” the female Slytherin said in disgust.

Lachlan had a rather dreamy expression which was immediately stomped out by his fellow Slytherin's glare. The same thing happened with Graham and Helena. Paddy was out of the blonde's range so he permitted himself a lecherous chuckle.

Aurora huffed and took off, Kerr hurrying behind her.

Saeko pouted “Something I said?”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Well, that explains the books” Peter said as he took a look at the professor's table.

“Gilderoy Lockhart” Caitlin said, venom in her voice.

“Not impressed?” Paddy asked, looking at the teacher in question.

“He might have a handsome smile and gorgeous hair but I read the books. What a pile of dragon dung” the Irish girl sneered.

“There seems to be a number of discrepancies” Saeko agreed.

Ash hummed thoughtfully “The books might be horrible but his feats are impressive.”

“He claims to have turned back a werewolf” Caitlin deadpanned

“There are legends about several ancient artifacts that could do precisely that. Maybe he found one” the pinkette shrugged.

“He wrote he used a spell” the red-head countered.

“I wouldn't advertise I'm in possession of such artifact either” Ash replied, steadfast in her theory.

Caitlin let it go “Whatever.”

“We'll see how he teaches” Daniel said firmly, seeking to end the discussion for sure.

“I don't like him” Graham announced, “Such a pretty-boy.”

The discussion continued but Saeko was not really interested - she was busy scanning the crowd. It looked like everybody, save the firsties, was in the Hall but with one big exception - Potter was MIA.

She had already summoned Skygge prior to entering the Castle so she would've got an alert if her mark was in danger. But still.

Her worry grew as professor McGonagall led the first-years to be sorted. Name after name was called and the Boy-Who-Lived was still absent.

Finally just after Dumbledore gave his speech, Potter and his red-headed side-kick slithered into the Great Hall. Saeko sighed in relief, even if the ninja was only liable for Potter at Hogwarts. If the boy got in trouble before she would've been fine. Still, she was curious about what happened.

When everybody was stuffed, dessert included, the Headmaster rose up again and bid everybody goodnight.

Daniel and Ashley jumped up from their seats and went to herd the first year Ravens. Saeko took the opportunity to lose herself in the crowd - she wanted to go somewhere she could hear her summon's report.

When Saeko reached a secluded balcony Skygge's shadow clone landed on her shoulder. “So?”

“Potter missed the train, took Weasley's car, crash-landed and encountered Filch and Snape” Skygge reported succinctly.

“Why? How? What do you mean crash-landed?”

“The car flew” was the dry reply.

“Fantastic” Saeko pinched the bridge of her nose, “So he's alright?”

“Seems so. I'll report further as the story develops” the raven smirked.

“You do that”

The chakra construct dissipated and Saeko shook her head - Potter always had to be in the centre of something.

Saeko made her way to the Ravenclaw common room. She answered the guardian's question and entered, only to see a big crowd that surrounded two fighting 11-year old girls, complete with scratching and pulling of hair.

“The fuck?” the kunoichi asked just as Ashley and Daniel each grabbed a firstie and tried to pry them apart.

“One's a MacDonald and the other's a Campbell” one of the younger years replied.

“And that matters because…?”

“Massacre of Glen Coe. The muggle clan Campbell sought refuge under the MacDonald roof, quite a sacred thing I'm told, and broke their trust by massacrating them all. The descendants of the survivors now hate everyone of that name, related to that Clan or not. I wouldn't know it but mother's from the Highlands.”

“Ah”

“Yeah, the Scottish sure like their grudges” the boy shrugged.

“What's going on!” a strong voice demanded from the entrance.

“Professor Flitwick!” everybody snapped up. Even the two girls stopped squirming in the prefect's holds.

The problem was quickly explained and the Charm's master frowned “You are both Ravenclaws now. I will not stand for infighting! Leave your past in the past and help shape the future.”

Both girls seemed a bit ashamed and nodded.

Flitwick smiled tightly “You may not get along but you will be civilized. Yes?”

“Yes”

“Excellent! Now…” the professor continued with his usual speech.

As Saeko climbed the stair to her room she had to admit she was impressed how her Head of House handled the situation. The rest of the Ravens seemed to agree, especially Ashley and Daniel who still stood warily besides the two warring parties.

Much later, when Ash returned to their room, Saeko grinned at her friend's exhausted face “Hell of a first day as peacekeeper, huh?”

“Oh, shut up” was the very irritated reply.

X

**The Next Day**

“Wakey, wakey” Saeko shouted at her roommate.

Ashley turned on her other side and made a distressed sound. The Uchiha shook her head “I let you sleep longer than usual, come on, wake up.”

The pinkette buried her face deeper in her pillow “I can't get out of bed. These blankets have accepted me as one of their own and if I leave now I might lose their trust.”

“Oookey” Saeko said and swiftly stole her friend's blanket, “Hope today will not be as exciting as last night. It was fun though.”

Ash opened an eye and glared.

“The prefects bathroom will cheer you right up, make sure to take a relaxing bath tonight” Saeko continued merrily.

The glare lessened.

“You will need it, this week you escort the first-years around”

Glaring intensifies.

“Well, I'm going to breakfast. I will make sure they don't run out of coffee”

Ashley opened both her eyes “Wait.” Saeko smirked.

Twenty minutes later the pinkette wrapped her hands around a steamy mug of coffee like it held the secret to life itself. Helena rolled her eyes. Peter chuckled “Oh, come on, Helena. Look at how happy she is.”

“Hmmm” Ash just smacked her lips in delight.

The blonde heiress rolled her eyes one more time. This time it was Graham who chuckled “Maybe we should get Helena coffee as well, she's been in quite a mood this evening.”

“Psh” Helena scoffed and took a sip of her tea.

“Well, Helena did have some not so nice things to say about poor Jane Marlowe” Daniel joined on in the ribbing.

“Oh, please, look at her. Did she have her vacation in a fridge?” the pureblood huffed.

The Ravens dissolved into laughter. Finally Saeko calmed enough to say “She _is_ a bit easier to see than last year.”

Their laughing was interrupted by several paper planes that were the new time tables. Seeing their full days doused the student's merriment quite abruptly.

Paddy glared at the piece of parchment “I bet the OWLs and working hard will be mentioned first thing.”

“Sucker bet, we have McGonagall first” Caitlin sighed.

“Well, there is no reason to put this off” Daniel stood up.

“Our first class or you babysitting the first-years?” Saeko asked angelically.

“Go to hell”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, children are mean. It happens.


	76. 5- 76 Difference in Class

_'_ _What is Gilderoy Lockhart_ _'s favorite color?'_

_'What is_ _Gilderoy Lockhart_ _'s secret ambition?'_

_'What, in your opinion, is_ _Gilderoy Lockhart_ _'s greatest achievement to date?'_

_'When is_ _Gilderoy Lockhart_ _'s birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?'_

When the fifth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had entered Lockhart's classroom most of them were curious about their new professor. Some of the Puff girls were quite dreamy eyed while the boys were rather surly. Michelle and her posse were quite excited as well but they, as well as the rest of the Ravens, were wary. Prior to their first DADA class Ashley and Caitlin made good points about the handsome teacher and the House of the Witted officially withheld judgment.

Until now.

Now, after reading his 'quiz', the opinions were steered towards mildly disgusted. Poor Michelle looked like someone just broke her heart.

“Why isn't everyone writing?” Lockhart asked in genuine puzzlement, “It will not be graded, do not worry.”

Graham looked like he was about to throw up. Suddenly though he smirked and started writing frantically.

Paddy leaned in to look at the answers over his friend's shoulder and chuckled. At this everybody could guess the nature of Graham's answers and kinda hoped Lockhart will be reading them out loud later.

It didn't take long and the scraping of quills on parchment stopped. The works were quickly collected and the 'winner of the most handsome smile' looked them over.

The little Ravenclaw poker group held their breath. Lockhart did not disappoint.

“Tut, tut, barely any of you remembered my favorite color is lilac - I say so clearly in _Year with a Yeti_ ” the professor reproached. After he leafed some more he looked crestfallen “And surely it's not baby-shit brown.”

Graham smirked proudly while most of the class tried not to chuckle.

“Miss Farrow correctly remembered the greatest gift I would want is harmony between all peoples” Lockhart beamed while Michelle, the unfortunate author, covered her eyes and slumped into her seat.

“And of course my greatest ambition is ridding rid world of evil” the man smiled brilliantly.

Paddy fake-coughed _“Pretentious”_

Lockhart ignored him as he was looking again at the papers “I really don't know how anyone could think it was getting breast implants.”

“Or…” the teacher began and then turned beet red.

Graham and Paddy high-fived quietly.

Lockhart couched uncomfortably “Well, I will need time to go thought this. Class dismissed for today.

The students gratefully collected their things and left the classroom. Among the Ravens Peter summed up their feelings perfectly “I was never so glad for OWLs - we won't be graded by this fool for our final marks.”

“Merlin, what an idiot” Caitlin shook her head in exasperation.

“I miss Deirdre” Saeko said sadly.

“Hot _and_ capable” Graham sighed.

The Ravens nodded sagely.

“And those leathers she wore…” Paddy shared dreamily.

“Pig” Ash rolled her eyes.

“She was rather sexy” Helena said nonchalantly. Everybody looked at her, eyebrows arched. The blonde just shrugged “What? While I would not shag her it doesn't mean I can't find her objectively beautiful.”

Caitlin hummed “True.”

“Not you too” the pinkette of the party sighed.

Saeko grinned “That's right girls, come to the rainbow side.”

Ashley rolled her eyes “Do you think we should go to Flitwick about this idiot?”

“I think there will be a line” Peter said.

“Was Dumbledore really that desperate to appoint Lockhart as one of his teachers?” Daniel asked.

Paddy shrugged “On paper he looks legit.”

“His books portray him far from legit” Caitlin grumbled.

“He might be a tosser but I look forward to his interaction with the others. I imagine there will be much fun to be had in the professor's lounge” Graham said with a malicious smile.

Helena rubbed her hands in anticipation “I can make a betting pool on which professor will take him out. And the method.”

“Snape, two weeks, poison! Five galleons” Paddy shot out immediately.

“Too obvious, Dumbledore will keep an eye on him. I bet McGonagall snaps, turn him into a mouse and eat him” Graham said with a glint in his eye.

“Disgusting” Ashley pursed her lips, “It will be Sprout. It's always the quiet ones. I give her three months before she arranges a _Venomous Tentacula_ to be delivered to Lockhart's bedside table.”

“Oh, I like it” Helena uncharacteristically grinned and whipped out her little black book.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Gather round, kids!” Saeko announced.

Jared seemed amused but obliged as did Roger, Caitlin and Cho. The ninja spread her arms as in an embrace and said “This is the new Eagles.”

“Wait, I thought we were going to try-out anyway” Roger Davies said with a frown. He was the one who changed the most over the summer holidays - the boy looked like he did nothing else but exercise. Now that he buffed up considerably he seemed to gain quite a bit of confidence.

“I changed my mind,” Saeko shrugged, “it would be too much hassle. Though I hope the threat made you train hard during the holidays.”

The Team's no-longer-juniors nodded.

“Subarashii!” the ninja smirked, “So now all we need is a new keeper and a chaser.”

“No reserves this time?” Caitlin asked.

“We'll see if we can find a future replacement for Jared” the Uchiha nodded.

“Oh” Jared said with a theatrically grief-stricken face “You're going to leave me just like that? Like all our years together didn't matter?”

“C'est la vie”

Jared started fake-sobbing on Rodger's shoulder. The younger Raven patted his hair and said “There, there.” Cho giggled.

Saeko grinned “Now, I want to see where we stand before we do the try-outs. Before we start I just want to ask if anybody replaced their broom. Nimbus 2001 is out and the previous versions got a bit cheaper.”

The Eagles shook their heads.

“Pity. Well, ability beats broom every time anyway” Saeko nodded, “Something you should keep well in mind since the entire Slytherin quidditch team has the 2001s.”

“WHAT!”

“Yup” the Uchiha prodigy confirmed solemnly.

“That's not fair!” “You sure?” “How do you know?” the team exploded into questions.

Saeko held up her hand to silence her teammates “Little Malfoy really wanted onto the team so daddy Malfoy bought seven pricy brooms.”

“What a prick” Caitlin sneered.

“Which position did he get?” Jared asked.

“He's an attention seeking brat who's obsessed with Potter. What do you think?”

“Seeker” the rest chorused with a nod.

“Indeed” Saeko smirked and turned to Cho, “I have full confidence you can beat a bought-in seeker.”

“Sure thing” the petite Asian girl said despite being a bit uncertain.

Jared put a hand on her shoulder “We will soften him up a bit. I'm quite looking forward to that.” Everybody grinned.

“Is he any good?” Roger asked.

“I don't know” the captain shrugged, “We'll see.”

“Your spies didn't catch that?” Jared smirked.

“Nope” Saeko smirked back, “Ok, let's test you lot. If you can't keep up because you got sloppy during the holidays you will feel my wrath.”

“You're horrible” Caitlin shook her head.

The Uchiha smiled angelically “I happen to know that Oliver Wood has reserved the pitch for his team to train for tomorrow at five o'clock. How about that?”

“Is he mad? That's before the crack of dawn!” Roger exclaimed.

“I bet you love me now” Saeko smirked.

“We love you taichō!” the team chorused.

“And don't you forget it”

* * *

**Runes Classroom**

“Welcome to OWL level Runes” professor Babbling began, “This year will be a little bit different than the previous ones in several ways.”

“The first difference is obvious - at the end of the year there will be no regular exams but the OWL examinations instead. This will be reflected in the curriculum. We will be studying new things but the second semester will be dedicated almost solely to revision.”

“That said for NEWT level Runes I will only be accepting students who got Exceeded Expectations or better. Just to check, who among you is intending to continue the subject?”

Everybody's hands went up, even if some people did so only out of politeness. Even Isolde looked exasperated but determined.

“Excellent” the teacher smiled, “I will expect the very best from you.”

“Now, to the second big difference. I will be assigning a big project due just before Christmas”

Groans all around.

“Yes, yes indeed” Babbling smiled, “For this project I would like you to work in pairs and before you start looking around I will be determining those pairs.”

Groans were heard again, only Lauren seemed mildly pleased since the probability of working with the slacking Isolde was lowered considerably.

Peter's hand rose “How will you be deciding those pairs?”

“Compatibility and ability” the woman explained, “I tried to pair you so you should get along fine and that nobody should ride the other's tail”

The class nodded unsurely.

Babbling retrieved a roll of parchment from her desk and started reading the pairs.

Peter sighed inconspicuously when he got partnered with Aaron Sadiq, the loner of Ravenclaw House. Isolde got Joanne Harwich, Ashley Weir got the boisterous Gryffindor Neal O´Rourke. Damian Mallory, a Slytherin, pompously nodded when he was read together with Helena. The blonde rolled her eyes.

“Saeko Uchiha with Lauren Lewis”

“ _Nice_ ” the ninja thought and turned to smile at the red-head who only nodded approvingly. Saeko did figure she would most likely end up with her Slytherin friend - both were at the top of the class, joined only by Helena and Aaron. Since most professors seemed to like inter-house cooperation Lauren was an obvious choice.

The rest of the pairs were read, among them Daniel who got partnered with Mark Paxton, another Gryffindor, coincidentally Ashley's partner's best friend.

 “Any issues?” the teacher concluded, “And I mean _serious_ issues.”

Some people were clearly unhappy with their partners but nobody spoke up.

Babbling clapped her hands together and beamed “Excellent! Now, what's this project about.” After a dramatic pause she announced “Runic wards.”

The class murmured in excitement.

“I know, I know. Cool, isn't it?” Babbling grinned, “Runic application is NEWT level so take it as practice. Also you are free to do whatever, use any language or any theory - just write up why do you think it should work.”

“Your goal is to protect an imaginary room. Quite like the funeral chambers in Egypt. Use as many layers of protection as you want.”

“Also I should stress that this assignment is purely theoretical. Do not, and I repeat do NOT engrave any runes anywhere. If you don't get blown up you'll get expelled. Is that clear?”

“Yes professor” the class chorused.

“Great. Feel free to divide your work as you see fit but let me mention that layers made by different authors without communication can result in the aforementioned explosion.

Babbling waited for everybody to acknowledge the point and then continued “You can also come to me with questions but don't expect me to do your work for you.”

“Now, you've got an hour to discuss things with your partner. Draw up a plan. Regular lessons resume next week.”

After a big shuffling of chairs the students sat in the prescribed pairs. Saeko turned to Lauren and smiled.

The red-head nodded “You'll do.”


	77. 5- 77 Step Up

 

“Graham, are you alright, man?” Peter asked worriedly.

“What do you think?” the boy in question shot back sullenly.

Ashley rolled her eyes at her childhood friend in reproach and then turned back to Graham “We can get you ice cream for dinner.”

Graham bared his teeth “I'm not a chick! I can handle break-ups without any props!”

“You're turning down ice cream? The house elves make a mean one” Daniel tempted.

“I didn't say that…”

Caitlin laughed and clapped her friend's shoulder “Myra was nothing special, we'll find you a better lass. One that's not idiot enough to dump you.”

“So we officially hate Myra now?” the Uchiha asked cheerily.

“Isn't that what we did from the start?” Helena muttered and got elbowed by Daniel.

Graham glared, torn between sadness and anger “I think I should find better friends.”

“Oh, come on. I broke up with Leroy too. Does it make you feel better?” Caitlin shared.

Ashley flashed to the red-head's side “You did?”

“Aye”

“Why didn't you say anything before?” the pinkette asked.

Caitlin shrugged. Graham sighed “At least you did the dumping.”

“It does help” the girl hummed, “It also helps I got asked out by Noel Woofbridge.”

Paddy blinked “That's fast.”

“Well, you are rather hot” Saeko looked her friend over.

“And I'm not?” Graham pouted, well enough to joke.

The ninja smirked “You're not really my type, sugar.”

“That hurts”

Helena rolled her eyes “Who's Woofbridge, the name actually sound familiar.”

“Sixth year” Caitlin shrugged.

“Raven” Ashley nodded in recognition, “Smart fellow, silly mustache.”

“I said yes” the Irish girl clarified.

“Get him to shave” Helena rolled her eyes yet again.

Paddy smirked “I think it suits him, with a pansy name like Noel.”

“I've concluded your break up with Leroy in fact does not make me feel any better” Graham grumbled.

“Ice cream it is!” Ashley clapped her hands together.

The boy sighed “Let's just go to Potions.”

“You think Snape will cheer you up?” Peter chuckled.

“You could play hooky if you wanted. We'll cover you” Saeko shrugged.

Graham shook his head “Nah, thanks though. I'm not a delicate flower.”

“Oke dokey”

X

**Potions Classroom**

“I've changed my mind, let's blow this joint” Graham muttered as professor Snape terrorized two Hufflepuffs nearly to tears.

“Too late” Paddy whispered back.

“I said fresh mint! Fresh! How much of a dunderhead can you be miss Siler? That's ten points off Hufflepuff” the potions master exclaimed in irritation as he observed the work of the next pair.

“Shush!” Helena glared at the boys, “We've already lost 20 points and about to lose more.”

“Have faith”

“Yeah, right. Just shut up” the blonde urged.

“When did you bother last to check the fire's temperature, miss Gilmore?” Snape barked at the Ravenclaw.

“Told ya” Helena muttered.

“Ten points from Ravenclaw. Anything to add, miss Grey?” the sneering professor turned to the blonde heiress.

Helena shook her head “No sir. I merely asked miss Uchiha to look over my calculations of the dosage of bat blood.”

Snape took two big strides and peered into the duo's cauldron. He sneered “Passable. If you focus it might even not blow up in your faces.”

Taking it for the compliment it was, Saeko and Helena just nodded and went back to work.

When a foul smell suddenly permeated the classroom Snape closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his hooked nose “I'm looking forward to not seeing the majority of you next year. As I have already informed all my students, I only accept those who achieve Outstanding in their OWLs. With the rate you are progressing I anticipate only a handful of you bothering me next year.”

The horrid smell lingered. Snape snapped his eyes open, growled, and vanished the poor Puffs' concoction “You two get out. Twenty points from Hufflepuff.”

Graham leaned over his cauldron to whisper to Helena “Ironic that we are brewing the Calming Draught, huh?”

* * *

**Helena's Room**

“You are getting _really_ good” Saeko commented as she looked over Helena's shoulder at her painting.

“Thanks” the blonde nodded, still concentrating on her art.

“You sure it's not the beer talking?” Ashley said loudly from her seat on Michelle's bed.

Helena shot the pinkette a dirty look. Saeko chuckled “I'm on my second. Far from having my artistic sense impaired.”

“It's only miss Weir then” Helena said with a smirk as she applied red paint with a thin brush.

“Bollocks”

Amused by the byplay Saeko shook her head again and went to sit on Helena's bed. The owner turned and pointed her brush at Saeko “Ah ah ah. Sit on Michelle's bed.”

“Why?” the Uchiha arched an eyebrow.

“Really? Your hair is dripping wet and I like my covers warm and dry” Helena rolled her eyes.

Saeko run her hand through said hair “Hello, fifth-year Hogwarts student? I can dry your cozy bed afterwards.”

Helena pointed at her roomie's side of the room, the one brimming with posters, and ordered “Sit.”

“You know, today I had dozens of people bending to my will, ready to act on my every whim, all gazing adoringly at me” the raven summoner grumbled but complied.

“I'm not a perspective quidditch player, hoping to make the Team” Helena shot back.

“How that went anyway?” Ashley asked, “The try-outs took forever.”

“We had a small practice afterwards” Saeko explained, “And it went well enough. I got the chaser and keeper I needed. No junior beater though.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“So who is it?” the pinkette pressed.

Saeko laid down on the bed and put her feet onto Ashley's lap “Yet another James for keeper - James Carter, fourth year. Not as good as McPherson was but trainable. We'll get him up to snuff.”

“Oh yeah, I know him. He's really small, isn't he?” Ash hummed.

The sharingan user smirked “That's him. He's really sensitive about it though. He'll do well.”

“I know him too” Helena surprisingly said.

“For real?” the half-blood arched an eyebrow.

“Yes. He does nearly as much exercising as Saeko. Overcompensation at its finest” the blonde smirked.

Ashley laughed “Too true. And the chaser?”

“Jaden Byrd, third year. I like him, he seems funny. Not as funny as Rory and co though but he might be an even better chaser than them. Individually, that is. I'll need to work on his teamwork”

The pinkette hummed “How come he wasn't in your juniors if he's so good?”

“He was sick when I held the trials last year” Saeko frowned, “I would've liked to have had the chance to mold him into the team.”

“How do you rate our chances?” Helena spoke up from her painting.

“We are going to win again, of course. I'm offended” the brunette pouted.

“Good odds then?”

Ashley rolled her eyes and then patted Saeko's legs “That's great, I love winning both the House and Quidditch Cups.”

“The only blemish on our House being the current second years” Helena reminded.

“Oh yeah” Ash frowned, “Hermione Granger stealing the number 1 status.”

The blonde nodded “The second years better get a move on, this hasn't happened in years.”

“Let's just hope the first years set it right again” Saeko said in a placating manner.

Helena arched an eyebrow “You mean the two Scottish girls who beat each other up the first day? Or perhaps you mean Loony Lovegood?”

“That's mean” the pinkette reproached.

“Luna is a kunai short of a full set but academically she does very well” Saeko shrugged, “Besides, I kanda like her.”

“Then you are strange too” the Grey rolled her eyes.

“She's funny you have to admit that. Also I think she would fit among the jounin back home just fine” the ninja grinned.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. Most jounin are a bit nuts. It just manifests differently”

“What is your rank again?” Helena raised an eyebrow.

“Jounin” Saeko grinned even more widely.

“Ah,” the blonde nodded, “that explains quite a bit.”

The raven summoner laughed “It does, doesn't it?”

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

After finishing the outlining of a possible first layer of protection for their 'little closet' Lauren sighed as she dropped her quill “I'm really glad you're my partner.”

“Me too” Saeko smiled. Then she asked a question that has been burning in her mind for a while “Why though? I mean I know I'm smart and all around amazing but you don't seem to get along with the majority of people.”

The Slytherin considered how to reply, or more like how much to censor “I guess you were right last year, I _am_ guarded. Also most people bore me or are outright dumb. Or have dumb preoccupations - like what dress to wear at the Ministry's ball this Yule.”

Saeko nodded and finished Lauren's thought in her mind “ _While you have bigger worries, like your dear fam_.” Out loud she said “I've heard plenty of talk about politics among the Slytherins - that's not trivial.”

“We tend to have different views” the Brit shrugged.

“Because you don't really care about people” the ninja smirked.

“Right” Lauren's lips twitched from a suppressed smile.

“So what topic of conversation would you fancy?”

“Philosophy, psychology, sociology, history and so on. But without being pretentious about it. I don't care about sounding educated or wise. I just like the challenge of a debate” the red-head shrugged.

“I enjoy debate too” Saeko hummed, finally figuring out her friendship with the mysterious Slytherin.

“That's why I tolerate you”

“Just tolerate?” the Raven pouted.

“If you want an upgrade you'll have to work for it” Lauren smirked

“Challenge accepted”

The red-head shrugged “Let's plan the second layer so we've got a foundation for our next study session.”

Saeko ignored the suggestion “Hey, why you want to be a healer? I know we talked about it before but you always gave a half-assed answer. You know a healer has to deal with people, right?”

“I like the challenge it poses”

“Half-assed”

Lauren gave her a look that clearly meant 'deal with it'. “So the second layer. I was thinking fire - you seem to have a knack for it.”

“I do love fire” Saeko grinned and resigned herself to talking shop.

“Pyromaniac”

“So I'm told”

 


	78. 5- 78 Battle Strategy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A bit of a silly chapter, but I wanted them to have some fun before canon comes back swinging

**North Part of Hogwarts Castle, currently vacant**

“Pyro to Skydiver, copy. Over” Saeko said into her radio.

“Skydiver in position” came the reply amidst the static.

“Hold position. Over”

 “Those walkies talkies are awesome. How did you make them Saeko?” Graham whispered as he crouched beside the ninja

“I didn't. I borrowed them from home”

“Oh, right. Soldier family”

Cho Chang shot the speaking boy a pointed glare “Pssht”

“Sorry”

“Pssht” the whole team reminded him in chorus.

Saeko peeked from around the wall “Target acquired. Skydiver, diversion!”

Caitlin's part of the team, designation Skydiver, let out a battle cry and vaulted over their cover. With their shields up the group attacked their enemies.

The group of sixth years returned fire.

As they were focused at Skydiver Saeko looked at the shimmer that was her group and tapped the wall gently. The taps came back. _Three, two, one…_

“DEPINGO!” team Pyro shouted in unison as they disillusioned behind their enemies’ backs.

The sixth years were caught unaware, their shield covering only their fronts and the barrage of paint got them unimpeded. The shocked, now bright purple, Ravens cursed.

The ghost of the Fat Friar, who served as referee for the occasion, smiled widely “The battle has ended! The Admirals are the victors!”

Saeko, Caitlin and the rest of the 'Admirals' let out a loud cheer. The sixth years shook their heads in disappointment and sheathed their wands.

Paddy grinned “Remind me to give Keller a hug! Not even a Head Boy badge could damp his coolness!”

“And to Flitwick for agreeing” Caitlin reminded.

“I would dare anyone say anything about nerdy and uncool Ravens now” Roger exclaimed.

Saeko hummed “To be fair most of our housemates are still in the Tower. Reading, I would wager.”

“I really don't get why,” Graham shook his head, “this was awesome! I would take paintball over studying any day of the week.”

“Come on, let's go” Saeko gathered her team, “Our prize is waiting in the Common Room.”

“And adulation!” Graham grinned.

Caitlin rolled her eyes “I think the most we could get from our less active housemates is applause. And that's pushing it.”

“We get a party when we win at quidditch”

“That gets points. And it's popular” the Irish girl shot him down again.

As the little group argued on the way home Saeko got reminded of her first 'tora' mission with her genin team. She and the older teammates argued as they chased the elusive cat. Well, Saeko did not argue, she just glared at everybody Uchiha style. The chase had been endless and horribly frustrating, quite the opposite of today's paintball victory. That said, the Brits were not really a challenge, untrained as they were.

“Pity we could not use the portraits as spies” Daniel remarked and pulled Saeko from her reverie. The ninja was very impressed with her friend's thinking.

Cho shrugged “Flitwick used them to observe the battle. Besides, that would not be fair.”

“If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactic sucks” Saeko quoted one of her earliest ninja lessons.

“Cheery as always” Daniel chuckled.

The Uchiha smirked and then turned to her quidditch teammates “Cho, Roger, thank you for filling up the empty spots in my team.”

“I think we did more than that” Roger arched an eyebrow.

“That you did” Saeko chuckled, “Excellent job.”

“Thanks” the Ravenclaw seeker blushed.

Daniel nodded “Who knew that getting seven able bodies would be so hard.”

“Nerdy Ravens” Graham said in explanation.

“True”

Team 'Admirals' swiftly made their way to the Tower and through the guardian. On the other side they saw a widely grinning Head Boy “The portraits said you were amazing! Who knew the late Ser Angus was such a talented commentator!”

Professor Flitwick chuckled “It was an interesting change of pace. Though I think I will get scolded in the next teacher's meeting.”

“Sounds lewd” Graham whispered and got a swift kick for his troubles, courtesy of Saeko.

“So, contestants, gather up!” the Charms master called.

The fighters, all of them still more or less covered in paint went to stand before Flitwick who surveyed them rather proudly “Life in this school is filled with learning and many other wonderful things. Oftentimes it can become a bit monotonous. Such events like this one can break the routine and are a healthy distraction. Especially if they involve some exercise this House often lacks.”

There were some chuckles from the still sitting Ravenclaws.

“I think it would be wonderful if our House made events similar to this one an annual matter” Flitwick finished and turned toward the head Boy with a nod.

Keller took over enthusiastically “Alright! So this year's 'exciting thing' event winners is the team that calls itself the Admirals! A big applause for Cho Chang, Roger Davies, Daniel Fairbanks, Patrick Walsh, Caitlin O'Shea, Graham Gifford, all under the command of Saeko Uchiha!”

Among the mild applause Graham bowed theatrically. The rest of the paintball team either chuckled or shook their heads, but all of them followed suit.

Flitwick actually squealed and made a little hop.

“I love this” Paddy murmured.

“Who doesn't”

“I look forward to next year”

“If nothing interferes with the event”

“Like what?”

* * *

**Castle Grounds**

Saeko was returning from her run, an actual run this time, jogging lightly to calm down. She was near the Hogwarts greenhouses when she noticed Potter and Lockhart talking. The boy seemed torn between being angry, disgusted and humiliated, no doubt on the receiving end of yet another 'celebrity lesson'.

Potter noticed her first and showed quite a presence of mind when he called onto her “Uchiha! Thank God!” Then he turned to the DADA teacher “I beg your pardon professor, but my quidditch captain asked me to relay a very important message.”

Lockhart a bit put out but still gave a brilliant smile “Of course my boy. And miss Uchiha. I too wanted to speak to you. I hear your name quite often from the faculty.”

Potter's eyes glinted “On the other hand the message can wait. I leave you to it professor. Bye!”

As The-boy-Who-Lived retreated as fast as he could without appearing to run Lockhart's attention focused on the Uchiha. _“I'll strangle the brat”_

“Miss Uchiha, may I call you Saeko? I…”

“No” the brunette said frostily, “That would be very improper. I am lady and you are my teacher and several years older than me. It could be misconstrued.”

The professor deflated as he caught the girl's meaning and the possible blow to his reputation “Of course! I apologize most profoundly. I merely wanted to offer myself as a mentor. I have heard you are the number one student in your year since you stepped into this school. But I have noticed you don't have such a firm grasp on my class. Defense Against…”

Saeko did not interrupt this time, just exposed him to the might of the Uchiha Glare and a tiny amount of killing intent. Lockhart's voice waned on its own.

When the Brit fell silent Saeko smiled tightly “I apologize but I'm in the middle of my training regime. I really need to go back to it.”

Lockhart just nodded, a little pale.

Saeko smirked in satisfaction and ran to the Castle. She caught up with Potter on the stairs “That was downright vile.”

The second-year got startled “I'm really sorry, but I needed to get away.”

“That I understand”

“How did you get him to release you so quickly?” Harry asked, eager for tips.

The kunoichi grinned “I'm scary when I want to be.”

Potter arched an eyebrow skeptically “Yeah?”

“Oh, yes” the girl said with much satisfaction in her voice.

“What did he want with you?” Potter asked.

Saeko shrugged “Same as you I suppose, advice on fame. Arrogant little fucker.” The second-year was taken aback by the language but seemed to wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. Saeko tapped her chin in thought “If he wasn't so irritating, his jealousy would be rather funny to watch.”

“Jealousy?”

“You bet!” the brunette grinned, “You got him beat, Boy-Who-Lived. By miles!”

Harry frowned.

“You don't like the title? I don't blame you, you Brits have absolutely no taste in monikers” Saeko snickered.

“I don't even remember **it** and my parents died in the process” Harry spat bitterly.

“Ah” Saeko shrugged, “Well, you can't do anything about that now.”

“Thanks” Harry replied with a heavy dose of sarcasm, not at all like the shy little second-year, there was some spine there.

 “What did you expect?” the Uchiha shrugged, “Besides, _I_ am actually trying to get famous. Back home I'm running for office.”

The boy blinked in astonishment “Really?”

“Yup”

After a beat of silence where only their steps could be heard Saeko spoke again “So, how's Wood? I heard he went bonkers about training.”

Harry sighed “Pretty much. I hardly have the time to do anything else. He's really pumped up. Did you hear about Malfoy's brooms?”

“Sure, but I think we'll beat them bloody anyway” Saeko grinned gleefully.

“I'm starting to get the scary part” Potter blinked.

“Just now? I'm pretty ruthless on the quidditch pitch” _and beyond_ “I also know the Weasley twins don't have a high opinion on me.”

Harry blushed, no doubt remembering some of Fred and George's words of choice “They respect you actually.”

Saeko smirked “Good.”

“Harry!” Where have you been?” Hermione exclaimed when the two quidditch players arrived on the third floor.

“Lockhart caught me” Potter explained. Ron made a disgusted face while Granger went all dreamy-eyed.

“Well, I leave you to it. Bye, Potter. Weasley, Granger” Saeko nodded in goodbye.

“Uchiha” Ron said tersely to their quidditch rival, while Hermione just waved.

Saeko smirked and took off, her mood much better than after her run-in with the moronic teacher. She started to whistle off-key and made her way to the Tower.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

“Hey Caitlin, I need…” Patrick started when he saw this friend walking through the entrance.

The red-head glared and said through gritted teeth “Not right now. I'm battered, bruised, exhausted and weepy. Now is not a good time.” With this Caitlin left.

“Ok” Paddy said unsurely and looked at the other students streaming thought the entrance. It was the quidditch team. All of them were in more or less the same state as the girl “Ah.”

“Hi Paddy!” Saeko said cheerily.

“What did you do to them?” the Brit asked.

The ninja shrugged “Just a bit of training. Tomorrow is October already, quidditch season starts soon.”

Paddy arched an eyebrow “So you endeavor to break your Team before you even start?”

“A bit of breaking never hurt anybody” Saeko shrugged again and sat down.

“Yeeeah, I don't think you understand the term correctly”

“They'll sleep it off”

“I wanted Caitlin to help me and Eddy with a Care of Magical Creatures project” the boy whined.

Saeko shot up “That reminds me, we are doing a study session on Runes this evening! I need to shower.

“Glad I could help” Paddy grumbled as the kunoichi sprinted upstairs.

“Was that Saeko?” Daniel asked as he went to sit down in her spot, “We were meant to have…”

“I know, I know! She's gonna be back in a few” Paddy rolled his eyes. “She wrecks my own study group and I'm her secretary now” he finished grumbling.

“What's up with you?” Helena asked as she sat down.

“Nothing”

The blonde shrugged “Ok then. Would you mind if we used this table for our Runes study group?”

Patrick was struck speechless for a moment and then abruptly stood up “Sure! I seem I'm here for nothing anyway! Please, do highjack my study group!”

As the boy huffed and left Helena arched an eyebrow to prompt Daniel to explain. The prefect just shrugged.

It didn't take long and the duo was joined by Ashley and eventually by Saeko as well. After discussing Paddy's strange behavior the conversation turned to the planned topic - runes. Or more precisely their Runes study partners.

“I'm so going to get blown up” Peter whined, “You know, if we ever put our project into action.”

Daniel chuckled “Aaron's doing his own thing without speaking to you?”

“Spot on”

“Booom!” Saeko made an exploding gesture with much gusto.

Ashley rolled her eyes “Just talk to him. He wants the best grades, right? You won't get an O in this project if your layers of protection don't synchronize.”

“I tried” Peter sighed, “Aaron threw a tantrum and we haven't spoken since.”

“Maybe Saeko should gloat about how amazingly her project with Lewis is going” Helena proposed.

Peter pondered it “That could work. Saeko?”

The ninja shrugged “Well, my work with Lauren _is_ progressing quite nicely. No boom in sight, that's for sure.”

“It's settled then!”

Saeko rolled her eyes “Whatever. How's the second Snake turning up?”

“Mallory?” Helena shrugged, “He's alright, a typical pureblood brat but capable enough. Me being a rich pureblood helps. I guess he could be a bitch to worth with otherwise.”

“A bitch to work with?”Ashley's jaw dropped with astonishment, “What happened to miss nice and proper? Are you high?”

The blonde rolled her eyes “How's your Gryffindor?”

“Neal's fun” Ash shrugged, “He's a big fan of sci-fi so his ideas are… imaginative. Bizarre. To say the least.”

“Do they work?” Daniel asked.

“One”

“And?”

“Let it be a surprise” the pinkette grinned.

Daniel sighed “I wish my Gryffindor was fun. His knowledge of runes is really good, he's a great translator, but he has no imagination.”

“deLuise must be doing the thinking it that group then” Peter hummed.

“Oh no, he's smart” the bespectacled boy countered, “he's just boring.”

“Tough luck” Ash commiserated.

Helena turned to the kunoichi “You're up Saeko.”

“Lauren's great,” Saeko hummed, “We work together well. Perks of being friendly beforehand I guess.”

“You're lucky” Daniel said with a bit of envy.

“It might get better” the pinkette mused, “You met up like what? Three times?”

The prefect nodded “Yeah. But I refuse to meet him as often as Saeko does with her Slytherin. He _is_ dreadfully boring.”

Ash looked at the ninja “Ha, with the rate you two meet I expect a defense worthy of a pharaoh of old.”

 “We'll try”

“It will definitely go booom!” Peter chuckled.

Saeko grinned “But it will be a controlled booom!”

“Merlin help us all”


	79. 5- 79 Taking Time Off

 

“Sake?”

“Please”

Saeko did not smirk but was still quite satisfied her partner seemed to mellow out a bit over their runes sessions. Not that they worked on the 'closet' assignment every time - more often than not the two girls did regular homework or gossiped. Not that **the** Lauren Lewis would lower herself to gossiping. Except she totally did.

“It's warm” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“It's getting cold outside” the Uchiha shrugged. “Besides, I run out of the good stuff and I'm still waiting for Itachi-nii to send me some more.”

Lauren took a cautious sip and then hummed in satisfaction “Not bad.”

“I'm not really in the mood to study” Saeko announced.

“Me too. I just had Potions with the Gryffs - Crow was an ass” the red-head said as she made herself more comfortable on the transfigured armchair.

“Oh?”

“He threw minced worms into Carlin's hair. She has quite the voice for panicked shrieking” Lauren smirked.

Saeko frowned “I bet Snape was livid. And I don't blame him. What if the worms got into her potion and interacted badly with it - the thing could've blown up.”

“Spot on. He's got a month long detention and lost 50 points” the aspirant healer shook her head, “I don't see how O'Shea can date such a moron.”

“Caitlin dumped him the first week back at school” Saeko shook her head, “She's actually on her second boyfriend since.”

“It seems she adopted your outlook on dating” Lauren said derisively.

The brunette frowned “Hey, I calmed down considerably the last few months.”

“If you say so”

“I do. After having Itachi's fiancée living with us I would not mind being in a relationship at all. Not here though” Saeko sighed. Lauren seemed to ponder that for a little while and then nodded.

The two girls drank in comfortable silence until the Slytherin broke it “Hey, speaking about 'over there', can you throw knives?”

“Sure, why?”

“I was bored and I wanted to be able to do it. I'm not though”

“Am I to play teacher?” Saeko smirked salaciously.

Lauren rolled her eyes “Yes.”

“Say the magic word”

“I know plenty of them” the Snake snaked.

Saeko grinned “I want just the one”

“Please” Lauren gritted her teeth.

“Alright!” the nin smiled. Then she hesitated “It would've been better if you hadn't drank.”

“Give me the basics and I'll do my very best not to kill you” the Snake rolled her eyes again.

Saeko scoffed “As if you could. Well, not with knives anyway. Poison, I'm not so sure.”

Lauren smirked and nodded approvingly. The Uchiha drew a flat throwing knife from her boot “I've only got this one handy. I could transfigure something else though.”

The Slytherin made a 'gimme' motion and inspected the knife that was given to her. Weighing it in her hand she smirked “Me likey.”

“Let's see if you can do more than just hold it” Saeko said, went to a wooden table in the classroom and turned it to make a make-shift target. “Let me show you first.”

Saeko took the beginner academy throwing stance and slowly but powerfully threw the blade.

Lauren nodded and went to retrieve the knife from where it was imbedded in the wood. Then she imitated the Ravenclaw's stance, which to her irritation Saeko swiftly corrected, and made an attempt of her own.

The knife dully impacted with the wood, handle first, and fell to the floor. “Bollocks!”

The next half-hour was spent 'playing teacher'. Finally Lauren achieved a nearly perfect success rate, missing only a few times.

“Excellent!” Saeko clapped, “When you are comfortable enough with smaller stationary targets you can move to the moving ones.”

“Rain on my parade, will you” the Brit sighed and went to fetch the knife again.

The ninja smirked “For a civilian with half an hour of training you are amazing.”

“Better”

“At least I know what to get you for your birthday” Saeko remarked.

“Make it a nice one”

“Aye Aye”

* * *

**Great Hall**

The atmosphere in the enormous hall was rather mellow, relaxed. Since it was Saturday no one was in any hurry, students and teachers alike, and they all enjoyed breakfast and the unusually warm morning. Mail had already arrived so a great part of the student body was reading the latest news or the letters they received.

Saeko herself had received several letters from Konoha, Shika even bothered to write her that the remaining two genin she taught for a little while just made chuunin and thinking of going to the Chuunin Police Corp. The most interesting fact was that Yuuko was made tokubetsu jounin. The tokujō was a peculiar rank - it meant the skills in one particular field were so great that they far out shadowed all others. It also meant more or less giving up on full jounin. Saeko smiled, she knew her occasional lover had no ambition to attain the highest rank and was very satisfied working in the T&I.

“Bollocks” Peter exclaimed and flung his muggle newspaper on the table.

Daniel looked up from his letter “Football?”

“Yeah…”

“Trade ya” Graham offered his own wizarding paper, “Quidditch results might cheer you up.”

Peter smiled and immediately sought the quidditch league results. His smile turned sour and he glared at the pureblood “I hate you.”

“Not my fault the Falcons have a losing streak this season” Graham smirked.

“Please don't” Caitlin sighed, “It is such a perfect morning. Have a cookie.”

“Did anybody change their mind about Hogsmeade?” Daniel asked.

Saeko hummed “You want to go? I think I will just read beside the lake and enjoy the weather.”

“Only if someone goes with me” the bespectacled teen shrugged and looked at his friends in anticipation.

“I've got a date” Caitlin replied.

“I've got Runes homework” Ashley shook her head.

“I don't really want to” Helena shrugged.

Daniel rolled his eyes “I got it, lazy sods.”

Before anyone could make a retort, if they cared to, one of the male sixth year prefect approached his colleagues “Ashley, Daniel? Do you have a sec?”

“Sure” the pinkette lowered her toast.

“Could any of you take my patrol today by any chance? It's my girlfriend's birthday and Cox who was supposed to trade me got detention. Please, please, please! I'm prepared to do pretty much anything” the sixth year pled.

“Anything?”

“Within reason”

Daniel narrowed his eyes “There is a catch. I know there is a catch.”

Anderson sighed “It's with Percy Weasley.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Daniel exclaimed in triumph, “No way I'm dealing with that prick.”

“I would take your shift with him next time” the sixth year proposed, clearly desperate.

“The next three times” the bespectacled Raven countered.

“Twice” Anderson replied sternly, “That is still a big win.”

“True”

“So?”

The group looked in amuse med at Daniel who was, making a show of thinking. Finally the aspiring auror nodded “I'll do it, if you also help me once with homework of my choice.”

“Deal!” the tall sixth year agreed hastily. Then he smiled rather charmingly “Thanks, you are a savior.”

Daniel nodded and waved Anderson off with a smile. The senior prefect thanked him once again and left. Graham looked at the two resident prefect and asked “What is wrong with Weasley?”

Ashley pursed her lips “He's the most arrogant, pompous, brown-nosing…”

“So basically he's an ass” Graham summed it up.

“That's an understatement” Daniel chimed in, “He's a pain to work with.”

“He's one of the prime subjects of pranking in Gryffindor Tower” Caitlin smirked, “The Twins leading the charge.”

The group chuckled and returned to their breakfast. Saeko turned to Daniel and whispered “How mighty nice of you helping the smiling and handsome Anderson.”

Daniel blushed “Stop this.”

* * *

**Flitwick** **'** **s Office**

“So, OWLs”

“OWLs” Saeko agreed with a chuckle.

“Not worried?” Flitwick asked as he offered cookies to go with the tea.

“Thank you” the Uchiha took a few and then replied, “Not really. I think I will do reasonably well.”

“I think so too” the Charms master smiled, “This this usually done after Christmas but I find my Ravens like to vent so, welcome to career consultation.”

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Well, I kind of have my path ready.”

Flitwick smirked “But I have such wonderful pamphlets!”

The brunette laughed as her Head of House wiggled his eyebrows and presented the booklets “I think I'm good.”

“I do as well” the professor chuckled, “So, what you were thinking in the terms of NEWTs? I'm not really sure what is needed for Japanese politics but you previously mentioned being a soldier as well so I would say the three wand classes are a given. I would also advice for Potions.”

Saeko nodded “Agreed, those are my sure ones as well. We'll see how the rest goes. Though, I wouldn't mind dropping Astronomy and History.”

“Well, professor Snape accepts only those who achieve an Outstanding for his advanced class. For Transfiguration you need an E at minimum. The same goes if you will seek to continue Runes - professor Babbling once said she refuses to let people blow themselves up. Interesting lessons, yes?”

“Indeed” the brunette grinned.

Flitwick smiled as well “The rest are quite happy with Acceptables. As your performance is stably excellent I think you don't need to concentrate on any particular subject but rather continue as you have been doing.”

“Thank you” Saeko smiled brilliantly.

“That said it is clear you prefer the practical side of learning but OWLs, as any other exams, require the theory also” the teacher warned.

“I'm well aware”

“Good. It was not a reproach, just an observation” Flitwick said in a conciliatory manner.

Saeko nodded “Speaking of practicals, how does the Restricted Section of Library works?”

Flitwick chuckled and shook his head in mock exasperation “You need a pass issued you by one of the professors. I know the rumor is any NEWT student can access it but that is not true. Instead that goes for the students who go after a Mastery while still at school. Those too need a pass though.”

“Ah” the girl pouted.

“Cheer up, miss Uchiha,” Flitwick grinned, “If you present a good enough project I will be happy to give you one.”

“Hn”

“Don't be like that” the teacher played along, “I have a book that might interest you.”

“Oh?”

“Monosyllabic answers, miss Uchiha? You wound me” Flitwick pouted for a change.

The kunoichi batted her eyelashes “Please professor, let me mooch spells off of you.”

Flitwick winked and handed over a book “Elemental, just right up your alley. It's quite new actually, so not in the Library yet. It's mostly theory but very interesting.”

Saeko took the book with a thank you and quickly leafed through it “Sounds good. Pity it's only the water element. Does the author think of doing a series?”

“That I do not know.”

“Well, I could always write the Fire chapter” the sharingan user smirked.

“So I hear” the part-goblin shook his head with a smile.

Saeko took one last sip of her tea “What is your specialty by the way?”

“Hm, Ollivander says general charms, but I find I'm rather talented in chain casting” Flitwick straightened proudly in his seat.

“Impressive”

“Thank you” the teacher smiled, “Now, since you don't really need counseling I think I can call the next Raven in.”

“Already?” Saeko pouted, “Well, my tea is finished so I guess I'll go.”

“You said you had to go at half-past since you have training with Mr Bishop” Flitwick defended.

“Oh, right” the ninja said and hastily stood up, “Jared wanted a spar to see if he got any better at kick-boxing.”

“That is a muggle martial art, yes?”

“Indeed. He even roped Roger Davies into it. It's good exercise and fairly useful, as their quidditch captain I can only approve”

“Excellent. I got quite used to have the quidditch trophy in my office” Flitwick looked over his shoulder at the Cup with a fond smile.

Saeko looked at the prominently displayed trophy as well “I bet having professor McGonagall over for tea is a blast.”

“She does take quidditch rather seriously” the Ravenclaw Head of House remarked cheerfully.

“I know” Saeko grinned, “Transfiguration is always fun just before a match.”

“I can imagine” Flitwick smiled conspiringly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I love writing Flitwick.


	80. 5- 80 Making Garden Gnomes, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REMINDER: This story is in Saeko's point of view, that means she doesn't always have all info (Dumbledore scene). It will be explained later.

 

“What do you think?”

Saeko looked up from her book to her roommate “I love it.”

“Is it scary?”

“It's rather cute actually. But yeah, scary works too” the ninja smirked.

Ashley pouted, which with her painted face looked even cuter than before “It's supposed to be a skull. Or at least skull-ish. I did tell you about Catrina and…”

“Hai, hai, hai!” Saeko said in mild irritation, “At least three times already! Dia de los muertos, Mexico, lalalalala. I'm up to date, thank you.”

“Jeesh” Ash returned to her makeup, “You're supposed to be happy and festive.”

“Be glad I let you borrow my mirror” the Uchiha rolled her eyes, “And I never really understood why anyone should be happy and festive on the day dedicated to the dead. I mean back home we remember our ancestors and so on but it's usually a quiet affair full of contemplation.”

“Boring”

“Thanks” Saeko said sarcastically but with an amused smile. It was true after all.

“De nada. How about now?”

“Yes, the flowery cap makes you look much scarier” the brunette chuckled.

Ash rolled her eyes “Let's just go see what Peter came up with.”

“You dragged Peter into this?”

“It was his idea”

Saeko hummed “Can't wait to see how he looks in flowers.”

Ashley chuckled and with a last look at herself in the mirror she stood up. Saeko followed suit. The duo was nearly out of the door when the pinkette suddenly stopped and Saeko nearly collided with her. In explanation she said “My guitar.”

“What about it?”

“Her” Ash corrected as she picked the instrument up, “Grayson, a sixth year, said he knows some muggle Halloween songs.” The kunoichi shrugged and went for the stairs.

The Ravenclaw common room was actually quite crowded - even the 'nerds' of Hogwarts liked to enjoy the festivities. Peter was already there, explaining the significance of the paint and the day in Mexican culture. Saeko whined at hearing it yet again. Ashley grinned at her roommate and went to a tall sixth year with a guitar in hand.

Saeko sat next to Helena and resigned herself to yet another retelling. Though she chuckled when she pictured the less than amused McGonagall if Peter showed up still painted for the 'true' Dias de los muertos the first and second of November.

When Peter finally finished his exciting lecture, now staring in suspicion at Ashley and this Grayson, Graham had the fabulous idea of getting painted as well.

“Come on, it will be cool!”

Helena rolled her eyes and refused to reply. Paddy was naturally on board immediately. As it usually went it only took five minutes and Peter was giving out makeovers.

As the archeology enthusiast busied himself with the white paste Daniel asked “Do you know it there is any truth to Dumbledore hiring the Dancing skeletons troupe?”

“No idea. I guess we will see at dinner” Paddy shrugged.

Saeko hummed “Pity we will not see the ghosts. The one performance two years back was interesting.”

“You know that for sure?”

“Yep” the ninja nodded, “I know for sure The Nearly headless Nick hosts a big party tonight.”

“A ghost party?” Graham arched an eyebrow, “Sounds quite dreadful.”

Saeko shrugged. She only knew because her charge, Potter, got roped into attending the 'party'. The Uchiha actually quite agreed with Graham but hey, Potter has to learn to say 'no' at some point.

“Ok, you're finished” Peter said as he admired his handiwork on Paddy, “Who's next?”

“Me, me, me, me, me!” Graham waved his hands.

“Saeko, you in?” Peter asked with a smirk.

“Why not” Saeko grinned and presented her face. Graham pouted and began to protest vehemently but was completely ignored.

Daniel looked at Paddy's new face and hummed, quite impressed “I saw the Great Hall as Hagrid put up some decorations, it looks really nice, much better than last year. I even saw live bats.”

“Cool” Peter said in a distracted manner.

The group continued to talk even as Graham finally got his turn. Eventually they were joined by Caitlin and Ashley and the group defaulted to their usual activity to keep themselves busy until dinner.

When it was time to get moving Helena, the only one whose face was bare hummed in thought “I just noticed you look a bit like Death Eaters. White mask of death and all.”

…

…

“Well, that's awkward” Saeko nearly giggled.

“Indeed” Daniel frowned.

“But very fetching” Peter pouted.

“Dammit” Ashley swore.

Helena nearly choked, she was laughing so hard. When she calmed down a bit she managed to let out “The flowers help. I bet You-know-Who would be a fan and start a new fashion trend.”

Graham tapped his chin in thought “That sounds offensive.”

“Not as much as your face” the blonde countered swiftly.

“She's right” Daniel sighed.

“To the bathroom?” Paddy asked dejectedly.

Peter nodded, obviously sad his fiesta did not work out “I guess.”

“Mendokse” Saeko sighed as well, “This is the last time I'm participating in your multi-culti stuff.”

“Oi come on, it was fun while it lasted” Graham went to snack her back but the kunoichi dodged effortlessly.

When the no longer painted fifth-years came back from the washrooms the majority of their House had already taken off towards the Great Hall. The still smiling Helena waited for them, no doubt thinking up all the things she could tease them with since she had plenty to say. The usually Halloween-enthusiastic Ashley and Peter grumbled all the way through it, only perking up when arriving at their destination.

The feast cheered everyone up. The vast variety of food available worked wonders, even Saeko found it quite tasty. She even spared a little time for Potter and all the fun he had to have at Nick's deathparty. _Poor sod_.

When Dumbledore bid everyone goodnight at the end of the feast and the entertainment the students trailed out of the Hall, all stuffed and quite happy.

The fifth year Ravenclaws did the same. They set off towards their Tower when sudden screams and general noise made them stop and turned around, curious to what's this all about.

Saeko had a bad feeling. She would bet that The-Boy-Who-Lived was in the middle of whatever that was. With a title like that, who else could it be.

And naturally the sole ninja in Hogwarts was absolutely right - Potter and his two sidekicks were indeed there. There was water everywhere on the ground and more importantly an immobile cat was hanging from the torch bracket.

Saeko took one look at the writing on the wall over the stuffed-looking Mrs Norris and she had to sigh. “ _Bloody fantastic.”_

* * *

**Dumbledore's Office**

“Let me ask you this Dumbledore-dono, do you think that damnable cat was victim to prank in poor taste or do you think it was genuine?” Saeko asked, keeping all the irritation she felt from her voice.

“It was genuine”

“Rounding back to my previous point then, why should I not bring a tracker team to investigate!” the scarred girl gritted her teeth, “You want the Chamber of Secrets found? No prob, we have the Hyuuga!”

Dumbledore shook his head “It it bound to be warded, it will not be seen.”

“Then the spot we can't see is it” Saeko proposed.

“Let me handle it, miss Uchiha” the headmaster pressed.

Saeko sat more comfortably in her chair and thought sarcastically “ _Sure, why not. Why should I care, my friends are neither muggle-born nor cats_.”

“Thank you” Dumbledore smiled when he saw the ninja relax.

“You already know who's the culprit and what the monster is” Saeko said confidently. The Headmaster was either informed or completely mad. Possibly both.

The elder sighed “I'm quite sure I know who opened it fifty years ago but little else.”

“Hn”

A few minutes later Saeko was walking through the deserted corridors towards Ravenclaw Tower. The brisk Scottish air did little to soothe her anger. A mark of a good leader is the ability to use all the resources at your disposal at their utmost efficiency, something Dumbledore liked to ignore.

Saeko could understand he had some master plan going on but if he wanted ninja to stay on standby and not to meddle he should've just said it outright. The Uchiha would be quite happy with continuing her attendance like she did before Harry Potter came along.

“What 5-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?” the eagle guardian asked.

“Short” Saeko replied boredly.

The Ravenclaw common room was buzzing with activity as was usual since the 'cat incident'. The Ravens loved puzzles, mysteries and conspiracy theories. They thrived on it. Naturally every student already read the legend of the Chamber of Secrets and now they were trying to guess the creature within. So far the most popular theory was that of a medusa - a guardian who is able to turn people into stone. It fit.

Then there was Potter. While Slytherins found it amusing for Potter to be an heir to their patron, the Hufflepuffs went with the saying 'better safe than sorry' and stated to avoid him. The Ravens defaulted to books, some even tried the Genealogy of Nobility Houses and other similar tomes.

As to Potter himself he and his friends were absolutely convinced the Heir was Malfoy, which would be absolutely fine if they also did not intend to brew the polyjuice potion and interrogate the blond prat.

“Ooooh, someone's pissed” Graham observed.

“Hn” Helena did a Uchiha impression followed by a snicker.

“Hn” Saeko agreed with a small smile, “Though in all seriousness I'm more tired than pissed.”

“Tea?” the blonde pureblood offered.

“Yes please”

Daniel closed his Potions textbook and asked “So, what's up?”

“Oh, nothing really, just infuriating clients” Saeko shrugged and sat down on the carpet.

The aspiring auror arched his eyebrows but when Saeko did not elaborate he shrugged “Well, we have been revising for Potions. I mean I get the subject can be dangerous but to request an O to continue is absurd!”

“But completely expected, it's Snape after all” Graham shrugged.

“Git” Paddy chimed in.

“Git” the rest agreed.

“I don't really need Potions” Graham hummed, “I'll just wing it and we'll see.”

Helena rolled her eyes “Why I'm not surprised.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Paddy jumped in, not in a mood to witness an argument “At least during OWLs Snape will be elsewhere. I hate how he looms over your shoulder, sneering. Or even worse that almost-smile that tells you he imagines your cauldron exploding in your face.”

“It means you are lazy and have no direction” Helena said towards Graham, completely ignoring Paddy's attempt to keep the peace.

Saeko looked at Paddy “What comforts me more is the DADA test. I miss having a competent teacher for the subject. At least the examiner should be alright.”

“So I don't have a business to inherit like _someone_. Sue me!” Graham frowned.

“Alright” Saeko stood up, “Thank you for the tea, I need to talk to my roomie about something. See you later.”

“Good idea” Paddy sighed and left the bickering duo.

* * *

**DADA Class**

“And then AOOOOOOOOOO!” All the students who had been slowly dozing off jerked up at the pseudo-werewolf howl.

Since several little mishaps with the teaching material, Lockhart had decided to forgo any pretense of teaching and instead he acted out scenes from his books. The worst part was that the man always roped some student into acting with him, most often than not in the role of the villain. Fortunately he started using only the male students since Helena lectured/threatened him about being a Lady. The capital 'L' could practically be heard. Lockhart decided that messing with Heirs of Noble Houses could prove to be messy and left them be.

“Then the huge wolf-man tucked his tail between his legs and started to flee. Naturally I could not let that be and…”

Saeko looked at her blank notebook and sighed _“What a complete and utter moron. No wonder Granger got her Library pass so easily. Points to her for both guts and ingenuity.”_

As Lockhart continued with his performance Saeko seriously considered being petty and playing around with genjutsu.

“I never set out to being a hero but…”

_“Just a little illusion. Maybe something that would make him pee his pants. The Weaseleys have done worse”_

“The villages were so grateful…”

Lockhart got saved from ninja-induced embarrassment literally by the bell. All the students picked up their stuff as quickly as they could and rushed away from the man, lest he wanted to 'help' his students.

“Does anyone have any plans?” Daniel asked.

“I dunno, read and then go to dinner?” Graham shrugged.

“I could use a chess partner” Helena hummed.

Saeko hummed “I think I will go for a soak in the Prefect's bathroom actually. Read and relax for a bit.”

“Cool” Peter hummed.

“Oh yes” Saeko grinned, very much looking forward to her plans.

Twenty minutes later the Uchiha kunoichi was entering the masterpiece of engineering that was the prefect's bathroom. She had it all prepared - a good book, a bottle of expensive brandy she received as a gift from Helena and her pipe. Saeko slid into the warm water and sighed, this was heaven. She unsealed a glass for the brandy and hummed in appreciation at the marvelous deep color ad rich smell.

Just as she settled into the most relaxing state a ninja could achieve outside of Konoha a voice intruded “You can't smoke in here.”

Saeko opened her eyes and sighed, searching for the intruder. Finally her gaze settled onto the big painting on her right “The smoke will be siphoned out with the vapor when I close the door behind me.”

“It's not healthy” the mermaid pursed her lips.

The scarred teen blinked, marveling at the fact she was being lectured by a picture on a canvas “Thank you for your concern but I know a technique that makes it completely harmless.”

“Aren't you too young?”

“For what?” Saeko arched her eyebrow, “Besides, I'm an adult by my country standard.”

The mermaid muttered something in mermish. It sounded rather unflattering.

“How do you make a wizarding painting like you anyway?”

“How should I know, I'm a freaking painting” was the snappish reply.

Saeko rolled her eyes and gave up on conversation. She briefly wondered who had the brilliant idea of stationing a semi-sentient being into a bathroom, especially in such a prude country. Some Jiraiya-type Headmaster, no doubt.

And now she missed Anko and Yuuko. And Yuuhi Kurenai. The two tokubetsu jounin were hilarious and Kurenai somehow always ended on the butt of their jokes when she was present. Always a great show.

“ _Speaking of show_ ” the Uchiha thought and tugged at the communications seal on her left arm to call Skygge or her clone to her.

When the bird poofed on one of the faucets Saeko asked “How goes Potter watch?”

“Nothing to report”

“Oh come on now, give me the gossip”

“There truly is nothing to say. Potter, Granger and Weasley keep to themselves and seem to only interact with the Twins and Malfoy, sometimes their yearmates. They do nothing, they do not have any other friends, they are boring” Skygge shrugged.

“That's odd. When we were in the second year we were flying around like paper kites” Saeko hummed.

“You didn't want to be, and I quote, 'just Harry'”

“Of course not, I want to be THE Uchiha” Saeko scoffed. The she amended “Well, if I were him I might make the same effort to evade Lockhart but other than that…”

“Lockhart is irritating” Skygge proclaimed.

“Wow, and here I thought you were made of stone” Saeko joked.

The raven 'shrugged' again “Shadows are supposed to be stoic. But I could make a little exception and make an owl shit in his breakfast.”

“Make it his hair” the ninja chuckled and clapped in glee.

“Deal”

“So, how are you doing?” Saeko asked after a brief pause.

Skygge rolled her eyes “I'm not here to entertain you. I'm going back.”

“Have fun” the girl sighed. She received no response. “Typical”

Twenty minutes later the combination of brandy, hot air and of course the previous lessons made Saeko's stomach growl. Realizing it was time to get out of the bath and to dinner she fished for the soap which was handily provided by the school.

“Elves” the brunette said aloud. She began to grin as she made the plan to eat in the kitchens instead of the Great Hall, _“They should know Hogwarts in and out. Or know which places to avoid or which places are forbidden. Then again Dumbledore or the previous Headmasters might've prevented them from talking about it. Heh, it's worth a try.”_

_“But then again, they are not the Heirs of Slytherin, are they”_

_“Bah, at least I_ _'ll get e decent dinner out of it."_


	81. 5- 81 Déjà-vu All Over Again

 

_“Not again!”_ Saeko thought as an errant bludger seemed to make its mission to reduce Potter into paste.

It looked like that no one was eager to stop the match for such a little thing as an assault on one of the seekers. Harry seemed to have more or less under control, even going as far to dismiss the Weasley twins.

“He flies well” Jared commented beside his Captain.

“Hn”

“Do you know who had the bludgers last?” Carter asked.

Saeko shifted her gaze to the Gryffindor chasers for tips on how to outmaneuver the Slytherin's brooms “I think it was Wood actually.”

Carter hummed and the Ravenclaw team went back to watching the show. After a while Caitlin remarked “Did Malfoy even move from his spot?”

“Not since Potter started dancing” Roger snickered. A moment later everybody winced as the black-haired seeker got caught in his elbow.

“Cho can take him, even if Malfoy stops being a lazy ass. No sweat” Jared smirked and patted the petite third-year's back. Chang grinned brightly.

 “Seems Potter got fed up too” Byrd remarked.

True to his words Harry was flying at breakneck speed towards his rival, the unrelenting bludger right behind him. Malfoy's fear could be seen even from the stands. The pale blond immediately flew out of the way, allowing Potter to catch his prize.

“ _Can you believe it! Even in the face of…”_ Lee Jordan started but his cheer was halted when Potter headed straight to the ground, trying to stay conscious. _“Shit”_

McGonagall didn't even reprimand him.

As The-Boy-Who-Lives rolled in the mud Jordan announced Gryffindor's victory more sedately. Then he called for medical attention to the player on the field.

“Ouch” Byrd summed it up.

“Pomfrey will fix him right up” Caitlin shrugged.

Roger nodded “Yeah. Should we go?”

“Sure, it's over after all” Saeko shrugged and stood up. As the crowd went for the stairs Saeko left a surreptitious shadow clone behind. To investigate.

X

As soon as _Saeko_ spotted Lockhart she knew Potter was in trouble.

“No!” Harry shouted in panic.

Yep, deep trouble, and Potter knew it too. The Gryffindor quidditch team that gathered around him was standing there unsurely but nobody stopped the professor as he waved his wand in a rather theatric manner.

When the spell took effect everybody winced and either turned away, disgusted, or stared on in morbid fascination. Colin Creevey started snapping photos while Potter stared at his hand in shock.

“Ah,” Lockhart cleared his throat, “Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is that the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, if you would be so kind and escorted Harry to the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey can... tidy him up.”

Before anyone could react in outrage or even punch him in the face, Lockhart took off hastily. Deciding that medical attention for their friend was more important than revenge, Potter got escorted to the infirmary.

Fortunately Potter was rather out of it, so the trip wasn't so bad. Wood was still gushing at their victory while everybody else was still focused on the fleshy tube that once had been Harry's arm.

When the group finally arrived to destination Pomfrey wasn't pleased. She took one look at the arm, rolled her eyes and ushered everybody from her domain. Only Ron and Hermione were allowed to stay on the condition they would stay quiet and out of the way while she worked.

When Pomfrey's diagnostic spell did its work she pursed her lips “You'll need to stay the night.”

“What?”

Pomfrey scoffed “Be glad I'm not cutting it off. Now stay here while I fetch what's needed.”

Ron and Hermione took the opportunity of the nurse's absence to argue about Lockhart. The girl still backed the professor saying that 'everybody could make a mistake'. The second youngest Weasley instead took great of pleasure of using any synonym for 'stupid' he could find. Saeko was actually impressed by his vocabulary.

The argument stopped abruptly when Pomfrey returned with wicked looking bottle “You're in for a rough night - this is Skele-Gro, it will regrow your bones. Nasty business, very painful as well.”

Harry gulped and then downed the glass. Once finished he made a face and began coughing. Pomfrey took the glass back and returned to her desk, all the while muttering about inept teachers and dangerous sports.

“We won though” Ron tried to look on the bright side, “That was one hell of a catch.”

“What I want to know is who fixed that bludger” Hermione frowned.

Weasley shrugged “It had to have been the Slytherins. We can ask Malfoy when the polyjuice is ready.”

“He doesn't have the skills” Hermione countered.

“What about Uchiha?” Ron proposed, “Fred and George say she's a ruthless and a tricky bitch when quidditch is concerned.”

“She wouldn't” Hermione gasped.

Harry rubbed his injured arm “I agree. For one she gains nothing from this and second, she seems the type to just defeat you outright.”

“And then mock you” Ron added. _Saeko_ grinned widely in her shadowy corner. “I say we…” the red-head started but was interrupted by a very irate nurse who threw the two uninjured second-years out of her domain.

“Go to sleep, Mr Potter. It's better to be out of it for this, believe me”

“Ok” the boy gulped and meekly nodded.

_“Good luck and good night Potter, judging from Pomfrey's smile you're going to need it”_ Saeko thought and dispelled, leaving the surveillance to Skygge.


	82. 5- 82 Making Garden Gnomes, Part 2

_“Crazy house elves, crazy headmasters and now crazy students_ ” Saeko thought when she rescued Luna Lovegood from the students that were asking her about Creevey, her Potions partner.

“Thank you general, it was getting crowded” Luna said dreamily.

Saeko blinked in confusion “General?”

The second year seemed to have not heard her as she hummed “There are plenty of wrackspurts around today.”

“Possible” the Uchiha said neutrally, “And it would be commander if anything.”

“Acknowledged” Luna saluted.

Saeko shrugged “Was Colin your friend?”

“He's quite nice”

“Professors Sprout and Snape will have the antidote ready quite soon” the brunette felt compelled to say.

“I know. It would go faster if they used dried heliopter's skin” was the airy reply.

Since Saeko did not know what that was, quite possibly one of Luna's creatures, so she shrugged again. She was saved from thinking of an excuse to leave when Luna just left without a word. Danced away might've been more accurate. _“Guy would have a fit at her hipness”_ Saeko thought and chuckled out loud.

Talking with Luna Lovegood was actually far nicer than her previous discussion with the esteemed headmaster of Hogwarts. She went to ask if he wanted her to send for a specialist now that a student nearly died but was rebuffed as before. She was actually quite surprised the Minister did not contact her but it seemed Dumbledore was running interference on that front as well.

Meanwhile the whole school was in uproar. When it was only Mrs. Norris her petrification was an interesting mystery, cool but not threatening. Colin Creevey was another thing all together. Now genuine fear spread though the hallways of the castle. Also a market for various talismans and ward crystals and similar had broken out. The prefects were busier than ever - consoling the young muggleborns and shutting down the frauds who sold shady products along their usual duties.

The only one who seemed to be relishing in the situation was professor Trelawney, who predicted more disasters with much gusto. Even the Slytherins quieted down, not wanting to provoke any rash action.

“I'm beat” Daniel sighed and theatrically collapsed onto the kunoichi.

Saeko turned her head away from Loony “How so?”

“A seventh year decided to relax from the NEWTs by telling horror stories” the boy rolled his eyes, “Poor firsties.”

“About the Heir of Slytherin and his pet?”

“Surprisingly no” Daniel stood up on his own, “But the existence and presence of such a monster made his stories quite believable and much more terrifying.”

Saeko chuckled.

“It's not funny” the aspirant auror admonished even if the corner of his mouth jerked a tiny bit upwards.

“Of course not” Saeko smirked and walked towards the armchair that has just been vacated.

“Hey, where am I going to sit?”

“At my feet perhaps, dear peasant?” the Uchiha motioned to the floor.

“Sorry, I left my jester's outfit at home” Daniel replied swiftly.

“That's a shame”

The Brit rolled his eyes “Did you already finish the Transfiguration assignment? Paddy has taken over my room to do it right now.”

“Did it during History” Saeko shrugged, “Besides I'm going training in a little bit.”

“You got a schedule?” Daniel chuckled.

“Naturally,” the brunette flicked her hair, “And last minute homework is not part of it.”

Saeko did indeed have a scheduled rendezvous with her brother. The original plan was to request reinforcements, specialists in tracking and investigation. But now it was just to report about Creevey personally and relay Dumbledore's stance on the matter.

Today was actually quite a big day - she and Itachi scheduled a purely mental exercise, just legilimency and occlumency. Itachi had revealed himself a natural, but that was expected since he was a master mind manipulator genjutsu-wise. Also he had been working on it ever since they procured the relevant book for Knockturn Alley. This was magic right up the ANBU captain's alley - not flashy but immensely powerful.

Saeko on the other hand was working diligently on Occlumency. As soon as she discovered the local wizards could rummage though her head like the Yamanaka she took up the art. She was quite confident in her defenses - she was not only an excellent ninja but an Uchiha to boot. Handling the sharingan required a disciplined mind. Just to top it off she was on good terms with Morino Ibiki, the undisputed Konoha top expert on tricks of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence.

“Saeko?” Daniel ventured.

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

“Clearing my mind” Saeko said airily.

“Uh-uh” the Brit said dubiously.

“It's great, you should try it”

“Yeah, I'm right on that”

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“An owl? An actual owl Saeko? And here I thought you didn't even know what they were” Lauren exclaimed when she entered their Runes 'Lair' and saw the bird perched on one of the chairs.

The Uchiha shrugged “Ha ha. It's not from home, this was local.”

“Oho. Who is writing you?” Lauren asked as she sat down at the table.

“Jamie Todd, my old quidditch captain” Saeko smiled, glad her friend was doing well. Apparently she had been in court for the first time. So far she only dealt with the clients, research and paperwork. Court was a big step. Well, it's not like she actually spoke, she was there just as the junior solicitor, but still, progress.

“Oh, her” the red-head shrugged, “My family has her firm on retainer actually.”

“So they are good I imagine” Saeko hummed.

“Never saw them in action” Lauren shrugged, “So about our next layer of runes, do you think that turning the intruder into stone would be inappropriate?”

The Uchiha prodigy burst into laughter. The gasping, hiccup-inducing, genuine laughter kind.

“Too soon?”

When she finally caught her breath again Saeko managed to say “I'm so glad you're my partner.”

“That's a yes?”

“We could immobilize the intruder and left him starve. If we used petrification there could be bitching about it” the nin reasoned, still unable to wipe the huge grin off her face.

Lauren frowned “Too much hassle then. I like your idea though.”

“Or we could combine it with something. Immobilize and then something. Fire is an oldie but a goodie” Saeko's eyes sparkled in glee.

The red-head shook her head with a small smile “Again? You truly are a pyro.”

“You know, back home I was given the codename 'Amaterasu'” the kunoichi boasted.

Lauren frowned in thought “Goddess of the sun? It suits you.”

“The goddess part for sure” Saeko made a motion to her body to which Lauren rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Speaking of fire, would you mind if I smoked?”

“As long as you share”

Saeko arched an eyebrow in question.

Lauren shrugged “My dad used to smoke cigars. It smelled disgusting and he never let me try.”

“Alright then” the ninja unsealed her pipe and offered it to her partner. She used a small seal-less katon jutsu.

“Show off” Lauren smirked and tried the pipe out.

…

“I don't like it” the Slytherin announced with a grimace.

“Thank Kami! It doesn't suit you” Saeko exhaled.

Lauren shrugged “But I still like the smell of un-burnt tobacco.”

“Certainly more appetizing a smell than out virtual intruder” Saeko nodded towards the papers covered in runes before them.

“We are not using fire again” the Brit said resolutely.

“Pleeeease” Saeko fluttered her eyebrows, “It could be a theme! A fire-themed closet. Who wouldn't buy that!”

“Oh, yeah! Let me contact my PR agency. We are going to get rich!” Lauren said in her driest deadpan.

Saeko beamed “I know, right!”

Lauren rolled her eyes “No more fire. And just you know, I am still sore about not using the bone vanishing wards. I still think we can do it. It shouldn't be hard, Lockhart managed.”

“Please” it was the Uchiha's turn to roll her eyes, “You are just sore you were not in the Infirmary when it happened. Madame Pomfrey had all that fun for herself. Kami help me, you brought up that enough times.”

“It was an interesting case” Lauren pouted, “Speaking of, how goes your pet project?”

The Raven summoner frowned “Nearly there, give me three days and the genjutsu wards will be ready.”

Lauren smirked “Not like you not to succeed outright.”

“Give me some credit, I'm combining Konoha magic with runes. We do it differently and I was never good with seals” Saeko defended.

“No excuses,” Lauren's eyes sparkled in laughter, “Besides, genjutsu is just a fancy name for illusions. It's not like you invented the wheel.”

“It's not” the ninja frowned.

“Is too”

“No wait, it works a bit differently. Much more scientific. You see we…”

“Is too” Lauren interrupted.

“Hn” Saeko crossed her arms.

“Oh come on, tell me how your marvelous genjutsu works” the snake said with fake-kindness.

“No, you killed it.”

Lauren chuckled “Don't pout, it doesn't suit you. You are a badass, remember?”

“Hn” was the answer even if the girl herself was mollified.

“I am still not allowing any more fire” Lauren said resolutely.

“Hn”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Let's crush those Puffs!” Roger exclaimed gleefully when Saeko finished her pre-match speech.

Jared looked at the young chaser “Usually it's the Cap who makes bloodthirsty comments.”

“They got me angry”

“How so?” his partner, Jaden Byrd, asked.

Roger shrugged “I hate their passive-aggressive rubbish. If they don't like us winning, sure, that's okay, but just shut up and deal with it!”

Saeko snickered “As accurate as that may be, try to calm down. The Pitch is a place for cold calculation, not emotions running wild.”

The buff fourth-year took a breath and nodded.

“Oh and if anyone gets injured stay away from Lockhart” the Uchiha advised. The Team collectively shivered. “And you are allowed to punch him in the face” Saeko continued.

“While it's a lovely thought I don't think it's worth it” Jared smirked.

“I don't know” Caitlin hummed, “His face is the only thing going for him so messing it up would be quite satisfying.”

“Leave him be” Cho chastised.

“See how you talk when you get your bones vanished” Roger smirked.

James Carter, the only team member who hasn't spoken so far, decided to participate “I think Pomfrey would vanish him first.” The Team chuckled and nodded - everybody knew the school nurse was a frightening person to cross.

The noise outside that has been rising steadily finally reached its peak as Lee Jordan began his usual routine of comments that needed to be monitored by his Head of House. The Eagles fell silent, waiting to be called up.

“ _And now for the reigning champions, the Ravenclaws! With the NEWTs approaching for the majority of the Team we had gotten used to we will now be witnessing a whole new Eagles. Will they soar or will they crash?”_

The Ravenclaw fans booed.

“ _So without further ado, let_ _'s welcome Uchiha, Bishop,_ _O'Shea, Davies, Byrd, Carter aaaaand Chang!”_

Saeko and her team flew onto the field the flair typical for them and then settled on the ground around Madame Hooch.

“Uchiha” the Hufflepuff captain, Fleet, greeted his counterpart.

“Herbert” Saeko nodded back, she always found the name rather funny.

Hooch launched into her usual speech about fair play and the two captains shook hands. When everybody was in position the referee held up her whistle in clear warning.

_“And they_ _'re off, ladies and gentlemen! Ravenclaw in possession, the newcomer Jaden Byrd swooped it up right under Macavoy! Sorry girl, you need to be quicker.”_

Saeko smirked. Her chasers were working together well but far from perfect, but then again even her previous formation needed time. She fired a bludger towards Diggory, lest he gets any ideas.

Twenty minutes in and the score was uncomfortably close to Saeko's standards. “Yo, Jared! No more Mr. and Mrs. Nice Guy!” Jared did not reply but his grin was telling enough. “And Byrd, no more hero stuff! I don't care who gets the fame, we are here to win!”

“Aye” the mildly annoyed third year nodded and went into formation with Caitlin and Roger. Saeko sighed.

“Taichō! Number two!” Jared shouted and passed his bludger.

Saeko focused on O'Flaherty who was bringing the rear of the Hufflepuff chaser formation and channeled a slight bit of chakra though her bat. Today was not O'Flaherty's lucky day.

The chaser evaded at the last moment but was nearly swept off his broom by Saeko who flew right after the bludger. With a vicious backhand the black ball came flying back to the Puff which was confused enough to let it hit his leg.

With a cry of pain the Irish Badger came spiraling down. Before her could recuperate Jared deflected the bludger that was shooting towards Cho right into the poor chaser's path. O'Flaherty reflexively put his arms up to defend his face and received the black ball with a rather sickening crunch.

“Should we call Lockhart?” Jared taunted.

“Be good” Saeko called back, watching Roger score after an elaborate maneuver with Caitlin.

The keeper and Hufflepuff captain began shouting instructions at his teammates as he passed the quaffle to Preece.

With one chaser with an arm and leg out of commission the Badger beaters became more aggressive to compensate. Saeko and Jared were quite busy protecting their own, letting the chasers duke it out mostly for themselves.

Saeko eyed the seekers and sighed with disappointment, both Cho and Diggory were still circling.

O'Flaherty was more or less back in action even if considerably slowed down and in pain. The Ravenclaw beaters decided to give him a break and targeted Macavoy instead.

The girl proved to be a much more elusive target than her colleague. Still, getting chased didn't help her accuracy and Ravenclaw's score rose more steadily than before.

Hufflepuff's only hope now was catching the snitch. They knew it, the Eagles knew it. Both seekers were cool under the pressure, Diggory being the veteran was expected but Cho was making Saeko very proud.

Cho seemed to pause a fraction of a second and then she shot right up, eyes focused and determined. “ _Very proud indeed_.”

Diggory was as close as Chang was, just coming from the other side. The blue-clad seeker reacted first and was lighter so she was in the lead, even if not by much. Which was all the time in the world in a seeker's duel.

Both hands reached before them.

Saeko and her Hufflepuff counterpart each deflected a bludger meant for their teammates, allowing them to continue toward the snitch unimpeded.

The golden orb didn't seem to like being chased and veered off course. Both seekers adjusted and were now flying side by side. It almost seemed engineered to give the spectators a show.

Cedric used his superior mass to slam Cho off the path to the snitch. The Ravenclaw knew her petite frame would do little in a retaliatory maneuver so she used a whole different type of attack, one that made Saeko's heart swell with pride - Cho simply caught Diggory's eye and smiled cutely.

_“And Chang catches the snitch for the Eagles! Ravenclaw WINS! Let that be a lesson to all, don't let yourself get distracted with pretty girls.”_

“That was AWESOME!” Caitlin hugged Cho as soon as she landed.

“Nicely done” Roger laughed.

“Indeed” Saeko nodded and hugged the petite girl as well. Sotto voce she added “When he'll come to congratulate us play it off as a lucky shot.”

Cho blushed “I feel bad.”

Saeko chuckled “No need, just smile again and you're off the hook. Excellent work by the way, not just this, the whole match. You stayed cool and brought us to victory.”

“Thanks” Cho blushed.

The Team bowed to the crowd, soaking up the cheers, the applause and the customary cawing. “All right, that's enough, we can get more at the party.”

“Oh yeah, the part-ey” Jared did a little dance.

“Exactly” Saeko chuckled, “But before that we will do a little recap in the locker rooms. We need to discuss how to get better for next time. This was the first game we played together and there are things that need to be adjusted.”

“Sure thing Captain” Roger said cheerily. Behind him Jaden looked down at the grass, fully aware he was to be scolded.

“On our three” Jason jerked his head.

The Team looked to their right to see the Hufflepuffs. Saeko grinned “Gracious winners, remember.”

“But that's no fun” Caitlin pouted.

“We can laugh at them later” the ninja shrugged.

“That's better” Jared smirked.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Luna is hard, I feel I didn't do her justice :-(


	83. 5- 83 Let's Duel!

Saeko woke up in an excellent mood. Yesterday's victory with an all new Team proved once and for all that she was an excellent quidditch captain and the subsequent party was pretty wild - it was a release of sorts from all the fear of the attacks. That said, Saeko did not participate much, she spent most of her time talking with her old teammates and soaking up the praise.

Getting out of bed quietly, Ashley was still happily snoring the morning away, Saeko left for the bathroom. When she arrived back the status of her roommate was still unchanged. The Uchiha rolled her eyes and sat down at the table to write a letter to Jamie and Frost about yet another Eagle victory.

“mm… marshmallows” Ash murmured and burrowed further into her covers.

Saeko chuckled and shook her head. When she finished her writing she summoned two of the smaller ravens and let them out of the window. Not even this shook the pinkette so the ninja decided on a direct approach “Ash!”

“mmm”

“ASH!”

“..fk off”

_“Fish spit it is. Suiton: Uo Tsuba”_

Ashley shrieked and shot up from bed “The hell!”

“Good morning” Saeko sing-songed.

“I hate you” Ash wiped the water from her face.

Saeko blew her a kiss “I'm off to breakfast and then to the library.”

“Good to know. Why the hell did you have to wake me up?” the pinkette growled.

“It's a beautiful day, sunny if you would believe it” Saeko smiled.

“Fuck you and fuck the sun!”

“That's not nice” the Uchiha reproached.

Ashley settled back into the covers “Shoo. Go to breakfast and leave me be.”

“It's eight already”

“EIGHT? Are you crazy? It's Sunday, leave me be”

Saeko sighed “Fine.” Abandoning the obviously lost cause she left the room and went to find any of her friends to keep her company.

The Ravenclaw common room was populated only sparsely, most of the students decided to take it easy this morning. The only ones who were already up and about were the seventh years that had already started on their NEWTs or their preparation for future careers.

Them, and a few early birds. “Helena, am I glad to see you!”

“You're chipper today” the blonde remarked, “Tea?”

“I was thinking of having one in the Hall. Have you already eaten?” Saeko asked.

“No, but you know my attitude to the local tea. But if you are hungry I can take a cuppa with me”

The kunoichi blinked in confusion at the sudden altruism “Quite chipper yourself then.”

“Eh, it happens” Helena shrugged.

As the two girls leisurely made their way to the Great Hall Saeko had to ask “So how come you're so happy this morning? Our victory yesterday has to have been anticipated so no big betting miracle, you did not do anything special during the party to the best of my knowledge, so what is it?”

“Got a letter his morning” Helena smirked.

“Aaaaand?”

“The cousin in Beauxbatons, you know the one that sought to marry me to get the business?”

“Yeah, I remember” Saeko nodded in cautious anticipation.

Helena grinned widely “He got arrested.”

The Uchiha arched an eyebrow when Helena burst into laughter. When the blonde calmed down Saeko asked “What for?”

“Growing illegal substances” Helena skipped in glee, “Naturally being from a rich and influential family it warranted only a slap on the wrist but it is reason enough to stop associating with him. You know, a proper pureblood worthy of our name would've never been caught.”

Saeko laughed “That's great!”

“Indeed! What a moron” the Brit laughed again.

“We should celebrate” the jounin smiled and half-hugged her friend.

“I already am. Also Father said he's sending me a present” Helena smiled.

Saeko smacked her lips “Mmm, more brandy? My birthday present is magnificent. Definitely a special occasion kind of deal.”

“Glad you enjoy it. Maybe you could share this evening”

“Well, I did promise a celebration” Saeko sighed theatrically.

“Excellent”

“Speaking of family, how's your little sis doing?”

Helena pursed her lips “She's a thirteen year old girl with an interest in romance, what do think? Her letters are filled with accolades to older boys.” The blonde shifted her voice to be higher “Christophe is soo _cool_! He's _such_ an amazing quidditch player! He could probably go pro.”

Saeko chuckled but Helena wasn't finished “That was a month ago. The last letter mentioned Maurice and how attractive his brooding is.” She imitated her sister again “He's so deep, you know. He has such a dark and wounded aura about him. So cool!”

“Fangirls” the Uchiha shook her head with a chuckle. She remembered very well the hordes of females Itachi had to evade.

“Accurate description” Helena nodded with a sigh.

The girls spent their breakfast discussing Vanessa Grey and her friends at Beauxbatons and compared it with Saeko's experiences from the Ninja Academy. In her short time there the 'cool guy' the mostly civilian aspirant kunoichi drooled over had been Inuzuka Juhi. Saeko took great pleasure in beating him in the class spars. The punk loved attention and thought he was the shit. The Uchiha prodigy loved to prove him wrong.

After breakfast the two Ravens returned to the Tower - Helena convinced her friend to forgo the library and play chess together instead.

“Well, look who has finally woken up” Saeko exclaimed when her roommate came down the stairs.

“I still hate you” Ashley yawned.

“Why?” Peter asked when the boys joined them.

Before Ashley could respond Daniel nodded towards the notice board “Hey guys, did you see that?”

“See what?” Graham squinted towards the board.

“The is to be a Dueling Club!” the aspiring author answered excitedly, “Maybe Dumbledore asked Flitwick to start one now with the danger at school.”

“You think Slytherin's monster can duel?” Pater snorted.

“It would give people confidence” Ashley interjected, “Make the students feel a tiny bit more secure.”

“It would be only an illusion of safety but I guess it beats panicked students” Helena hummed.

“You mean panicked students who now would be capable of attack anyone when they are spooked?” Graham arched an eyebrow.

“Touché”

“It's not like they are not capable of it now” Saeko shrugged, “Some formalized dueling class would be good for the students. Deirdre taught us much more than just blindly slinging spell around.”

“Flitwick will have a plan” Daniel said confidently.

Peter nodded “This will be so awesome. I always wanted to see Flitwick in action. He was a dueling champion for five years running! Do you know how many excellent fighters participate in those tournaments? He must've been amazing!”

“So who's in?”

Everybody present looked at Daniel as if he was mad and then nodded. “Of course we are” Helena summed it up with a scoff.

“Who in their right mind would want to miss Flitwick showing off” Ashley shook her head.

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Gather round, gather round!” Gilderoy Lockhart in resplendent deep plum robes spoke from the small podium, “Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me?”

“I wish I couldn't” Caitlin sneered.

“Excellent” Lockhart beamed, his extra white teeth glinting in the candlelight, and continued with his prepared speech.

“I can't believe it” Daniel said nearly tearfully. The poor boy was crushed.

“I was so sure it would be Flitwick” Peter exhaled.

“Well, you know what they say about assuming” Graham chimed in.

“I do feel like an ass, that's for sure” Ashley shook her head.

“It could still be a good show. Even if it's a comedy now” Saeko tried to lighten up the situation even if she was disappointed as well.

“I hate slapstick” Caitlin growled.

“I will need a drink after this. I do have a nice merlot in my trunk” Helena sighed.

“I'll join you” Caitlin said firmly. Graham nodded.

Lockhart was oblivious to the little murmurs in the Hall and continued his presentation “And if you could welcome the man who has so graciously agreed to be my assistant in this endeavor: professor Snape!“

Suddenly the vast majority of the student applauded loudly, everybody realizing that the Potions master would wipe the floor with Lockhart in a heartbeat. Never before Snape was so popular. The man in question even almost smiled at the support.

“Alright, alright, settle down” Lockhart smiled even if it was evident he was surprised and irritated by Snape stealing his spotlight.

The DADA professor announced a small demonstration of dueling and the two teachers faced each other. Snape's expression was quite intimidating but Lockhart didn't seem fazed.

“One… two… three…”

As soon as the countdown reached zero Snape swung his wand and clearly articulated “ _Expelliarmus_!”

A scarlet flash of light impacted Lockhart dead-on and the blond professor got blasted off the small podium, his wand awkwardly hovering over the spot he had just been.

“Is it wrong that I'm hoping for brain damage?” Caitlin said as she craned her neck to look at her favorite teacher sprawled on the floor.

Saeko chuckled, thinking of her friends in the T&I “I have a friend that would love you.”

Lockhart got onto his feet, a tad unsteadily, but smiled brilliantly “Well, there you have it! That was the disarming charm - as you see I lost my wand. Professor Snape, excellent idea to show them that, but if you don't mind my saying so it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would've been quite easy. I felt it would be instructive to let you all see the effect.”

“Yeah, sure” Graham murmured as he rolled his eyes.

“Pity Snape can't kill him, too many witnesses” Caitlin said darkly.

Helena shrugged “I would be willing to testify to an accident.”

Lockhart clapped his hands and announced “Enough demonstrations! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me…”

The sneering Potions master got to the Ravens first. He surveyed the ready-made pairs and nodded, not really caring. Snape briefly met Saeko's eyes but averted them immediately - clearly he had instruction from Dumbledore. The Uchiha was actually surprised but flattered.

Saeko faced off Helena and waited for the go-ahead. The blonde sighed “I'm aboard the Deirdre-fan train now. This isn't going to end well.”

Saeko looked at the Gryffindor-Slytherin pairs and nodded. Her eyes sought Lauren and was relieved when she saw her partnered with Higginson, a pureblooded Gryff whose DADA marks left to be desired.

“Wands at the ready!” Lockhart shouted, “And remember, disarm only!”

It took only a moment to the Great Hall to descend into utter mayhem. Almost nobody restricted themselves to a mere disarming charm - they were taught by a dueler of Deirdre's caliber after all. The problem was that many Gryffs and Snakes took the opportunity to settle some grudgers.

Lockhart tried to restore peace but was completely ignored. The chaos continued until Snape took the matter into his own hands and cast a powerful wide-area _finite incantatem_.

The aftermath was pretty horrible by school standards - bloody noses, humiliated students, disoriented and unfocused eyes.

Lockhart walked among the injured students and gave out useless advice to calm thing down. Finally he made another announcement “I think I'd better teach you how to _block_ unfriendly spells.” He looked at Snape but found no support. He cleared his throat and continued “Maybe… yes. Let's have a volunteer pair to show you how it's done. Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you?”

“A bad idea professor Lockhart” Snape interjected, “Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll de sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox.”

“Prick” Ash murmured.

“That was low” Peter agreed.

Snape continued with a ghost of a smile on his lips “How about Malfoy and Potter?”

“Excellent idea!” Lockhart nodded excitedly and gestured to the two boys in question to join him on the stage.

Malfoy was positively giddy while The-boy-Who-lived was definitely reluctant. Nonetheless both second years faced off up on the stage. While the DADA professor explained with great flourish who to protect yourself, quite poorly to be exact, Snape bent down and whispered into Malfoy's ear. The blond pureblood smirked and nodded.

Potter caught it and got nervous. Saeko did not blame his, especially if his only protection was Lockhart.

After the obligatory trash-talk Lockhart backed off and began the countdown “Three... two… one…”

As soon as he was in the clear Malfoy attacked “ _Serpensortia_!”

From the end of Malfoy's wand exploded and a long black snake shot out from the smoke. The serpent landed heavily on the floor in the middle of the two warring boys and raised his head, poised for a strike.

Lockhart's fans who had swarmed the fist lines beneath the podium screamed and backed away, causing chaos yet again.

“Don't move, Potter” Snape said lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry reptile, “I'll make it go away.”

“Allow me!” Lockhart interjected. The little poker group just looked at each other and shook their heads.

Predictably the snake did not disappear or was pacified. Instead the poor serpent shoot ten feet into the air with a loud bang and then landed, more pissed that before. Forgetting about Potter the snake eyed the closest target which just happened to be the Hufflepuff Finch-Fletchley.

Harry took a step forward, suddenly not afraid. Then a low hissing sound emanated from the boy, not dissimilar to the snake's previous performance.

Saeko shivered involuntarily, having had a close encounter with a snake summon, courtesy of the Oto ninja, even before the invasion of Konoha during the Exams.

That reaction was pretty mild comparing it with the rest of the school. Words like 'Parselmouth' and “Heir of Slytherin' were on everybody's lips.

When the outraged shouts and confused murmurs started, Saeko just rubbed her brow “Mendokse.”


	84. 5- 84 Making Garden Gnomes, Part 3

 

The days following the big parseltongue reveal were hectic in the Ravenclaw common room. When the first the victim was just a cat so nobody really cared much. Then came Creevey, which was horrible but nobody really saw it. But the Dueling Club incident was witnessed by the entire school. A clear-cut culprit. A clear dark wizard revealed.

The Ravenclaws were skeptical but cautious. The prefects and the Head Boy rounded up the whole House and urged everybody to stay together, be in groups when going in the school proper, and watch over the muggleborns in their years. Just to be sure.

Michelle and her friends, Joanne and Angela, were the only muggleborns in the fifth year. The little poker group started to hang out with them when outside the common room and even the loners in their year, Aaron and Edward, really stepped up.

Since the three groups did not mingle much outside of class the most frequent topic of conversation was naturally Potter.

“He hated Creevey” Edward said emphatically, “The little creep and his camera were a pain, I admit, so it makes sense to set the monster after him. Mrs. Norris was just a trial run.”

Daniel nodded hesitantly “There are several muggle studies about serial killers. They say that those guys almost always start out small, animal abuse being the most common form.”

“It fits” Joanne nodded.

“But he always seemed like a nice boy” Angela mused.

Caitlin hummed “I'm still not convinced it was him. I mean, speaking in snake-tongue to such a wide audience was utterly dumb. I would keep it silent, especially if I was the Heir, hell-bent on carnage.”

“He seemed surprised when Malfoy used the spell” Peter countered, “Maybe he slipped.”

“He's twelve, not a hardened criminal” Graham interjected.

“Making slipping all the more probable” Helena joined in on the discussion.

Michelle shook her head “But he defeated You-Know-Who when he was little. He can't be dark.”

“Yeah, but how he did that” Aaron countered, “Nobody knows. Similarly nobody knows why he targeted Potter in the first place. Maybe he wanted to stop a rival from rising.”

“A one year old kid. As a rival” Graham said skeptically.

Paddy shrugged “You-Know-Who wasn't actually too sane.”

“Wouldn't say that too loud around Slytherins if I were you” Helena warned, “The man still has fans.”

“Noted” the boy nodded darkly.

The three muggleborns shifted their weight, uncomfortable, so Saeko decided to be nice and return on topic “So I heard Potter wanted to confront Finch-Fletchley but the Puffs have him in protective custody.”

“Don't blame them” Edward shrugged.

“Potter would not attack in front of witnesses” Daniel waved his hand in dismissal.

Aaron shrugged “Why risk it.”

The big group finally arrived at their destination, the Greenhouses. The Puffs were already there, much more relaxed than when they were in school. It seemed the consensus was the Monster only struck inside the Castle.

“Come inside, dears” professor Sprout said loudly and opened the doors of Greenhouse 5 to them.

The lesson went rather quickly. After an hour and a half of mechanical repotting and a lecture on the marvel that was Chinese Chomping Cabbage the students started the walk back to the Castle.

Saeko bit back a curse when she spotted a black bird flying towards them. A bird looking suspiciously like a raven.

Zake landed on the ninja's shoulder. The messenger warranted a few look but nobody mentioned it. Then again they did not know what the raven's presence meant.

Saeko jogged ahead and muttered “What happened?”

“There was another attack. Potter was the first on the scene” Zake reported.

“The victim?”

“Two this time. A Hufflepuff and the ghost with the weird neck”

 “A ghost? Are you sure?”

The raven looked offended “Yes, I am quite sure.”

“Ksō!” Saeko cursed.

X

**Headmaster's Office**

The ninja was getting used to being hidden in the shadows - in Konoha she usually was the flashy finisher, go somewhere, kick everybody's ass and go back. Her time in the shadows drastically increased when Potter came to Hogwarts.

Currently she was waiting on the ceiling in front of the Headmaster's office, waiting for Dumbledore to be finished with The-Boy-Who-Lived.

Finally the shaky and pale second-year opened the door, took a deep relieved breath and started down the stairs. Saeko waited for a few beats and then silently slipped into the office.

“Good afternoon Headmaster”

The elder was sitting at his desk absently stroking his pet phoenix “Hello, miss Uchiha.”

“Here we are again” Saeko said with forced neutrality.

“Indeed” Dumbledore sighed heavily.

Saeko said nothing more as she sat in the rather comfy chair, the ball was in the Brit's court after all. Dumbledore seemed deep in thought and after several minutes he sighed yet again “I need you to stay at school over Christmas break.”

The scarred teen waited for more to be said but when it was clear that was all she frowned “Nothing more... proactive?”

“I know who is it, I just don't know how” the elder shook his head.

“Then tell me what to look for!” Saeko exclaimed.

Dumbledore took off his glasses “Just continue what you have been doing.” Before Saeko could protest he put a hand up “I have reason to believe the Heir will try to involve Harry somehow.”

“You mean beside framing him?” the ninja crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

“I believe that is mere coincidence”

Saeko narrowed her eyes “Tell me more. I need to know and this time I'm not taking 'no' for an answer!”

“Very well” the elder nodded, suddenly looking very tired. He took a deep breath and started talking “As you may or may have not heard, something similar has happened once already, 50 years ago. The culprit was none other than Voldemort, who was a student here at the time. Of course he was never caught and the matter was blamed on somebody else and then swept under the rug.”

“And the 'Monster of Slytherin'?”

Dumbledore hesitated “A basilisk, most likely.”

Saeko was speechless “That would mean we were lucky no one died so far! Dear Kami… You let a death-machine roam in the school?!”

“I have taken steps to ensure no deaths after the first incident fifty years ago. Not even the Headmaster at the time knew but those wards are still in effect” the man defended sternly.

The kunoichi let out a relieved breath “So the petrifications, the puddle of water, the film, the ghost… It was not just outrageous luck.”

“Of course not”

The Uchiha nodded. She knew how many amazing and nearly impossible things were possible with runes/seals when handled by a master of the subject. “So that also explains why you didn't want a Hyuuga here but we have trackers that don't need sight at all. Hell, I know one that bandages his eyes shut because he 'can sense more'. Granted, he's nuts, but he knows his stuff. Now it would be ideal, almost nobody it staying over Yule. I have already taken out several giant snakes. One tracker and me and the School is safe.”

“No. I want a culprit. I want more information. I want to know how Voldemort, or through who, Voldemort is doing this”

“You're baiting again” Saeko gritted her teeth, “The culprit will get frustrated since nobody is ending up dead and start doing things differently. I say we find the Chamber and lay a trap.”

“Just keep an eye out for Harry. It's important” Dumbledore sighed.

Saeko pursed her lips but relented, the students were relatively safe after all “Very well.”

The kunoichi left with a small bow and started in the direction of the Ravenclaw Tower, she needed to write to Itachi and the Hokage to say she wouldn't be coming back this break. And to update them on the situation. As she went she looked at the walls - Potter said he was hearing voices. Bering a Parselmouth and all it was clear now he was hearing the basilisk. A snake in the walls, marvelous.

* * *

**Babbling's Office**

Lauren and Saeko stood proudly before Babbling's table, a large stack of papers in front of the runes professor.

“The Uchiha-Lewis Fire Closet?” the woman arched her eyebrows and chuckled.

“WHAT?” the Slytherin girl exclaimed and her hands shot to the papers that constituted their project. She read over the first page “Saeko, you b… hag! You changed the title!”

“Oh? Did I?” the ninja hummed innocently.

“Fire closet? Fire closet!”

“Pyro's Delight?” Saeko frowned, “But then I thought it was too morbid.”

Babbling chuckled, letting the scene play out. Lauren was playing the role of the fiery and furious redhead seriously “That idiocy aside for the moment, the deal was Lewis-Uchiha! 'L' comes firs in the alphabet.”

“Really? Wait, 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D',…” Saeko started singing.

“Aaargh!” Lauren stomped in frustration.

“What was the original title?” the teacher said and took up her quill. Quite a kind gesture if you discount her obvious repressed laughter.

“Lewis' Masterpiece. That's the title” Lauren said firmly.

“Now, that's petty” the brunette reproached.

“Lewis-Uchiha 5th year Runes project it is!” Babbling exclaimed and wrote the new title. The two girls both glared at her but relented almost immediately. Babbling nodded in satisfaction “Excellent. Now if that is everything…”

The girls nodded and bid their teacher goodbye. Once out of the office Lauren growled “It's all your fault.”

“Oi, come on, it was just a harmless prank” Saeko chuckled.

“Don't talk to me”

“A great prank actually” Saeko ignored her, “Even you have to admit it was funny.”

“Not a chance”

“Hilarious even”

“Don't flatter yourself. It was mildly entertaining at best” Lauren rolled her eyes.

Saeko ginned victoriously “HA! So you admit it _was_ funny!”

“Mildly entertaining”

“I'll take it” the Uchiha grinned.

Lauren rolled her eyes “Wouldn't want to be pissed at you during Yule. Nearly all of Slytherin is going home for the holiday so you'll have the honor of entertaining me.”

“I'll gladly do so” Saeko bowed with flourish, “The Snakes are running, huh?”

“Everybody is” the Slytherin shrugged, “With four beings down for the count who could blame them.”

“Fair enough” Saeko nodded, “Nobody in my year is staying either.”

“Say Daniel and Helena hi from me” Lauren nodded and set towards the dungeons.

The brunette waved “Sure. Same to Soldy and Lexie.”

After parting ways Saeko returned to the Ravenclaw common room which was pretty deserted since most of the students were up, packing. When Saeko entered her room she discovered Ashley was among those students as well. “What the hell? Did an explosive tag go off?”

“Did you see my Druidic star Charts? I can't find them anywhere. The thin book in green hard-cover” the pinkette exclaimed in panic.

“Did you try _accio_?”

Ashley smacked her forehead and unsheathed her wand and tried the spell “Shit it's not working”

“Either you power it up some more and risk smashing doors or you could try Peter, he's into that shit as well” Saeko shrugged.

“Good idea” the Brit said and dashed through the door.

Saeko rolled her eyes and decided to try Helena instead. One knock later she was let into a much tidier room. “What is it, I'm packing” the blonde pureblood motioned towards her trunk.

“I know, Ashley's too and she went mental. What I don't get is why everybody's packing in the first place. You're back in a few days anyway”

“I'm taking just the essential stuff” Helena shrugged.

The ninja eyed the empty bookshelves “You mean your whole library?”

“What if I get the urge to read some of them?”

“Don't tell me your manor lacks a library” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

Helena scoffed “Don't be ridiculous. So, what did you need?”

“Nothing”

“Splendid. Now get out”

Saeko pouted “You're going to leave me at Hogwarts alone for the whole holidays and you won't even talk to me?”

“You'll manage” the blonde smirked.

“But I'll miss you” Saeko sobbed dramatically.

“You should start training being without me right now and leave me to my packing”

“You know what, I think I will be better off alone” Saeko shook her head with an exaggerated sigh.

“Emotional blackmail won't work” Helena sing-songed.

“You cruel cold-hearted witch”

“Yup”

“See if I'll wave you off at the train station now”

“I'll try to survive”

“Fine, be that way”

“Merry Christmas!” Helena said cheerily to the leaving jounin. Saeko flipped her the bird.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: About the petrifications - I always thought Dumbledore had to have done something, because the massive luck of nobody dying is just plain impossible. I'm kinda proud how the Dumbledore scene turned out…


	85. 5- 85 Yule in Scotland

 

Saeko woke up at Christmas morning early as always. She took one look outside and smiled when she realized it was snowing - in Konoha never snowed. It was still rather novel even if the Hogwarts grounds were covered in the white dusting every winter plus always a few weeks extra.

The small pile of presents at the foot of her bed yielded quite a few treasures, even Itachi joined on the foreign tradition.

A few minutes later Saeko walked down the stairs into the common room, dressed in a simple red turtleneck with the Uchiha symbol only discreetly displayed on her left shoulder, black pants and boots.

“Finally!” Wayne shouted and his friends, Rory and Cameron, jumped up from their seats near the fire to greet the kunoichi.

“What took you so long?” Rory chimed in.

“We've been awake for hours!” the third ex-chaser exclaimed.

Saeko rolled her eyes “I don't get why.”

“PRESENTS!” the trio shouted in unison.

“Nevermind” Cameron half-hugged the ninja, “I hope you relaxed yesterday because from now on we are rocking these holidays!”

“Oh? You are going to include me in your last adventure at Hogwarts? Here I thought it was a private affair.”

The three seventh-years looked at each other and then grinned “Of course!”

“We can't let you be lonely!”

“You're cool”

Saeko smiled “That I am. Thanks, I'm sure the break will be great.”

“Pshh, it will be awesome”

“More than awesome!”

“Banzai!” Rory winked.

The four Ravenclaws made their way out of the Ravenclaw Tower and towards the Great Hall for breakfast. As they joked and laughed Saeko noted that yesterday's coldness and emptiness of the Castle seemed to completely vanish. Still, it was much quieter that during the school year.

When they arrived to the Great Hall all of them paused for a moment - this year the staff really went all out with the decorations. Maybe it was meant to take the student's minds off all the happenings concerning the heir of Slytherin. There were a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees, enchanted snow falling from the ceiling, warm and dry, holly and mistletoe everywhere.

Speaking of mistletoe… “Ha! Look up Cap! Hey, it rhymes” Rory giggled.

“He's right. You owe us all a kiss” Wayne nodded.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Stupid tradition. You got lucky you hairy apes.” She pecked the lips of her former chasers and all of them whooped. The ninja rolled her eyes again, this time with a smile, and the Ravens made their way to their table.

The Great Hall was almost deserted, only the professor's table was full. The Hufflepuff table was actually completely empty, all the students out for the holiday. Ravenclaw only had four students while Gryffindor and Slytherin had a handful of housemates each.

Naturally with the Weasleys on one side and Malfoy and the rest of Team Rocket on the other, the Hall seemed downright crowded. Percy Weasley's prefect badge now read 'pinhead', no doubt courtesy of his twin brothers, which attracted discreet chuckles from everybody, professors included. Malfoy was making loud and snide remarks on Potter's home-made jumper. The third major noise-maker was Hagrid who was slowly getting drunk on eggnog. Saeko and the chasers fit right in.

“Hey guys, the red-head over there is a friend. You mind if we sat at the Slytherin table?” Saeko asked when she spotted Lauren eating alone, reading a book.

“Oh yeah, Lewis right?” Wayne nodded.

Cameron winked at the Uchiha “Sure, let's go!”

The four quidditch players veered off course and approached the far right table. They sat down around Lauren who just sighed in resignation and stubbornly kept reading. Saeko grinned and poked her friend's side “Merry Christmas Lauren! Aren't you glad we came to keep you company?”

“Ecstatic” came the dry reply.

“I know, right!” Saeko smiled brilliantly and introduced the three seventh-years who waved only too happily. The Ravenclaws chatted as they ate breakfast, finally succeeding in Lauren's book to be put out.

After yet another comment from Malfoy, who was sitting not that far of them, Rory rolled his eyes and remarked “The brat is really obsessed with Potter, isn't he?”

Lauren snorted “You have no idea.”

“Why is he staying over? You said his family always hosted a big ball around this time” Saeko asked.

“I don't know, as you see I'm not there either” the Slytherin shrugged.

“Why not?” Wayne asked.

Lauren smirked “My monster would be lonely without our usual afternoon tea.”

Saeko frowned “Don't joke like that, someone could take it seriously.”

“The taichō is right” Cameron looked surreptitiously around him, “Idiots, sheep mentality and all.”

Lauren huffed but nodded “I'm here like a 'fuck you' to my family.”

“Gotcha” Rory nodded and dropped the subject, “Still, it's pretty brave of Granger to stay. She's muggleborne, right?”

“She is” Saeko confirmed, “It sure didn't help she stayed, I heard people say she's safe cause Potter's the doer.”

“If he were a pureblood crusader he would never have befriended Granger in the first place” Wayne rolled his eyes.

Cameron sighed “I don't want to discuss this again.”

“It is rather tiresome” Lauren hummed.

“So, why are you staying at Hogwarts, Cap?” Rory asked, “You never stay.”

The red-head chuckled “To spread the holiday queer. I mean cheer.”

“Good one” Saeko chuckled as the ex-chasers roared in laughter, “Been thinking of it a while, haven't you?”

“Ever since you told me” Lauren smirked.

Cameron fake-whispered “We need some mistletoe.”

“Agreed” his best friends grinned.

Lauren rolled her eyes and then smirked again “You need wingmen now, Saeko? Here I thought you were a heartbreaker.”

“You're hilarious today” Saeko replied dryly.

“I like her, taichō” Rory chuckled, “Let's keep her.”

“I feel like a winner” Lauren dead-panned.

“You should” Cameron sing-songed.

Wayne nodded “You really should.”

“And we will show you why. Prepare yourself for the best Christmas you ever had!” Cameron finished.

Saeko smiled at her Slytherin friend “Let's get you some eggnog, trust me, you'll need it.”

Lauren looked skeptical.

X

**Hours Later, Dinnertime**

Saeko's kage bushin chuckled at the sight of a completely exhausted Lauren that was dragged to dinner by the much more fit quidditch players. The little group had spent the whole day running around the Castle doing various things, most prominently playing tag. And paint-ball. And a Christmas spells show-off in front of Flitwick.

All in all, a great day.

_Saeko_ watched enviously as the group ate the delicious dinner while laughing all the while. Meanwhile the clone had to stay hidden, waiting for Potter, Granger and Weasley to start off the polyjuice action.

Finally the Golden Trio moved. The pan was quite simple - drug Crabbe and Goyle with sleeping draught hidden in chocolate cake that miraculously appeared before them on the banister. The two boys didn't even hesitate before they stuffed their mouth again.

When Crabbe and Goyle fell asleep, Harry and Ron took each a few hairs and their victim's shoes and then they hid the bodies in a nearby cupboard. With the deed done, the boys sprinted away.

_Saeko_ sighed and when nobody was in sight she locked the cupboard and cast the notice-me-not charm on it. After Potter and Weasley returned the boots she would return and _obliviate_ the Slytherin duo to cover all the bases.

The girl's bathroom the Gryffindor trio used as headquarters was filled with thick black smoke. _Saeko_ briefly wondered why moaning Myrtle wasn't there screeching her head off.

“Add the hair to the potion” Hermione instructed as she handed out the glasses filled by the disgusting looking goop.

The potion changed color - Crabbe, Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode each having their own unique shade. The Gryffs went into separate cubicles and counted down from thee. They drank simultaneously.

At first nothing happened. Then suddenly they dropped the glasses which shattered on the floor.

It took approximately half a minute and the perfect replica of Crabbe and Goyle stood in the cubicles. The changing into of Millicent Bulstrode… hit a snag.

_Saeko_ resisted the urge to scream. “ _Just how stupid can you be_ ” she thought as she observed what Hermione changed into. Polyjuice was meant for human use only. The ninja heard she took the hairs off Bulstrode during their 'duel' she thought Hermione meant directly. Obviously she did not.

By now even the boys realized something was wrong. Hermione replied to their cries in a really high-pitch voice “I'm alright. Go on without me. Remember, we only have an hour.”

_“They might. You... not so sure” Saeko_ thought.

When the boys uncertainly left the bathroom the shadow clone left after them. On her way she summoned a small messenger raven and told him what just happened. Someone really needed to take Hermione to the infirmary.

The raven nodded and took off. _Saeko_ took one last look at Cat/Hermione and left to listen on Malfoy's interrogation, hoping nothing more would go bad.

X

Saeko spotted the small raven flying towards her and her smile froze on her lips. Lauren who has been more relaxed than the ninja ever saw her, noticed “What's up?”

“Urgent message” the brunette replied and started getting up.

“Taichō, we're not done yet!” Cameron exclaimed from his fourth helping of pudding.

“Really got to take this, I'll be right back” Saeko assured him.

As soon as the ninja left the great hall the summon started talking. Saeko sighed and made her way towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom “What a mess.”

When Saeko arrived to the bathroom the smoke had already dissipated somewhat but it was still quite prominent. “Hello?” she spoke loudly.

The resident ghost was the one to reply “I haven't seen you here before.”

“I saw the smoke” Saeko said in explanation, “Is everything all right?”

“Ask her” Myrtle giggled and pointed to one of the stalls.

“Hello?” the Uchiha repeated. When she was greeted by silence she tried again “I know that you are here, Myrtle told on you. You open the door or I'm picking it.”

“Alright” came the high-pitched reply.

Hermione came out, her face had fur and whiskers. Saeko sighed and peered behind the catgirl. Not only she noticed the tail but also the cauldron still full of potion “Polyjuice.”

“No?” the Gryff tried.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Let me take a sample and pour it out. I'll take you to Pomfrey, she's discreet.”

“She… she'll fix it? Right?” the second-year asked shakily.

“Sure” Saeko stayed nonchalant, “I doubt this is the first time something like this happened. Come on, let's go.”

“I, I can't”

“The castle is deserted, the probability of anybody seeing you is extremely low”

“I guess”

Saeko nodded and the girls exited the bathroom “Well, unless someone needed his stomach pumped after the feast or something.”

Hermione stopped walking and glared at the Ravenclaw. Saeko smirked and nudged her along. The shorter girl growled “You're horrible.”

“I know” Saeko said proudly.

They walked silently until they reached the infirmary. Nobody was there so the girls sat on the provided chairs. It didn't take even five minutes and Pomfrey came briskly though the doors, some king of spell or ward for sure. The nurse took one look at Granger and sighed “Describe precisely what happened.”

Hermione hesitated but then she told an edited story. Pomfrey took the sample and nodded. Before she moved to assist she arched an eyebrow in Saeko's direction “I thought you were with my protégée tonight. Running out on her already?”

Saeko chuckled “I'll go back to her then.”

“You do that” Pomfrey nodded. The over her shoulder she added “I trust there is no need to tell about this matter to your friends?”

“Sure thing” the brunette smirked, “Just so you know, Lauren's going to be pissed when she realizes what she missed.”

Pomfrey smiled smugly.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

“Nice place” Lauren hummed when Rory took off her blindfold, “Not enough to warrant a blindfolds and earplugs, but nice.”

“We could not give you a free pass to our Tower” Cameron shrugged.

“Duh” Rory nodded.

“So how does it compare to Slytherin?” Wayne asked.

Saeko stayed silent, she has seen the Snake's Den during Malfoy's interrogation and wasn't impressed. It was opulent but it was still a dungeon. Far from cozy. Lauren's words only confirmed it, she was especially taken by the windows and view since her Common Room had neither.

“Take a seat, anywhere you want” the ninja waved at the plush sofas and armchairs in front of the roaring fireplaces.

“I'll start on the mulled wine” Cameron grinned as the group sat down.

Rory nodded “Could you fetch the marshmallows too? And put on the radio.”

“Anything else, your highness?” the standing boy rolled his eyes.

“That will be all”

“Brat” Cameron muttered.

Saeko chuckled “So I heard Granger had a potion accident and is stuck in the infirmary.”

Lauren pursed her lips “Yes. Madame Pomfrey didn't let me see her though.”

Wayne hummed “Experimenting with potions. She really should've been a Raven.”

“Too true, unsanctioned experiments is so very Ravenclaw. Plus we would not have that black year - I mean a Gryffindor as top student? Preposterous!” Cameron exclaimed dramatically as he returned with the snacks.

“Worst thing is I don't see that changing. That year is lost. Now we can only hope the firsties can restore our reputation” Rory sighed.

“They will” Saeko said firmly, “I have been coaching some of the prospects.”

Wayne chuckled “I did notice there is one study group that is always terrified when you pass by.”

“Ha, ha” the ninja said dryly and crossed her arms.

Lauren chuckled as well “I could totally see that. The rows of pale students, ready to jump at your word. All 'yes, sir!' and then they start working.”

“Have you been to our quidditch trainings?” Rory asked with narrowed eyes. Wayne and Cameron both shivered in dread.

As Lauren started laughing Saeko rolled her eyes “You're a bunch of wussies.”

The mulled wine was ready and the chasers wisely shut up and served the beverage. Lauren was on the other hand quite happy to tease the ninja some more.

The group spent the afternoon drinking the wine and eating marshmallows roasted in the fire, listening to radio carols and swapping stories. After a big argument knives versus guns versus spells the group settled into playing shiritori, a silly little word game.

“Do we have something sparkling to drink? I'm feeling too stuffed” Cameron complained.

“You ate almost all the marshmallows, serves you right” Saeko shrugged.

“Far too much sugar” Lauren nodded sagely, “The mulled wine sure did not help, that has tons of sugar as well.”

“Thanks, healer Lewis” Cameron grunted, “What should do?”

“I know a handy spell for pumping stomachs” Lauren smiled brilliantly.

“What about something less radical?”

“But that's no fun”

Wayne chuckled “Be grateful, it could've been worse, remember, she's Pomfrey's student.”

“Yeah, that lady scares me to hell” Rory nodded emphatically.

Lauren smirked “I like her.”

“You would” Saeko grinned.

“You like her too” the red-head accused. Saeko smirked and nodded.

“Of course she would, you three are sadists” Wayne nodded sagely.

“Hey, being the school nurse is a difficult job. Stupid students having even more stupid problems” Lauren frowned.

Rory leaned towards Wayne and stage-whispered “See like neither denied it?”

“Shut it or I'll show you exactly how sadistic I can be” the lone Slytherin of the group smiled sweetly.

“Shutting up now” Rory saluted.

Cameron chuckled “So what was the most interesting or stupid case you got?”

“I promised I wouldn't talk about anything I saw or treated” Lauren shook her head.

“Bummer”

“Even the old stories?” Saeko asked, she had already heard some pearls during their Runes get-together.

Lauren smirked “If I don't name no names.”

“That's not grammatically right” Wayne's brow furrowed.

“It's..., you know, never mind” Cameron chuckled, “So share!”

“Or do you need more wine?”

The Snake hummed “I wouldn't mind a refill.”

The three chasers scurried to fetch some more of the heated drink, eager for stories. As all their eyes turned to her Lauren hesitated “I shouldn't.”

“We won't tell”

“Come on, we won't laugh”

“Actually the most interesting story Madame Pomfrey told me was not funny in the least” Lauren tapped her chin in thought.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Now you got me really interested.” The boys nodded eagerly.

“Alright” Lauren sighed. She took a sip from her glass and started “I don't know when this happened but it must've been a long time ago. A first year Hufflepuff broke down the first month in. A complete mental breakdown, he had to be taken to St. Mungo's.”

“What happened?” Cameron asked breathlessly.

“Apparently he had been raised in a muggle orphanage by nuns. He was deeply religious and then he started doing accidental magic. When he was introduced to Hogwarts Pomfrey said he was relieved at first - we wasn't possessed or anything.”

“But 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live'” Rory said knowingly, “My gran was catholic.”

“Spot on” Lauren nodded, “Madame Pomfrey said one day he started screaming about sinners and then tried to kill himself. Did you know you can't fall from the Castle's window? A ward is preventing it. He tried that and when he ended in the infirmary he tried to take a knife to his wrists.”

“No way he committed suicide on Pomfrey's watch” Wayne remarked.

Lauren snorted “Of course not.”

“So they just stuck him in St. Mungo's?” Cameron asked.

The Slytherin shrugged “Madame Pomfrey said he ended up obliviated with his magic bound back in the muggle word.”

“That's rough”

“Radical beliefs are dangerous. Any kind” Wayne commented.

The students nodded. After a beat of silence Rory clapped his hands together “This was depressing and I don't like it. Give us a funny story to take our mind off it.”

“Exploding acne?”

“Heard it!” Saeko shook her head.

“I didn't!” Cameron exclaimed.

“Me neither!” Wayne nodded.

Saeko pursed her lips “It's disgusting.”

“Awesome!” the boys shouted in stereo.

Lauren chuckled and started her favorite story.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“It was great while it lasted” Wayne sighed as he laid in his snow angel.

“Yeah” Rory agreed.

“Can't believe the brats are back tomorrow” Cameron sighed.

“I wish we could stay here forever”

“I don't want to study again”

“Fucking NEWTs”

“And then looking for a job”

“My parents got married right out of Hogwarts. I can already hear all the nagging”

“Shit, I didn't even think of that”

…

…

Saeko hummed “You know, my friend Shikamaru is onto something with watching clouds all the time.”

“You know, I kinda hate you right now Captain” Wayne sighed.

“What did I do?” Saeko asked, bewildered.

Rory sighed as well “You are not doing NEWTs.”

“I have OWLs!”

“And you have a career ready”

The ninja sat on the snow “And you should stop bitching.”

…

…

Saeko shook her head “I'm outta here, enjoy whining.”

Leaving the depressed ex-chasers Saeko made her way back inside the Castle. She was almost at the entrance when she got a better idea - it was just too nice outside.

“ _Kuchiose no Jutsu!”_

A rather large raven appeared from the smoke, all geared for a fight. Saeko smiled “No danger around.”

“Oh?” Unndra cocked her head to the side.

“I just wanted to fly around a little. If you don't mind that is”

“I thought you were doing an undercover mission”

“Sort of. But now there is hardly anyone around and even if anyone saw they wouldn't really care” Saeko shrugged.

The raven flapped her wings in invitation “Then hop on.”

Saeko grinned and made herself comfortable between the pitch-black wings. Unndra took off and quickly built up speed. Soon the duo was circling the tallest tower.

“So, what made you call me and not use one of those fancy flying contraptions?” the summon asked.

“A broom? Since it's wooden it's very poor company”

“Hah. That's true”

The duo flew over the whole school grounds, gossiping about the Raven clan. And complaining about the lack of battle action.

“I really wish I had wing sometimes” Saeko sighed, “Why UI can't do the animagus transformation again?”

Unndra rolled her eyes “The elders said it would interfere with your training.”

“You mean the training I'm not getting?” the Uchiha reminded a bit bitterly.

“Patience, the elders know what they are doing”

“I know. I just want to fly, you know”

“Just wait”

“You mean I get to fly!!?” Saeko exclaimed, positively giddy.

“Possibly”

“Brilliant! When I get my wings?”

“No idea. Forget what I told you. Besides, I don't know when or even if - you are our first summoner” Unndra shrugged.

“Hey, I'm an amazing summoner” the scarred teen defended, “Right?”

“I like you” Unndra sniggered.

“Yeeey” Saeko said unenthusiastically.

Unndra sniggered again “Okay. _We_ like you.”

“Better”

“And you'll get your winds eventually” the raven shrugged again, “Plus you have absorbed everything we thought you at record speed, we almost ran of things to teach you. We have to pace it.”

“I know. Besides, with the surveillance of Potter I get to try out all the Shadow techniques” Saeko sighed.

“It has been noted”

“Am I passing the secret test?” Saeko grinned.

Unddra laughed “Ravens are birds of wisdom, intelligence and adaptability.”

“I know, which is why I knew there is secret testing” the jounin made an impatient motion with her hands.

“Good”

“I bet Naruto doesn't have so much trouble with his toads” Saeko murmured.

“You know, since you started this Hogwarts mission you are much more relaxed and act your age. I like it. Also toad are superstitious buggers, never liked them” Unndra chuckled.

Saeko's head shot up “You think I lost my edge?”

“Nah, I think you actually got more inventive. You don't throw a katon jutsu at everything in your way”

“I never did that” the brunette huffed, “I just like the way it burns… And I keep up with all the elements. And genjutsu. Not to mention taijutsu and kenjutsu. And that is just the direct combat stuff…”

“Stop! I just complimented you, can't you just take it?”

Saeko stayed stubbornly silent.

…

Unndra sighed “You're awesome?”

“Is that a question?”

“You're awesome.”

“Better”

“As I said, you're now even more awesome that before” the raven sniggered.

“And here we go again”

“Stop being childish”

“Hey!”


	86. 5- 86 Back on Track

 

“A cat?” Ashley said with pursed lips.

Helena looked at the anthracite colored kitten in her arms and exclaimed “No! You mean this adorable lizard here?”

“Funny” the pinkette rolled her eyes.

Saeko chuckled “You didn't see her on the train?”

“ _He_ was sleeping” Helena shrugged.

“What's his name?” the kunoichi asked. She actually got along with cats all right. The cat summoning contract was the big official one of the Uchiha Clan, the one Fugaku had. They also had a great relationship with Nekobaa and her supply shop.

“Balthazar”

Saeko nodded her approval while Ashley only rolled her eyes again. Helena looked sharply at the fellow Brit “You don't like cats.”

“I'm a dog person”

The two girls started squabbling and Saeko's mind wandered to the infirmary and the catgirl still residing there. She snorted at the irony. She chuckled out loud.

“What?” the blonde asked.

“Nothing” Saeko shrugged.

Ashley shook her head and turned back to Helena “Just do me a favor and keep him out of our room. There is hair everywhere.”

“Fine” Helena grumbled as she stroked the purring cat.

“Hey, Peter said we could all play cards after we unpacked. I actually kind of missed it” Ash proposed.

“Are you trying to get Balthazar out?” Helena's eyes narrowed.

“Of course not” the half-blood said innocently.

“uh-huh”

Saeko laughed “I'm in, I kinda missed it too.”

Ash clapped her hands together and stood up quickly “Then it's settled. Let's go!”

“And don't forget the cat!” the Uchiha grinned.

“Don't listen to them Balthazar, they are mean” Helena cooed and left the room after the smirking pinkette.

The little poker group was already in the Common Room, shuffling cards, waiting for the girls to arrive. After the distribution of the chips the cards were dealt and the game began. As the fourth-years played they talked about their holidays a little but mainly about Hermione who everybody was still skeptical had not been petrified.

“So how was your Yule with the icy Slytherin?” Paddy asked.

“Lauren?” Saeko blinked, “She's not icy.”

“Aloof?”

“That works” the ninja hummed.

“So?”

“Great actually. Pity she's not a Raven, she would fit right in. Wayne, Rory and Cameron agreed”

Peter snorted “I bet Graham would love that.”

“Why?” Saeko arched an eyebrow in confusion.

“Graham asked her out and crashed spectacularly” Caitlin shared with a huge grin.

“She was cool about it” Graham murmured.

“ _Cool_ being the key word. Hence the icy bit” Paddy sniggered.

Saeko finally regained her speech and crossed her arms “You asked Lauren out?”

“Yes?” the boy in question replied cautiously.

“When?”

“I don't know, quite a while ago?”

“How come I didn't know?” Saeko said accusingly.

“It was awkward” Graham blushed.

Paddy nodded “Really awkward.”

“Are you upset?” Daniel asked.

“No, just surprised I haven't heard about it”

“Well, sorry” Graham ventured.

Saeko waved it off, deep in thought. The ever-perceptive Daniel changed the subject onto the upcoming OWLs since it was clear this semester was all about them and the professors would ride them harder than ever before.

“Saeko?”

“Hm?”

“You alright?”

“Hn.”

X

**Runes Class**

Professor Babbling spoke at length about the assignment she gave the student in the first class of the year, making examples and explaining some of the theories used.

“You're looking at me funny” Lauren whispered and arched her eyebrows.

Saeko shook her head “Sorry. Let's continue.”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Alright, that's a wrap!” the Uchiha announced loudly the end of training.

The Ravenclaw Eagles landed, glad to be finally off their brooms. Saeko summed up the session, highlighting the areas they still needed work and gave out praises. With a final nod she dismissed the team and they all made their way towards the locker rooms.

Saeko walked in front of the group while the rest lagged behind. Judging the Captain was out of hearing range Roger hissed “I still can't believe she weighted us!”

Jared, the veteran beater, shrugged with a smirk “Gotta see how much you enjoyed Christmas.”

“Why are you complaining anyway? You passed” Jaden grumbled but then he shouted towards Saeko's back “And I still maintain it's muscle weight! Not fat!”

“Strip into your boxers and I'll be the judge of that” the ninja shouted back.

“No, I'm good” Jaden shook his head vigorously, eyes wide.

The team roared in laughter while the chaser blushed and shoved his teammates to try to shut them up. Meanwhile Jared jogged beside his partner and offered a high-five.

Caitlin and Saeko entered the women's locker room and took off their quidditch uniforms, eager to take a hot shower.

 “Are you pissed at Graham?” the Irish girl asked.

“No. Why?”

“Saeko” Caitlin said reproachingly, “I know something is up. What is it?”

“I honestly don't know what you are talking about” the Uchiha shook her head.

Caitlin relented for the moment and entered under the scalding stream with a moan of satisfaction - the weather had been very nice, unusually nice, but it was very cold. When she was warm again Caitlin started up once more “You have been weird to him ever since we all arrived from the holidays.”

“This again?” Saeko sighed in exasperation.

“Helena has a theory”

“Marvelous”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Nope”

“It's Lauren” Caitlin said with a grin.

“What is Lauren?” the brunette arched an eyebrow.

Caitlin sighed “Come on, work with me here!”

“Hn”

“Ok, I've had enough” the chaser said sternly, “You have been weird ever since I told you about Graham wanting to date Lewis. You and Icy Snake Lady have always been rather buddy-buddy but you never hit on her even though she's seriously hot - so it's not jealousy. What is it?”

Saeko humphed but said nothing.

“Don't make me poke my nose it in”

“Too late”

“This is mild and polite interest. Nosing comes next”

“Ah, so I have been warned”

“Yup. Now spill”

Deciding to throw her friend a bone Saeko shrugged “She reminds me of my best friend back in Konoha.”

“Ok, so what? Graham isn't allowed to touch your bestie?” Caitlin asked skeptically.

“I don't think Graham would find Neji attractive”

“Funny”

Saeko ignored her and hummed in thought “Neji does have luscious hair though. It's actually magnificent. Pretty much every woman in Konoha is jealous of it.”

“Seriously?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow but then a slow triumphant smile made its way onto her lips “I got it. I GOT it! Bow to me, the master psychologist! Mweheehehweha!”

The Uchiha took a step back and asked in concern “What was that?”

“My evil genius laughter” Caitlin shrugged, “Nevermind that. I got it!”

“So you said already”

“Don't rush the genius” the reddish brunette smirked.

“I'm going back to the Castle” Saeko rolled her eyes.

Caitlin grinned knowingly “So since Lauren reminds you of Neji, you had her shoved firmly in the friend compartment. Graham's asking her out changed your perception. Bottom line, Heartbreaker Saeko is back!”

“Hardly”

“You want Lauren to be a girlfriend?” Caitlin exclaimed excitedly.

“Girlfriend?” Saeko blinked in confusion.

“Yes, you know, one of the most common side-effect of being a lesbian?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“Funny”

“I try. So?” the Irish girl probed.

“She's a friend”

“Whom you spent the whole Yule with. And it was great” Caitlin pressed.

“You're reading too much romance” Saeko scoffed and gathered her things to leave.

The Irish girl hummed “It would be rather perfect, wouldn't it?”

Saeko rolled her eyes and took her broom and started to leave. Caitlin followed suit “Lauren and Saeko, sitting in a tree…”

“You need better literature”

“You read Icha-Icha. You already told me what's it about”

“That's quality literature.”

“Suuure”

* * *

**Library**

“Hide me!”

Saeko looked up from her parchment and arched an eyebrow at her seeker “Who from?”

“McLaggen” Cho replied as her eyes darted around.

“Who?”

“A Gryffindor in my year. The biggest pain in the ass I have even met” Cho explained.

“Oh?”

The asian girl sighed “Indeed. He's an insufferable braggart even though he's nothing special. Best thing he's always talking about being the next Gryff keeper. Merlin I wish Wood wasn't captain, then we could smash McLaggen's face in the mud before the whole school.”

Saeko laughed “I like your viciousness. Ah, I'm such a good captain.”

Cho chuckled “You're a horrible influence - of course you are a great captain. So, what are you working on?”

“An essay on Spanish inquisition and its role in magical society” the ninja replied.

“Don't you find it strange that during his lessons Binns always speaks only about the goblin rebellions but his homework actually follows the prescribed syllabus?” Cho asked while looking the parchment over.

“At least some preparation for OWLs”

Cho nodded “Is someone actually continuing History for NEWTs?”

“Hm, I think so. Some jobs do require the degree” Saeko hummed, “I think that Ashley and Peter in my year are going to continue even though they hate the ghost.”

“Poor sods”

“Too true. Although having a free period is not bad, I usually do homework for other classes” the ninja shrugged.

“Me too” Cho nodded, “Well, it seems I lost him. I'll leave you to your work.”

“Already? And here I thought we were friends” Saeko pouted dramatically.

Cho chuckled “I actually have work to do. So do you.”

The Uchiha looked at her essay and shrugged “Eh, to be honest I'm hiding from nosy friends.”

“Too bad” Cho grinned, “I have urgent homework since _someone_ insisted on four hour practices.”

“Oh? How horrible”

“I know, right?” the fourth-year smirked, “I really need to go, it's Potions.”

“Good luck”

“I'm going to need it” Cho sighed and waved in goodbye.

Saeko waved back and returned to her own homework. She worked hard on it even though she knew all too well their teacher would not take even one look at them. Besides, Flitwick warned them that any topic could be in the OWL test. Most of the student didn't bother and just dropped the subject but not Ravenclaws, it was a matter of pride.

“Hey”

The ninja withheld a sigh, she came to this rather secluded part of the library to be alone. Now not only one but two friends found her little hideout. “Hey, Faith.”

“OWLs, huh?”

“Indeed” Saeko nodded, “It's like all the professors went mad.”

The Hufflepuff chuckled “Sounds about right.”

“So how is sixth year? Non-verbals, huh?” Saeko continued the slightly awkward conversation.

“Yeah, those are hard. Not all of us can be geniuses, I remember you casting silently in your third year”

“Just some spells, the more interesting ones. Or impressive” Saeko smirked, remembering the flower conjuring charm.

Faith chuckled “Yeah.”

_“Awwwkward”_

“Everybody is learning it at record speed though, at least that's what your dear head of House said” the Puff continued, “No wonder with a monster and the Heir on the loose.”

“True. Let's hope he or she will be caught soon”

“You know, this is what I don't get - no investigation” Faith started to get frustrated, “No aurors, no anything, just business as usual.”

“Maybe we just don't see it” Saeko countered, “Luring the culprit into a false sense of security would be a valid strategy.”

“At the cost of more bodies?”

“To be fair, no one died”

“Fucking heartless mercenaries” Faith sneered.

“That's not fair and that is not what I meant” Saeko interrupted, “I just think Hogwarts is highly surveilled now and if the Heir inches over the line the aurors or whoever will be right on his ass. Haven't you noticed the portraits being even more active than before? The perfect warning system nobody thinks about. I think there is protection, it just isn't seen.”

Faith hesitated “I guess. Sorry, every muggleborn is really high-strung right now.”

“Sure” the ninja said neutrally.

“Well, let's hope you're right”

“Hn”

After yet another awkward pause Faith bid the jounin goodbye. Saeko actually sighed in relief and returned to her work, hoping no one else would come knocking.

“You're sitting in my spot”

Saeko dropped her quill, resigned not to have any more of her essay done. Looking up she saw Lauren. She smiled, all her annoyance gone. Then she remembered why exactly she was hiding from Helena, Caitlin & co.

_“Shit”_

 


	87. 5- 87 Serenity

 

“I'm cold” Paddy announced as the class waited for their professor for Care of Magical Creatures to show up.

“Then cast a charm” Caitlin said without much interest.

“Already did. Still cold”

“It _is_ January” Peter smirked.

“Your teeth are chattering Peter” Paddy shot back.

“At least I'm not complaining”

“I wasn't complaining, merely observing”

“Observing what? That we are standing in two feet of snow?”

As the boy bickered Caitlin turned to Saeko “Should we join another group? Lauren looks lonely.”

Before the ninja could give a reply professor Kettleburn emerged from the Forbidden Forest, closely followed by Hagrid. Since their teacher was grinning so widely the students knew whatever today's lesson was they would need to be cautious.

“Good morning class! Today I've got a treat for you!”

Almost everybody winced, expecting the worst, even if Kettleburn looked dapper, no injuries that the students could see. Then again, he was wearing a thick coat.

“Who can tell me something about thestrals?” the professor clapped his hands together.

“They can be seen only by those who had seen death”

 “Carnivorous winged horses”

“Beast division, classified as 'xxxx' - dangerous, requires specialist knowledge”

“Which Mr. Hagrid certainly has” Kettleburn nodded, “Hogwarts uses the local herd to pull the carriages the first day of school and several other uses. Also I am so very glad none of you mentioned the superstition about them being a 'bad omen' which naturally is complete and utter bollocks.”

Hagrid and the professor took the fifth-year students into the forest while giving a lecture on the fascinating creatures.

Finally the group arrived in a large clearing. Hagrid shrugged off his large backpack which was full of raw meat. He threw the large pieces in the middle of the clearing and everybody waited for the herd to approach.

“Who among you can see them?” Kettleburn asked.

Saeko and two other students, a Gryff and Puff boy, lifted their hands. They got sympathetic looks and a nod from Kettleburn.

As the teacher continued his lecture Caitlin leaned towards Saeko and whispered “Seeing death is sad and all but I'd rather see them. This is getting boring.”

Saeko chuckled “What do you see?”

“The meat slowly being devoured. By nothing. Well, the invisible horse”

“Hn. Boring”

“Totally”

“Pity, what I see is pretty cool”

“I hate you”

Saeko chuckled and turned her attention back to Kettleburn.

The lesson passed slowly, mainly thanks to the cold. The initial enthusiasm for winged horses of death evaporated in the first ten minutes and in turn more potent heating charms became more in demand.

Finally Kettleburn called the lesson to be over. The class let out a quiet cheer and convinced their frozen bodies to move.

“I have a dream” Peter announced.

“Oh?” Caitlin asked, her voice muffled by the heavy Ravenclaw scarf.

“A cup of tea with a dash of rum” Peter finished.

Saeko hummed “That actually sounds good.”

Paddy frowned “Really? You don't seem cold. At all. I don't like it - when I am suffering, everybody should.”

“Konoha produces excellent cold-resistant clothes” the ninja smirked. After her first winter in Scotland she brought along her Land of Iron attire which she was currently wearing. Minus the cloak, she exchanged it for the official Hogwarts black one. She was feeling rather toasty actually.

“My birthday is coming soon” Caitlin looked at her friend hopefully.

“I'll think about it”

“My preference is still the rum”

“We still have a lesson to go to. I don't think McGonagall would be thrilled if we showed up with alcohol in tow” Paddy remarked.

“She doesn't have to know” Saeko shrugged.

“I'm not risking our points on spiked tea” Paddy shrugged.

“Just a dash, it's not like McGonagall will have a breathalyzer on her” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Would now be a good time to mention I have a flask on me?” Saeko smirked.

“Why didn't you offer half an hour earlier? I actually could feel my hands then!” Peter exclaimed.

The ninja unsealed the flask from the array in her pocket “Want a sip?”

“Rum?”

“Nope, firewhiskey. Nothing special, just flask quality”

“Gimme”

Paddy sighed “Just don't breathe on McGonagall.”

“Sure, I make a hobby of that” Peter rolled his eyes.

“We are _so_ going to lose points” Caitlin said and huddled even more into her scarf.

* * *

**Corridor on the second floor**

“I'm getting really good, right?” Jared asked his fellow Beater with a grin.

Saeko hummed “Actually yes. I think your kick-boxing is now a viable fighting art.”

The seventh-year grinned even more widely than before and hugged Saeko. The Uchiha retreated hastily “No way, you're sweaty!”

“You are too!”

“Not to this level”

“We can't all be super soldiers”

Saeko chuckled as they turned a corner. What they encountered was an all-too-familiar scene - Malfoy squaring off with Potter and a small audience looking on. The two Ravenclaw beaters joined the sparse second-year crowd, eager for some entertainment.

After a few amusing exchanges, classic playground insults, Malfoy crossed the line “Seeing your pet mudblood is back from the infirmary you could ask her. There goes my hope she had been petrified or better yet dead.”

The crowd fell silent for a beat and the two quidditch players looked at each other with a frown. Then as one they detached themselves from the wall they had been leaning on and flanked the three Slytherins.

“Now, that was mean” Jared said, casually looming over the boy.

The pure-blooded blonde looked up. A brief moment of panic flashed though his eyes at the tall, muscled beater but then his face settled into his usual arrogant expression “Ah, another muggle-lover. Trying to what, intimidate me with physicality? How crass, how muggle.”

“Making assumptions, little one?” Saeko chuckled from Jared's side, “How foolish, how plebian.”

“You-“ Malfoy gritted his teeth.

Saeko completely ignored him “Miss Granger, nice to see you up and about.”

The de-whiskered and fur-free Hermione smiled shakily “Thank you.”

“Don't you dare ignore me!” the Malfoy heir exclaimed.

Jared's mouth twitched, trying not to smile “I really need a shower. Could you people stop blocking the hallway?”

The student in the crowd laughed and started to disperse. Seeing that Malfoy was getting really worked up at not being in the center of attention, the Golden Trio started to leave.

“Hey!” Malfoy started again but his was barred as if by accident by Saeko and Jared. The quidditch Captain tapped her chin “Hm, I just remembered I wanted to ask you something Malfoy. How is your broom treating you?”

The blond frowned “What?”

“I was thinking of changing brooms soon” Saeko explained innocently. Jared chuckled behind her.

Malfoy just blinked, sneered and left, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

“That was fun” Jared smirked.

“Indeed it was” Saeko mimicked her partner and smirked as well, “I don't like the brat.”

“Me neither, too arrogant. He walks as if he owns the school”

“Which he doesn't”

“Of course not”

“Of course not” the ninja agreed with a grin, “We do.”

“Hell yeah!” Jared exclaimed and the two beaters high-fived.

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“The Cheering charm, I'm sure” Saeko proclaimed.

Lauren hummed “Sounds plausible. Also the Silencing charm.”

“What about Stunning?” the ninja asked, “It would be hard to test though.”

“On an animal perhaps?” the Slytherin theorized, “It _is_ one of the hardest spells we learned this year.”

“I'll put it on the list”

“It could be in the theoretical part of the exam” Lauren pointed out.

Saeko looked at the lists before her, one meant to predict the OWL's content “We have too much stuff in here.”

“Marchbanks can be finicky, better keep the scope large”

“Who?”

“Griselda Marchbanks, head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority” Lauren explained.

“You know her?”

The Slytherin shrugged “My father used to be on the Board of Governors for the school.”

“Cool” Saeko hummed, “What's she like?”

“A real hard-ass” Lauren answered, “And ancient - she actually examined Dumbledore when he was still at school.”

“Really?” the brunette chuckled, “What did he get?”

“An O, I'm sure”

The two girls fell silent for a moment, both contemplating all the spells on the list. Finally Lauren dropped her parchment and asked “Should we get to revising?”

“Nah, I think we have done enough for today” Saeko shrugged.

“Are you sure you are a Ravenclaw?” the Brit chuckled, “I expected panic and frantic spell casting.”

“It's just the beginning of February, we have time. Although, Aaron and Michelle have already started the classic Raven routine you have so accurately described.”

Lauren actually laughed “I can totally picture Sadiq, the forever number two, starting early, trying to outdo you.”

“Not going to happen. I plan on full marks” Saeko smirked.

“Hm”

“What?”

Lauren hesitated “You're so carefree, I'm envious. You're easily the number one in our year and I wonder if a contributing factor is that you do it mostly for yourself. You did say your brother doesn't really care about you marks, that the important thing was the learning.”

“I work hard at being number one you know - History isn't just hopping into my head” Saeko said in a slightly hurt voice. Sure, she cheated at the three wand subjects with her sharingan but she did work hard. As a rule she never _just_ copied a jutsu or spell, she mastered it. Plus she did keep up with her training.

“That's not what I meant, I know you do” Lauren quickly defended, “Just that I envy your serenity. And your brother.”

Saeko blinked in confusion “I hardly think of myself as serene.”

“Toward Hogwarts?”

The ninja pondered her answer and finally hummed “Maybe. It's true I don't really care for marks, even though being the best titillates me.”

Lauren rolled her eyes but chuckled anyway.

“As for the serenity - I don't need any Hogwarts degree. I'm here solely for knowledge.”

The Slytherin frowned “Konoha will not recognize your NEWTs?”

“Well, no” Saeko shrugged, “I already finished my schooling in Konoha. I already have a degree. Granted, it's in something completely different but magic is an excellent addiction to my curriculum.”

“What?” Lauren exclaimed.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “I thought I mentioned that.”

“Well, you did not” Lauren answered, tad pissed.

“I'm positive I said I was a legal adult in Konoha, ergo I finished school”

“Why on earth would I make that leap?” Lauren crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

The brunette shrugged “I was sure I told you”

“You mentioned an Academy and then an apprenticeship” Lauren admitted.

“AHA!”

“You're sixteen. I knew you claimed to be a genius but… well, I did not think about it” the Slytherin defended. Then she paused “You _are_ sixteen, right?”

“I am” Saeko chuckled.

“So what is the Academy for, if not for magic? Military school?”

“Yep”

“So you're here just for kicks?”

“Pretty much”

“Hm” Lauren narrowed her eyes, “I don't know why, but this somehow doesn't feel fair.”

“I'm magical, didn't know magic so I'm at Hogwarts. Completely fair”

The Snake shrugged, not upset in the least “I should try this non-caring.”

“You're already a master at that”

Lauren smirked “True.”

“So,” Saeko clapped her hands together, “Do you have some official order about OWLs? Like how many Os and so on.”

“Of course” the Snake chuckled, “Besides, if I don't get an Outstanding in Potions and Herbology I'm flinging myself into the Lake.”

“That would be a pity” the ninja pouted.

“Good thing that's not going to happen” Lauren smirked, “I can already do seventh-year potions and you should see my greenhouse back home.”

Saeko hummed “Pity you aren't from Konoha, we could use a potions master specialized in healing.”

“I'll keep it in mind if I'm ever looking for a job”

“Yeeah” the jounin hesitated, “Only if you wouldn't mind getting obliviated at the end of your contract. And an oath about not divulging anything. And maybe therapy in-between, some of our people are pretty crazy.”

“Jeez. You people are paranoid” Lauren shook her head, even though she was rather impressed.

“I did say we were a secretive society”

“Sure did. Only before you made it sound different, like with your education”

“You knew I was withholding information before” Saeko crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

Lauren scoffed “Of course I did, and do, I'm a Slytherin. What made you want to explain in more depth today?”

“You did complain that beside school and stuff we usually talk about you and never me”

“And again I ask, why?”

Saeko shrugged.

“So are you going to tell me the truth about your scar now?” the Snake tilted her head.

“Nope”

Lauren sighed “Next time I suppose.”

“You've just been upgraded from friend to good friend, don't be greedy” Saeko winked.

“Yaaaay!” Lauren deadpanned.

The brunette chuckled “You should be honored.”

“I dunno, it seems like a demotion to me. All of Slytherin thinks we are sleeping together after all” Lauren smirked.

“They do?” Saeko said, surprised. Ash and Caitlin usually kept her apprised on all the gossip about her. Then again, the House of Snakes was always really tight-knit.

“Yep”

“Want to prove them right?” Saeko smiled cheesily.

“In your dreams”

“Already there”

“Ew”

“I'm offended”

“You're actually all right, but I don't like being a masturbatory fantasy” Lauren pursed her lips.

Saeko grinned “Oh? So I have a chance?”

“Not really” the red-head hummed.

“Why?”

Lauren shrugged “I'm not dating someone flighty.”

“Flighty” Saeko said dryly, now offended for real.

“Hopping from partner to partner” the Brit arched an eyebrow.

“Maybe last year, not anymore”

“Eh”

“Besides I only dated Faith and while it lasted I was a wonderful girlfriend” Saeko frowned, now it was a matter of pride.

“I seem to remember you saying otherwise”

“She got on my nerves and was clingy”

“So, her fault”

“No, just not _all_ mine”

Lauren chuckled, obviously considering the matter closed.

Saeko though, was determined not to let it go “Seriously now, I'm a catch. We get along well and you _just_ said I'm alright when we were discussing the physical side. We would be good together.”

The pureblood blinked in confusion “That wasn't meant to be a dare.”

Saeko huffed.

“You are totally taking it as a dare” Lauren said to herself.

“Hn”

The two girls sat in an uncomfortable silence for a little while but that was ultimately interrupted by Zake who decided it was enough.

Lauren cleared her throat “An urgent message I presume. I'll leave you to read it.”

When summoner and sumonee were alone Zake chuckled “This is the part where you thank me.”

“What's up?” Saeko growled.

“You said to report anything peculiar, this is peculiar”

“Zake” the ninja said warningly.

“Don't take it out on me, I didn't do anything”

“Report”

“Oke doke. Potter found some kind of strange diary in Myrtle's bathroom. Someone tried to get rid of it. It's dated fifty years ago”

“The same time the Chamber was open last” Saeko nodded.

“Yep”

“So what's in it?”

“No idea”

The ninja sighed “I've got a bad feeling about this.”


	88. 5- 88 A Whirlwind of Confetti

 

“What's the holdup? Did we have yet another big Romeo-like declaration?” Graham shouted at the small crowd that blocked the entrance to the Great Hall.

Some of the slightly dazed students moved towards their seats and the fifth year Ravenclaws finally understood why the jam earlier.

“Wow”

“No way”

“This can't be happening”

“It's totally Lockhart”

“I think I'm going to throw up”

The Great Hall looked… festive. The problem was that the holiday in question was Valentine's Day. Pink flowers covered the walls and the enchanted ceiling was pale blue with fluffy white clouds. In addition, heart-shaped confetti were slowly falling from above.

Shaking off the surprise the little poker group sat down at the Ravenclaw table. Caitlin and Paddy split off to join their respective dates for the day while the rest turned their attention to the professor's table. All the teachers, except for Dumbledore and Lockhart, were stone-faced. Most prominent were McGonagall, who had a vicious eye tick going on, and Snape who was just plain scary.

When the Great Hall was filled up Lockhart stood up and grinned. Saeko was eerily reminded of Maito Gai, complete with the glinting teeth. Even though the lurid pink robes the DADA teacher was sporting were a degree better than green spandex.

“Happy Valentine's Day!” said Lockhart as he opened his arms widely as if to give a hug to the entire student body. “I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise to you all. And it doesn't end here!” the teacher happily clapped his hands and through the doors marched a dozen surly looking dwarfs. Dwarfs with golden wings and all of them were carrying harps.

Ashley gaped “Where the fuck did he get them?”

“Poor fellows” Daniel shook his head.

“My friendly, card-carrying cupids!” Lockhart confirmed their fears, “They will be roving around the school today delivering your Valentines! And the fun doesn't end there! I'm sure my colleagues will want to honor the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask professor Snape to show you how to whip up a love potion!”

Everybody's eyes were drawn to the resident potions master. Those eyes were quickly averted at Snape's dark expression.

Lockhart continued absolutely non-perturbed “And while you're at it, professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!”

Flitwick blushed and hid his face in his hands.

“I hope you all will enjoy this wonderful day! Also may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards!”

Graham pursed his lips “Someone actually sent him valentines?”

“The world is truly coming to an end” Daniel nodded grimly.

“Can't wait to see McGonagall's face when the 'cupids' will barge in on her lessons” Helena smirked viciously, “Maybe she will shift into her cat form and eat them.”

“That's disgusting, those little fellows are _ugly_ ” Ashley pursed her lips.

“No scathing remarks, Saeko? That's unlike you” Daniel observed.

“Hn”

“That's more like it!” Graham chuckled, “What's up with her anyway.”

“She's pissed” Ashley shared helpfully.

“No, really?” Peter exclaimed dramatically.

“Ass”

“Hn”

Daniel turned to the ninja “You _have_ been broody these last few days.”

“Tell us your woes,” Graham smirked, “You obviously told the girls.”

“Hn” Saeko huffed and crossed her arms.

“Pleeease”

The ninja relented “I got rejected.”

“You weren't even truly asking” Helena countered.

“Who is it?” Graham asked eagerly.

“Hn”

Ashley smirked “It's Lauren.”

“Lewis?” Daniel gaped.

“Ice Queen?” Peter said carefully.

“Wha-?” Graham blinked in confusion.

“Hn”

“Does Lauren even like women?” Daniel asked.

Saeko shrugged “She does not not like women.”

“So hot”

“Graham!”

“What? It is. Also I know it's petty but I'm glad I'm not the only one she rejected”

Daniel arched his eyebrows “Don't want to rain on your parade but I bet you anything that Saeko did not get just a glare and a firm 'no'.”

“That matter aside” Helena stopped glaring at the boys and turned back to the kunoichi, “You're not doing this just to prove a point, right?”

“No”

“You know you don't have to have a perfect record. You were joking with Lauren anyway”

“At first” Saeko corrected with a deep frown, “And I'm getting offended. Again.”

Everybody apologized except Graham who sniggered quietly.

“That's it, I will woo her even if it's the last thing I do!”

“Oh, boy”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“So this is it team” Saeko announced as they waited for Jordan Lee to call them forth, “Also let it be known that if anyone of you lied to me about their health status nobody will ever find your bodies.”

“For the last time” Jared sighed in exasperation, “All of us are fine.”

“No flu” Roger nodded.

“We promise” Cho chimed in.

“The Puffs might be all sick but we stayed clear. Plus we are more durable” the keeper crossed his arms.

Saeko eyed her team with eyes narrowed “If anyone sneezes and we lose…”

Caitlin sighed loudly in irritation “After that lecture you gave us yesterday we were annoyed enough to go the Infirmary to get checked out. By your lady love in fact. She was very much amused.”

“She's not my lady love” the ninja corrected, “Nonetheless, I'm glad you took this small epidemic seriously. Good work.”

“A wand was waved above us and we drank a potion” Jaden said sarcastically.

“Great job” Saeko patted the chaser on his head who shrugged it immediately.

_“And now let us welcome the Ravenclaws! Uchiha, Bishop, Carter, Byrd, O_ ' _Shea, Davies aaand Chang!_ _”_

The team flew into the field, foregoing any show or theatrics as a sign of respect to the two students and ghost lying in the school infirmary. The fact that McGonagall cornered Saeko after one of her lessons and dryly informed her of the proper course of action did not play a role. Not in the slightest. Uh-uh.

As Lee Jordan introduced the Slytherins Saeko muttered to her players “Ok guys, I want this done quick. Bonus points for humiliating Malfoy and his brooms. And Flint, as usual.”

The team chuckled and nodded. Madame Hooch gave them a mild glare.

After the usual round of trash-talking Hooch released the bludgers and snitch and finally she readied the quaffle. One whistle later and fourteen players sprung into the air.

The difference in broom speed was rather palpable but the Eagles trained hard to overcome that particular obstacle. Also, Saeko and Jared took up to slow the Snakes down as much as possible. That combined with the usual Slytherin strategy resulted in a very brutal game.

“You missed!” Jared called out to his captain.

Saeko laughed “I did. In my defense, aiming my braid is very difficult.”

“Heh, a busted nose is funnier anyways. If you got his teeth he might've actually replaced them with something better”

“He bled all over me” the ninja sighed.

Jared passed the bludger to Saeko with a mighty blow to increase the speed “You look like a warrior princess. Hot!”

“I _am_ a warrior princess” the Uchiha genius replied with a grin and spun her bat. She eyed the opposing captain who was still bleeding and decided to go two for two.

The black ball flew much faster than usual and Flint miscalculated which resulted into a clean impact.

“Hell yeah!” Jared cheered and went to retrieve the bludger.

“A little help please!” Cho called as she did a barrel-roll.

Saeko turned her broom to see her star seeker being harassed by the bludger-less beaters and Malfoy. She whistled a signal and entered what would soon be a grand melee.

The crowd went wild, edging the players on.

“Foul!” Hooch shouted after blowing her whistle to pause the game.

“They started it!” Marcus Flint shouted rather nasally thanks to his injury.

“No way” Saeko flew in front of the referee, “It sure wasn't us who attacked a small thirteen year old girl.”

“Enough!” said Hooch sternly, “One penalty shot each and you all calm the hell down!”

_“You hear that, ladies and gentlemen? No more brawling! Ha, let_ ' _s see how long that lasts - classic Slytherins versus the most vicious quidditch players coming from the House of Nerds in years…”_

“Mr. Jordan!” McGonagall made herself known.

_“Of course I meant the House of the Wise. Bottom line, fouls on both sides. Byrd is taking the shot for Ravenclaw. And he scores! Damn, that kid is good.”_

_“A big argument among the Slytherin chasers. Obviously Flint wants to do everything himself but Uchiha beat him up pretty good. I mean, he looks like a murder victim.”_

_“In the end it's McManus who takes the quaffle. Aaand he scores as well.”_

James grimaced apologetically but Saeko waved him off. Instead she eyed her seeker who was waiting for the game to resume but was on high alert, her eyes darting all over the field trying to find the snitch. Then there was a moment of stillness. Saeko grinned - her seeker spotted the golden orb.

Problem was that Malfoy started behaving the same way a moment later

Hooch, ignoring all that, blew her whistle to resume the game.

Malfoy and Chang went from zero to whoa! in less than a second. The Slytherin second-year had the advantage, the top of the line broom was really making itself known.

Since the difference in points was not large enough, Saeko decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. She cawed sharply.

Draco Malfoy didn't know what hit him as the entire Ravenclaw team descended on him like a pack of hungry wolves. Or ravens. In retaliation the Slytherins did the same.

Hooch whistled again. The players didn't seem to hear her.

“ENOUGH!” Hooch yelled and blew her whistle again and again.

It took a while but the two teams separated, all players breathing heavily. Madame Hooch was furious “What is wrong with you! I said no brawling! Are you all deaf?”

Since it was clear the woman was waiting for an actual answer the students shook their heads and mumbled “No.”

“From now on I want a clean game. Or as clean as is reasonable at this school. Or so help me Merlin…” Hooch glared icily, “Is that understood?”

“Yes”

The game resumed, much more calmly this time. The fans were actually quite bummed out about that, so was the commentator who got scolded twice by McGonagall.

As Saeko blew a bludger towards the Slytherin chaser currently in possession of the quaffle she heard a light buzzing behind her. Seeing nobody was currently paying attention to her she turned to see the sought after snitch merrily flying at eye-level.

“Jared, Cho!” Saeko called, hoping to disguise her intent and that her figure would cover the snitch.

The seeker and beater frowned but listened to their captain.

“Cho, darling, could you please end this?” Saeko smiled brilliantly while still tracking the ball with her eyes.

“What?” the petite girl asked.

“The chasers are unprotected!” Jared exclaimed, while looking over his shoulder in worry.

Saeko cleared her throat and pointed behind her.

“Oh” the third-year exhaled. In a short burst of speed she caught up to the snitch.

Jared and Saeko erupted in cheer as the small winged ball fluttered in Cho's grasp. Slowly the rest of the team caught on and soon the rest of the school.

_“Would you look at that! Ravenclaw catches the snitch and WINS! 440 to 260. And let me say this was an amazing match even with this slightly awkward ending! Also yet again sheer talent beats expensive brooms!”_

“Damn right!” Roger exclaimed when the eagles touched ground.

“Look at Malfoy's face!” Cho laughed and nodded towards the Snake in question. Everybody looked at the humiliated second-year and roared in laughter.

“We are awesome!” Jaden grinned as he hopped up and down in excitement.

“Good eyes, Saeko” Jared hugged his partner.

Cho lost her smile “Yeah, I totally missed it.”

“Dumb luck” the ninja said dismissively and patted Cho's shoulder in encouragement.

“Let's celebrate!” Roger exclaimed.

Before the team could retire to their locker rooms they were called back by Hooch “Congratulations. But I hope next time you will fight cleaner.”

The Eagles hesitated. Hooch just rolled her eyes “Of course not. Well, off you go. To the infirmary I mean. And no protests! If Poppy says you didn't come by you will feel it in the field next time I'm refereeing.”

“Yes, Madame Hooch” the Ravens chorused.

“I ordered the Slytherins the same. I'm sure that will not be a problem, yes?” the woman glared.

“No problem, Madame Hooch”

“Excellent. Now get lost”

The team obliged.

Caitlin leaned towards Saeko “Is this why we initiated so many fights today? So you could get nursed back to health by Lauren?”

Saeko rolled her eyes “Of course not. We did it to win.”

“Uh-uh” Caitlin smirked knowingly.

“But it is a welcome side effect, that I will not deny” the ninja shrugged.

“I knew it. Lauren and Saeko, sitting in a tree…”

Saeko elbowed her friend.

“Ouch! My ribs!” Caitlin gasped, “I think it was McManus. But I got him back.”

The brunette smirked sadistically “I would offer to heal them, but, as you said, I think I'll leave it to Lauren.”

“Bitch”

“You know it”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Common Room**

Daniel hummed and leafed though the potions textbook and then decided “Griffin Claw.”

“Strengthening Potion” Caitlin answered.

“Leech Juice?”

“Shrinking Solution”

“Knotgrass?”

“Knotgrass Mead” the red-head smirked.

Ash and Peter chuckled and went back to their own textbooks. Daniel rolled his eyes “Yeah, I don't think the Committee would appreciate that.”

“Alright. Polyjuice Potion” Caitlin amended.

“I think you could get bonus points for the mead babe” Nick, a sixth year who Caitlin was currently sort-of-dating, grinned at the red-head.

Helena looked at Saeko and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. The ninja chuckled quietly and refocused on the shougi board between them.

Daniel cleared his throat to break up the couple's eye contact “Yeah, sure. Do you want to continue revising or…”

Caitlin smirked and leaned away from her boyfriend “No, no, I need to revise for potions.”

“Gillyweed”

“Ugh” the red-head frowned, “I know it's connected with water-breathing, I'm not sure about the potion though.”

“Hey babe, I'll leave you to it. I promised my buddies to go flying” Nick announced, kissed Caitlin on the cheek and stood up.

“Sure, have fun”

“You know Saeko, I'm rather good flyer and I do usually play beater” the sixth year said in very poor disguised nonchalance.

“Good for you” Saeko said with actual non-interest. Helena bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing out-loud which was quite nice of her.

“I mean” Nick coughed, “I wonder if you'll be holding trials for the position next year.”

“Since Jared is leaving, I would say it's more than probable” the Uchiha hummed.

Nick blushed “Ah, good. Well, I'll leave you to it. See ya, babe.”

“Bye”

When the sixth year left Daniel arched his eyebrow “You're really with that tool?”

“He's fun”

Helena, Daniel, Saeko, Ashley and Peter all turned to the Irish girl and they all looked at her questioningly. Finally the blonde smirked “Fun to be around, or fun _fun_.”

Caitlin mirrored a smirk “A lady never tells.”

“When did you became a lady?” Ashley joked.

“Phe” the chaser scoffed theatrically and flicked her hair.

“All joking aside, he's just a fling, yes?” Peter asked to confirm, “I don't think he… fits in our group.”

“As I said, just fun”

“Good” Helena said as she moved a shougi piece, “He's quite annoying.”

“Hey!” Caitlin defended her sort-of-boyfriend.

“Well, I can tell you right away he's not getting on the team. I hate brownnosers” Saeko pursed her lips.

“If you were curious, Lauren would fit into the group” Daniel winked.

“Not you too” Saeko chuckled.

The bespectacled boy grinned “There is nothing wrong in shipping you and Lauren.”

“Shipping?” Graham asked, confused.

“We need to give it a name!” Ashley hopped up enthusiastically.

Caitlin's eyes glinted “Totally! Saeko and Lauren, hmm.”

“Saren?”

“Have you ever played Mass Effect?” Peter shook his head, “No way it's saren.”

Both Helena and Graham squinted, trying to understand what was happening. After a quick explanation the two resident purebloods were onboard.

“Lauko?”

“Snakeclaw?”

“Army Medic?”

“I've got it!” Ash shouted triumphantly, “Ninja Snake!”

 Everybody, bar the ninja herself, fell silent and then nodded. “I love it” Caitlin patted Ashley's back.

“Yeah, it fits” Peter grinned.

“I agree” Daniel nodded.

“Let the relationship be henceforth known as Ninja Snake!” Graham solemnly announced.

Saeko shook her head in exasperation “If anyone asks, I don't know you guys.”

“Love you too” Graham smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Next up more canon :-)


	89. 5- 89 Dear Diary

 

“So you say he just sat there”

“Looking stoned” Zake added helpfully.

“Right. The he just jerked up awake and then said that Hagrid was the Heir?” Saeko frowned.

“Yup. He said he had been sucked into the diary and saw this Riddle catching Hagrid in flagrante”

“So the diary was something like a P _ensieve_ ” Saeko hummed, deep in thought, “Very advanced magic. That's… disturbing.”

The bird cocked his head to the side “Well, the three fledglings are pretty freaked out.”

“What do they think?” Saeko asked.

Zake flapped his wings as he thought “Well, they are torn on the Hagrid being the Heir matter. They believe it but they don't want to.”

“They actually believe it?” the Uchiha blinked in confusion.

“Yep”

“The half-giant being a pureblood fanatic” Saeko ascertained, “The one that thinks Dumbledore is holy.”

“Yep”

Saeko sighed “What do they know about Riddle?”

“Nothing. Just that he was a prefect and a muggle-born orphan”

“Hmm”

“What?”

“Nothing”

“You totally know something”

“Anything else to report?” Saeko bypassed the question.

Zake sighed “Not at the moment.”

Saeko smiled and made a shooing motion with her hands. The raven summon rolled his eyes and poofed out. Saeko sighed as well, deciding to hop in to see Dumbledore after classes. Such an artifact as the diary was sure a thing of note.

“Hola, roomie!” a chipper Ashley came into the room after knocking furiously, “Since you skipped breakfast I brought you a sandwich.”

“Thanks” Saeko smiled at the thoughtfulness.

“You'll need it” the pinkette smirked, “I hear retching on empty stomach is most uncomfortable. And we have Lockhart.”

“Why would today be more horrible than any other of his lessons?”

Ashley shrugged “He won the Witch Weekly smile thing again. He will be jubilant.”

“Dear Kami” Saeko sighed.

“Yep”

There was a knock on the door. When prompted Helena walked in, her black cat in her arms “Oh, I see you found her. Did she tell you the good news?”

“About Lockhart?”

The blonde shrugged “Indeed. He will be insufferable but it's not like we are paying attention in his class anyway. He will be talking about himself and we can revise for OWLs.”

“Sounds riveting” Saeko grimaced and went to collect her things.

“Righty ho, then” Helena smirked and left.

“She's chipper today” the ninja observed and Ashley merely shrugged.

The two girls were halfway down the stairs when Saeko had an idea. She stopped walking and hummed appreciatively at her genius. Ashley stopped as well and arched an eyebrow “What is it?”

“Let's play hooky”

“What!” the Brit exclaimed and looked around if someone heard them.

Saeko grinned “Let's skip DADA!”

“We can't” Ash shook her head emphatically.

“Sure we can” the ninja shrugged.

The pinkette arched an eyebrow, as if to ascertain if her friend was serious. When Saeko just stood there grinning she asked “Just like that? And what about the others?”

“We could do a group outing. I bet even Michelle and Aaron would be on board, Lockhart is useless after all” Saeko's eyes twinkled and she hopped down the remaining stairs to the common room, in search of her year-mates.

Soon enough the little poker group was briefed. Graham and Paddy were 100% on board but the rest was hesitant.

“I don't fancy losing points over something like this” Daniel hummed.

“We can say there was a post on the notice board that today's DADA was canceled, that Lockhart is doing some modeling stuff or something equally stupid yet in character” Caitlin started to smile.

Graham eagerly nodded “Yeah, we would be mere victims of a harmless prank.”

“I'm in” Peter decided and the rest followed.

Saeko clapped her hands enthusiastically “Excellent! Now, let's fetch the rest.”

“You think the fellowship of dutiful Ravens will agree to skip?” Paddy frowned.

 “We can go solo” Helena shrugged.

“They deserve the chance” Peter looked around to find the other fifth years, “They hate him too.”

“Him teaching” the blonde pureblood corrected, “Otherwise he's apparently 'fine'.”

Graham grinned “Besides, this is going to be fun.”

“Also it's much better a prank than what the Slytherins have in store for him” Paddy nodded.

“Oh?” Caitlin prompted.

“It involves green hair and green teeth” the boy answered with a satisfied smirk.

Helena grinned “I can't wait.”

“Lockhart's reaction will be priceless!” Ashley exclaimed with glee.

“Does anyone know where Creevey's camera went?”

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“Quite vicious for a medic there, don’t you think?” Saeko said loudly after observing her Slytherin friend throwing knives for a while.

Lauren turned sharply but then relaxed when she spotted the kunoichi “I have a wide range of interests. Also, you should not sneak up on me when I'm throwing, I could injure you.”

“Please,” the ninja scoffed, “I'm highly trained.”

“You say you could dodge my shot, huh?” Lauren crossed her arms.

“Sure” Saeko smirked cockily.

The Snake arched an eyebrow “I would dare you to prove it but then I would not want to run to Madame Pomfrey and say her aspiring healer killed a student.”

“It would not be the first time a knife was thrown at me” Saeko shrugged.

Lauren eyed her in curiosity “Konoha sounds more and more fun by the minute. You would truly be capable of evading? No macho posturing?”

“I promise I will not make a murderer out of you”

The red-head looked down at the knife and hefted it experimentally in her hand. Then she looked pointedly at Saeko who smiled and nodded. “Alright.”

Lauren threw the knife very weakly. Saeko just rolled her eyes and snatched it out of the air “Really?”

“You are one of the few people I tolerate” Lauren shrugged, “I kinda like having you around.”

Saeko smirked “All the more reason…”

“Not going to happen. Stop asking me to date you”

“Stop saying no”

“I'm going to throw that knife now” Lauren arched her eyebrows and picked up another knife. The Uchiha put her hands up in surrender.

The next shot was considerably more powerful but Saeko wasn't a ninja for nothing. Lauren readied yet another shot and looked for approval. The Uchiha shrugged nonchalantly and decided to show off this time and deflect it with a kunai.

“Very nice” Lauren complimented.

Saeko bowed theatrically “Thank you. But seriously now, I think we could be good together.”

“While I find your rather clinical approach refreshing, instead of the 'seduction routine'” Lauren air-quoted, “Still no.”

“Why? And I promise if you give me a non-bullshit reason I'll back off immediately. You could've just said you're not into women or just say you can't imagine liking me in that way but you didn't. Just a plain no” the kunoichi arched her eyebrow.

Lauren hummed “I might just not want to date in general.”

“I could go with that” Saeko sighed, a bit upset about yet another non-answer. Then sharingan user shrugged and asked with a weak smile “Wanna try killing me again?”

“That sounds wrong” Lauren chuckled, “But it is rather fun.”

“Hit me”

“You've got some issues”

Saeko chuckled and readied herself for another shot. She found it rather fun actually, it reminded her of 'playing ninja', the all popular game among the children of Konoha. Not that any child of the great Uchiha Fugaku would be allowed to play such a game, especially with other children.

Hey, maybe she did have some issues.

“You got really good” Saeko praised.

“Thanks” Lauren smirked and went to retrieve her blades.

“Then again, you had a really good teacher”

The pureblood rolled her eyes “Of course I did.”

“So, are you transitioning from healer to DPS?” Saeko asked with a smirk.

Lauren's brow furrowed “What now?”

“Peter taught me gaming terminology. It was fascinating. And rather clever”

“I have no idea what it means”

“I know” the ninja smirked, “You look adorable when you are confused.”

Lauren merely crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

Saeko shrugged “What, it's true.”

The red-head rolled her eyes “Since we are supposed to revise for OWLs together I think we should actually start. Speaking of, will you be continuing all subjects?”

“I think I will be dropping Astronomy and History. I have no real need for them since I will be living and working on a different continent all together.”

“Makes sense” Lauren hummed.

“You?”

“Actually I was thinking the same. I would be tempted to keep History but with Binns being the teacher…” the Brit shrugged.

“And Astronomy? I thought it was important for collecting potion ingredients” Saeko asked.

Lauren tapped her chin in thought “True. But I'm aiming to be a healer not a potions brewer. Every institution I might work for should have potion ingredients ready for me.”

“Hn” the Uchiha shrugged.

The two girls sat a short moment in silence. Saeko hummed and looked out of the window, enjoying the silence. Lauren instead was tapping her fingers on the table, clearly thinking about something.

“What is it?” the ninja asked.

The Brit hesitated and then finally sighed “If, and I reiterate, **if** I were to date somebody It would be someone stable. Someone who would stay by my side even out of school would help me deal with my family or any other drama that might come up.”

“That's… quite mature” the ninja mused. She already knew that her Slytherin friend was rather grown-up, no doubt thanks to the aforementioned drama. All ninja were similarly mature beyond their years. It was one of the reasons Saeko liked talking with her so much.

Lauren shrugged “You already made clear you will not be staying in Britain.”

“Is that your only reservation?”

“Although your over all secrecy irritates me, I guess I would give you a chance if you were British” the Lewis heir cocked her head to the side.

“That's nice” Saeko replied neutrally. Lauren narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

Before more could be said Lykke flew in from the window. Lauren sighed “Do you have your ravens rigged somehow to interrupt awkward silences?”

“Maybe they can sense it” Saeko smirked. Lykke rolled his eyes.

“Suuure”

“You would be surprised” the ninja laughed, “Well, I need to take this. See you tomorrow at Runes?”

“Of course”

Saeko waved and left the classroom. When she was safely out of range she turned to her summon “Thanks, it _was_ awkward.”

“I don't really care” the bird rolled her eyes again, “We have a situation.”

“Another attack?” Saeko frowned.

“No. Dumbledore lost the suspicious diary you stole for him.”

“What!”

“Ok, it was stolen. The Headmaster had powerful charms on it but… poof”

“Just like that?” Saeko frowned.

The bird shrugged “The old man is pretty spooked, even if he didn't show it. He knows who the culprit is now without a doubt.”

“But he wouldn't tell you” the ninja said with a knowing sigh.

“Spot on”

“Delightful”

Lykke shrugged “I have a feeling we will find an answer soon enough.”

“Yaaay” Saeko cheered sarcastically.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The Ravenclaw quidditch team decided to watch the imminent match apart, with their respective friends. The game Gryffindor against Hufflepuff was a very much welcome respite from the frenzy of exam preparation, especially for the House of the Wise.

It seemed even the weather decided to cheer up the Hogwarts student body - it was sunny, not a cloud in sight, and surprisingly warm. While it was the perfect conditions for the audience, the players than would soon be in the field indubitably felt differently, especially when the intensity of the sun was concerned.

Saeko was puffing from her pipe, surrounded by her friends and she felt content. She never did when she was back in Konoha. There was always a goal achieve, an elder to charm, a mission to complete. It was a great feeling actually. She now could completely agree with Sarutobi and Itachi about unwinding.

“Saeko?”

“Hm?”

“Are you with us?” Caitlin asked, her smile nearly audible.

“Sure. It's just such a fine day” the ninja sighed.

“True” the Irish girl agreed, “I'm glad we agreed to take today off. It really is the perfect day.”

“Indeed”

“I've got it!” Graham exclaimed loudly, “Venomous Tentacula!”

“Do I want to know?” Saeko arched an eyebrow at Caitlin.

“We are planning the perfect murder” Daniel grinned.

“Who's the victim?”

Helena smirked as she glanced at Graham was squirming in his seat, no doubt eager to explain his theory “No one specific. Although we did discard several poisons on the account that Snape would be able to find or counter them.”

“Ah”

“Would you like to try your hand at the perfect murder?” Daniel asked. Saeko, the Amaterasu wielder, just smirked and shook her head.

Graham could not wait any longer and started explaining his devious plot. The ninja had to admit it was actually quite clever. Unfortunately for the boy he did not get the recognition he expected since Madame Hooch walked into the pitch, the trunk that housed the quidditch balls levitating behind her.

_“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!”_ Lee Jordan began his commentary, _“Welcome to Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff!_ ” His announcement was followed by a tumultuous applause and excited cheers. _“Oh yes, indeed. I'm hopeful, like many of you I'm sure, that this match will prove as entertaining as Snakes against Eagles. And now, let's get to the ass kicking! Flying in yellow…”_

As Jordan invited the players on the field everybody was a bit surprised that his mild cussing did not attract the usual reprimand from professor McGonagall. A matter that was soon explained as the teacher in question came nearly running into the pitch brandishing a megaphone.

“This doesn't look good” Peter remarked.

“Yup” the frowning Caitlin agreed.

“And it was such a perfect day” Helena sighed and closed her book.

McGonagall waited when the general noise died down and then brought her megaphone to bear _“This match has been canceled!”_

The announcement resulted into disgruntled shouts and boos. Although nobody was more distressed than the Gryffindor Captain, whose protests were obvious in his red face and agitated waving.

The teacher ignored her Keeper and continued _“All students are to make their way back to their House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!”_

“What do you think happened?” Ashley asked as they all got up from their seats.

“Nothing good” Daniel replied with frown.

“It has to be the Heir” Caitlin bit her lip in worry. Saeko only nodded while she made a kage bushin that could get some answers.

“Shit” was Graham's eloquent reaction.

“Funny thing, I was told Hogwarts was one of the safest places in Britain” Paddy shook his head.

X

Saeko's shadow clone caught up with McGonagall, Potter and the youngest male Weasley on the stairs to the Infirmary.

“This will be a bit of a shock” the professor said in a surprisingly gentle voice when they cleared the crowd. The two boys tensed and waited for their Head of House to continue. “There has been another attack. Another double attack to be precise.”

The statement confirmed _Saeko_ 's hypothesis. Potter might've been the suspect in the eyes of many but why else bring along Weasley unless one of the victims was someone they knew well.

“Hermione” Ron exhaled. Potter just stood speechless by his friend's bedside.

_Saeko_ was more surprised to see the second victim of the attack, one of the Ravenclaw prefects. Naturally both girls were merely petrified and not dead but still… the first Raven to be stuck and the first one Saeko actually knew, even if only in passing.

“They were found near the library. I don't suppose either of you can explain this?” McGonagall produced a small, cosmetics mirror, “It was found on the floor next to them.”

Harry and Ron both shook their head in negative, their eyes returning to their downed friend. The Scottish professor nodded sadly “I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. I need to address the students in any case.”

_Saeko_ lingered for a bit but when it was clear that no more information could be gained by observing Madame Pomfrey tending to the two motionless girls she dispelled into smoke.

X

“A curfew has been imposed - all students are to return to their common room by six o clock in the evening. This does include prefects, mind you. Also, you will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher or other staff. And bathrooms” professor Flitwick grimaced. As the room erupted into murmurs he held his hand up to continue “Please don't make it harder on us, we are not happy about this either. But safety is paramount. I'm aware this rules are very restrictive but bear with it. Please consider if a little tryst with your significant others in other Houses is worth risking being attacked.”

“Furthermore all further quidditch training and matches are to be postponed.” At this another wave of dissatisfaction ran though the room. The Charms master smiled slightly “Which only means Ravenclaw House wins by default.”

After the weak chuckles died down Flitwick resumed once more “Those restrictions will be in effect until the perpetrator of the petrifications will be found. Naturally, a more active investigation will be taking place.”

“Also I have been informed by Ms Nadeer and Ms Crick that they intend to leave the Castle until this is over. Should you or your parents wish to do so as well, know that it is a possibility even if highly irregular” Flitwick informed his students. He finished by pleading “Please stay safe.”

When the part-goblin teacher left the Ravenclaw common room the students immediately started talking. Most of them were scared, the irritation at the new rules would come later.

The evening many Ravens planned to have off turned into a vigil for their Penelope Clearwater and then into a night of somber drinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I thought long and hard on what to do with the Diary and to be honest I'm not completely satisfied with it. But in the end I chose to maintain canon on this. Besides, Ginny had a piece of Voldemort in her head and the Diary was in itself quite sentient so I think this chapter can pass muster.


	90. 5- 90 Lockdown

Naturally as soon as the curfew was imposed, Harry and Ron decided to sneak out of the Castle at night and confront Hagrid about their suspicions.

Saeko found herself following the Gryffindors under their invisibility cloak yet again. This time her mission was slightly more difficult since all of the school's staff was on high alert. Teachers, portraits and even the ghosts patrolled the hallways.

Against all odds Potter and Weasley made it out onto the Hogwarts grounds without being discovered. Saeko stopped walking for a little while when she slipped into the dark of night to take a deep breath. She briefly lamented the loss of quidditch trainings and her convenient excuse for disappearing into the summoner's realm.

Once the boys reached Hagrid's hut they took off the Cloak and knocked on the door. The groundskeeper greeted them with his crossbow in his hands and a fierce frown. When he realized who came to visit he deflated “Oh. What are you doing here! It's dangerous outside, especially now!”

“What was that for?” Ron asked as he glanced at the weapon.

“Nothin'” Hagrid shook his head and ushered the boys inside.

Saeko stayed outside, keeping an eye on the conversation through one of the windows. After a few minutes she spotted shadows coming from the Castle. The three unidentified figures seemed to be heading towards the Forbidden Forest. Or…

Dumbledore, Minister Fudge and what could only be Lucius Malfoy veered most definitely towards the half-giant's hut. This promised to be interesting. And fun - as soon as Dumbledore knocked loudly on the hut's door Hagrid dropped his mug and the boys scrambled into a corner, hastily throwing their invisibility cloak over them.

“Who is it?” Hagrid called shakily.

“It's me Hagrid” the Headmaster answered in a serious tone.

The tree guests entered. Dumbledore was looking dead serious while the Minister was hesitant but determined. The only person fully at ease was the Malfoy lord who was looking around the room with a look of mild disdain but also carefully hidden triumph.

“Bad business, Hagrid” Fudge started in surprisingly clipped tones, “Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on muggleborns. Things've gone far enough, the Ministry's got to act.”

“I never…” Hagrid shook his head and looked imploringly at the Headmaster, “You know I never, professor Dumbledore, sir…”

“I want it understood Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence” the elder nodded and turned to Fudge.

The Minister squirmed under the stern gaze but did not back down “Look Albus, Hagrid has a record against him. The Ministry has to do something - the school governors have been in touch.”

“Yet again I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest” Dumbledore defended his friend.

“Look at it from my point of view” Fudge said while playing with the hat in his hands, “I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty…”

The wizards kept arguing but it was clear what the outcome would be. Sensing the distress of his master, Fang started growling loudly.

Malfoy seemed fed up with the noise and decided to intervene “Seeing as this dreadful, dreadful, matter is resolved we should move to why I am here.”

“Lucius?” Fudge turned to his advisor.

Hagrid, who seemingly only now realized there was a suspected Death Eater in his home, growled and went to kick Malfoy out but was stopped by Dumbledore “And what exactly did you want with me Lucius?”

The blond reached into his cloak and retrieved a scroll which he handed to the headmaster with a carefully neutral expression “After the horrible happenings that occurred at Hogwarts this year, the Board of Governors feels it's time for you to step aside. This is an order of suspension - you'll find all twelve signatures on it. How many attacks have there been now? Two more just yesterday? At this rate there will be no more muggleborns left at Hogwarts. And we all know what an _awful_ loss that would be.”

“Oh, now see here Lucius…” the Minister's eyes widened in alarm, “Dumbledore suspended… no, no. The last thing we want just now…”

“The appointment, or suspension, of the headmaster is a matter for the governors Cornelius” Malfoy interrupted smoothly, “And as Dumbledore has failed to stop the attacks…”

“But, Lucius” Fudge gulped, “if _Dumbledore_ can't stop them, who can?”

At Malfoy's slight smile Hagrid lost his patience and the dialogue devolved into an argument yet again.

Finally Fudge raised his voice “Hagrid, will you come with me quietly or do I need to call my aurors?”

“I, I'll go” the large man exhaled shakily. He was almost out of the door when he hesitated and spoke loudly “If, if anyone wanted ter find out some _stuff_ , all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the _spiders_. That'd lead'em right! That's all I'm sayin'.”

Saeko suppressed a whine, she knew all too well to whom his words were directed to. And the nature of Gryffindors. There was no doubt in her mind that some time soon she will be tailing the two boys in the search of spiders. Also, knowing Hagrid, those spiders will be the acromantulas that roamed the Forbidden Forest.

As Shikamaru would put it 'Troublesome'.

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“I didn't think you would come”

“I'm a pureblood” Lauren shrugged and let her school bag fall to the floor, “Besides, I just could not stay cooped in Slytherin's common room.”

“Too crowded?”

“Indeed. Also since we don't have windows it feels even fuller than it really is”

“And you can't escape to the Infirmary, I presume”

“Madame Pomfrey barred me from it until the situation is resolved” Lauren nodded morosely.

“So you fled”

“You did too”

“True” Saeko replied and the girls fell into an enjoyable silence.

After a while the ninja hummed “I heard little Malfoy somehow considers the suspensions of Dumbledore his achievement and have become unbearable”

“I mostly ignore him” Lauren shrugged.

“So, what do you think about Dumbledore?”

“I don't know. What I know is that if the attacks don't stop soon Hogwarts might close”

Saeko nodded, many of her classmates shared the same fear. Dumbledore himself has mentioned the possibility. Which was actually why he was not too upset about his situation, now he had more time and space to investigate. Or whatever he was doing.

“You'd transfer to Durmstrang? Or Beauxbatons?” the ninja asked.

“Let's hope it doesn't come to that” Lauren grimaced, “I presume you would simply go home?”

“Yeah” Saeko nodded, “But I would definitely prefer to finish what I started here.”

“Agreed”

After a beat of silence the ninja asked “So, what's new?”

Lauren eyed the Uchiha prodigy incredulously “We are stuck in class or in the common rooms, what news could I possibly have? That I'm going slowly insane?”

“To be fair, with the OWLs on the horizon we would hardly be…”

“Sure, we would most probably be still studying in our common rooms, but we _could_ leave if we wanted to. Now we have no choice and I don't like it”

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to change the topic. Everybody is whining about the curfew. Hey, how did you escape anyway?”

Lauren smirked “Secret. You?”

“I could reply in kind but then we would get nowhere” Saeko sighed.

“So? Are you going to tell me?” prompted with glee.

“A technique from home” the kunoichi shared, “It allows me to blend in the shadows. It also encourages others to not notice me”

“Like a portable notice-me-not charm”

“You know, I always found your hyphenated names absolutely ridiculous” Saeko shook her head in exasperation “Notice-me-not charm? Boy-Who-Lived? And don't get me stated on You-Know-Who. I don't know who! For all I know it could be your mother-in-law!”

Lauren laughed “Did you tell that to the first Brit that spoke of… Him?”

“No, I knew better. I researched your culture and history prior to coming here. No faux-pas was made”

The Slytherin made a disappointed “Aww! But you are changing the subject.”

“Not really?” Saeko arched an eyebrow questioningly.

Lauren smirked “Come on, show me.”

Saeko hummed but then shrugged, what harm could it do “Close your eyes for a second.”

“Are we playing hide and seek now?” the Snake chuckled.

“Try and find me” Saeko grinned.

Lauren crossed her arms and closed her eyes as instructed. And began counting loudly.

The ninja chuckled briefly. Then she fell completely silent and soundlessly jumped on the farthest window arch, where shadow was deepest. A simple _Ninpō: Kagekure_ later she was hidden. The genjutsu was a D-rank, meaning it would conceal her only from civilian eyes which so far worked just fine during her stay at Hogwarts. That, and the fact that nobody who wasn't a ninja, or downright paranoid, looks above them.

“…, eight, nine, ten. Ready or not, here I come!”

The next few minutes were quite amusing for the kunoichi. Finally Lauren huffed “Alright, I give up. Come out.”

Saeko hopped down from her perch “I've been out since my second year here.”

Lauren was startled at the sudden appearance but schooled her reaction swiftly “That was a really bad pun. I mean it. Awful.”

The Uchiha shrugged with a smirk “At least I can hide.”

“Quite effectively” Lauren admitted.

Saeko bowed with flourish “Thank you.”

“And don't think I didn't notice you dropping from the ceiling”

“Not the ceiling per se” the ninja corrected.

“Whatever. Care to explain?”

“I like heights” Saeko shrugged.

Lauren laughed “Alright, I'll take it. For now anyway.”

Saeko grinned and then asked “So I showed you mine, it's time you shown me yours. How did you escape the teacher's notice?”

“Disillusionment.” the Snake smirked, “and dumb luck. I actually did not encounter anybody save for the Head Girl.”

“Disillusionment? That's very advanced” Saeko said, very much impressed.

The pureblood smirked cockily “Feeling threatened, little miss genius?”

“Hardly” the Uchiha gave the obligatory answer.

“You know, many of my classmates hate your guts for it. You breezing through the wand classes, that is”

Saeko felt a bit guilty at that, even if nothing showed on her face. The sharingan was always a most hated and envied tool but at least in Konoha it wasn't kept secret. Finally she smirked and answered truthfully “I've got good genes.”

Lauren pursed her lips “Is that yet another reference to your good looks?”

“Nope” the ninja grinned, “But nice of you to notice.”

The Brit rolled her eyes.

* * *

**Outside of Transfiguration Class**

McGonagall pursed her lips when the bell rang, signifying the end of the lesson. Everyone knew she was most displeased with the arrangement of escorting the students through the corridors, as it cut into valuable time.

“Pack your things” the professor ordered and went to wait beside the door.

The students obliged with haste and in absolute silence, not wanting to provoke the Scottish woman further. She and Snape always seemed on the verge of snapping when they led their charges to class or anywhere else. All in all, the students felt far from safe. Still, it was better that Lockhart's travelling theater.

“I wish we could hurry up, I'm starving!” Graham said quietly.

“Shh! She'll hear you” Ashley's eyes widened in horror.

“Yeah, she's already grumpy enough” Peter whispered his assent.

McGonagall shot them all a glare over her shoulder. The fifth year Ravens were obviously not quiet enough. They all smiled sheepishly and resigned themselves to the slow pace.

When the group finally entered the Great Hall they all dashed towards their tables, not even waiting to be dismissed by their escort.

“You know Saeko, the next time you're sneaking out take me with you. Please! I can't stand this anymore” Graham whined.

Helena rolled her eyes as she filled her plate “Don't be such a drama queen. It's an inconvenience, nothing more.”

“I dunno” Paddy shook his head, “I needed to go to the bathroom during Muggle Studies just the other day. It was very, very awkward. Maybe next time I'll just let it go.”

Ashley pursed her lips “Disgusting.”

“Also I think Saeko would not take you along to meet up with Lauren” Caitlin smirked.

Daniel fanned himself with his hand in a theatric manner “How romantic.”

Graham grinned “Absolutely! Braving the territory of the Heir of Slytherin and its' monster because not seeing the lovely Lewis was too much to bear.”

“I'm swooning” Paddy pretended to wipe a tears from his eyes.

Saeko rolled her eyes “You're all a bunch of asses.”

“That's mean” Peter smirked. The rest of the boys nodded and started making ridiculously sad faces.

“And please stop living vicariously through me. Take a leaf of Caitlin's book and go date somebody” the ninja said pointedly.

Ashley's eyes sparkled with mischief “Oh yes! DeLuise looks so sad lately, maybe Daniel could cheer him up?”

The bespectacled prefect went bright red, put his head into his hands and started muttering.

Before the gang could pounce on their new victim, Ash continued “And I have heard that Monica Hudson thinks Graham's quite… manly.”

Graham was terrified “The Whale?” Helena nearly choked on the potatoes, she was laughing so hard.

Paddy shivered in dread “I saw her once rush to the feast so intently she almost clocked a fellow Puff. And once I was eating a croissant during History and she eyed me in such a manner I was scared she would eat it and me for good measure.”

“Looks like you have been observing Monica most intently” Caitlin smirked, “Do I sense a romantic triangle?”

“Don't even joke about it” Graham looked around in a most endearing deer in the headlights expression.

Lunch continued much in the same manner until the very sleepy-looking professor Sinistra came to collect them and escort them back to the Ravenclaw Common Room for their free period. Those who had Divination stayed behind, waiting for their own guardian, using their time to have seconds of pudding.

Normally Saeko used this time to get some training in, do a few laps around the lake before reverse summoning herself into her raven's realm but this time she settled for an indoor regimen - if she disappeared right now, everybody would assume she was meeting Lauren again and she would not hear the end of it. She loved teasing, but she much preferred not being the target for it.

“Exercising again?” Helena rolled her eyes.

“It's the price you pay for an amazing body” Saeko replied with a shrug, “And being the current Uchiha heir, and getting paid back home, and…”

“I get it. Not _that_ interested” the blonde hummed and returned to her book.

“Arithmancy again?” the ninja asked in turn.

“Indeed. I'm getting an O in it or you don't really want to be around me”

Saeko chuckled “You better study then. Your bad moods are legendary and terrifying.”

Helena scoffed “Please, you've seen nothing yet.”

The Uchiha prodigy stopped her exercising and sat down to face her friend “You're kidding, right?”

“Nope”

“Not even that time when Michelle spilled your tea leaves and when she wanted to clean them with a spell she set them on fire instead?”

“Low on the scale”

“Michelle couldn't look at you without shaking in fear for at least a week”

Helena shrugged.

“And what about that time…”

The Brit interrupted “Nope. And now leave me to my Arithmancy or you'll be the next story.”

“Alright, I will not tempt the scale of crazy”

“Wise” Helena nodded, “And for the record, you are far, far worse”

“I'm an angel”

“Until you're not” the blonde smirked, “I can only imagine how you eye an enemy of Konoha”

Saeko opened her mouth to say something but ultimately thought the better of it. Helena noticed and prompted “What?”

“I wanted to make a very morbid joke”

“Why didn't you?”

The ninja shrugged.

“Konoha sounds like fun” Helena observed with a grin.

“Oh, yes”


	91. 5- 91 Spiders

“This was a great idea” James complimented his quidditch captain when he surveyed the large crowd.

Jared was much less pleased “Saeko nearly kicked down the door to my room that morning, shouting about her 'marvelous idea'. My roomie nearly had a heart attack.”

“Just chill and be glad we are outside” Roger grinned and surveyed the quidditch pitch.

“Even if under guard” Caitlin pointed towards their Head of House who was happily chatting with Madame Hooch.

Jaden eyed what looked like the entirety of Ravenclaw House “This is going to take forever. All this just for a single beater position?”

Saeko followed his gaze “I'd expect only a handful of genuine candidates. The rest is here for furlough - everybody who doesn't have Care for Magical Creatures has been stuck inside the Castle.”

“Too true, it's been stifling” Jared nodded.

Caitlin nodded emphatically “Yeah. So, are we going to get this show on the road?”

The kunoichi nodded and took a step towards the crowd. She whipped out her wand and fired three loud bangs into the air. The noise attracted everyone's attention and they turned towards the Captain.

“Greeting, everyone” Saeko began, “As you all know, I asked professor Flitwick and Madame Hooch to allow me to host quidditch trials today. Naturally this trial is for next year, the ban on quidditch has not been lifted. With that in mind the Team will need a new beater since Jared is in his seventh year. Will the aspirant players please step forward. The rest of you may observe from the stands and enjoy the sunshine.”

“Saeko” Jared muttered beside her, “The firsties.”

“Oh, yeah” the ninja nodded and addressed the crowd one more time, “As I have written on the Notice Board, this trial is open to the first years as well, since next year you will be eligible for quidditch.”

A small whoop resonated from the younger crowd. The trials themselves did not start until much later, when all the Ravens separated into contestants and spectators. Since pretty much everybody was present, it took quite a while. Not that anyone was eager to go back to the castle.

Finally seven older years and five first years came forward, all of them broom in hand. Saeko surmised the firsties borrowed theirs either from older Ravens or Madame Hooch.

Saeko seized them up sternly and ran them through a basic flight exercise, which already thinned the pool of candidates by two. Several other exercises followed, getting harder each time. By the time they got to actual beater exercises only seven players were left.

When Saeko took the field, trying them out as partners, only two aspirant beaters remained. Which was actually a problem - she had no idea who to choose. A Team council was needed.

“Well,” Jared started, “They aren't bad replacements. Of course I'm superior in every way, but I think this team will keep winning.”

Roger rolled his eyes “As 'Mister Superior' over here says, they're rather good. Both of them.”

“Do we know who they are anyway?” Jaden asked.

“Why? The deciding factor is ability, not personal history” Caitlin shrugged.

Cho sighed “If anyone cares, the younger is Rodney Halder and the older one is Josiah Safru. I asked before the trials.”

“Which years?” Saeko asked.

“Second and fourth, I think” the asian seeker replied.

“Hn”

“So, what is your assessment Cap?” Roger asked.

The jounin hummed “Well, Halder is young and not overly strong but has excellent aim. And reflexes. Safru is much stronger and flies a mite better.”

“So the question is which qualities are harder to train” Jared nodded.

Saeko nodded “Indeed. Think about it while I run one more exercise.”

The team nodded as their captain went back to the potentials. Both boys were a bit upset, it was clear they thought the test was over and were ready for the verdict. Nonetheless they reluctantly mounted their brooms once more.

Meanwhile the crowd got a bit wild. At first the Ravens had only a mild interest in the quidditch proceedings but now it was a duel, a clear competition. In the stands were now two camps that cheered for their chosen champion. Also, there was no mistaking Helena's smirk as she furiously wrote in her betting book.

“Well?” Jaden asked when Saeko landed and approached her teammates.

“Hn”

“Should we train both and see in September?” Roger asked.

Caitlin chuckled and looked at the stands “No way, they would skin us alive. Besides, Saeko decided.”

“She said 'Hn'” Jaden arched an eyebrow.

“There are more types of 'Hn'. You'll get the hang of it” the Irish girl chuckled.

“Hn”

“Which one is this?” the youngest chaser asked with much interest.

“An amused one”

“So, beater position, which one?” Jared interrupted, “I would vote for Halder.”

Saeko nodded “Me too.”

“Why?” James asked mildly, “Safru achieving better aim would be far easier than Halder getting some muscle.”

“True, but Halder operates better under stress. When I told them the testing was not over, Halder adapted far better. His performance remained unchanged, while Safru was a bit panicked” the Uchiha explained.

The Team seemed to consider it and nodded. The action was recognized for what it was and the crowd fell relatively silent, waiting for the announcement. Even Flitwick and Hooch seemed to perk up.

Saeko felt oddly on stage but approached both candidates. After a short and quiet discussion Halder let out a loud “Woo hoo!”

The crowd erupted in both cheers and boos. As Safru skulked away and Halder began a hilariously awkward victory dance, Saeko shook her head with a chuckle. It was amazing what people found entertaining when stuck in a dusty old castle for too long.

“Yo, Halder! Come here and meet the team” the nin called at her newest player.

“Woo hoo!”

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

“You and Lauren having a spat?” Peter sniggered.

“Why do you ask?” Saeko hummed while playing with her unlit pipe.

“Well, for one you aren't sitting with her” Ashley nodded towards the Snake in question, “And she's glaring at you.”

The Uchiha looked at the Slytherin half of the room “She's not.”

Ash shrugged “Not right now but, wait, here it is.” Peter chucked.

Saeko grinned and waved at Lauren whose eyes only narrowed and then pointedly moved back to Flitwick's empty podium.

“So?” Peter prompted.

“I might've overdid it with jokes about a thing she was a teensy bit embarrassed about” Saeko admitted.

“Oho?” Ash asked eagerly.

“Come on, tell us” Peter fluttered his eyelashes.

The kunoichi shook her head “No way, I'm already in the doghouse.”

“Exactly, what more harm could it do?” the boy tempted.

“You know you want to” Ash joined in.

Saeko looked towards Lauren again but received another glare for her troubles. She sighed “I discovered she reads comic books. She did not appreciate the superhero jokes which I must say were funny and quite tasteful.”

“Somehow I doubt that” the pinkette muttered.

“And it's not my fault she dropped the book”

“Of course not” Ash said sarcastically.

“And that she spelled the cover to look like a Potions book” the ninja continued her excuses.

“She really did that?” the petite girl chuckled.

Saeko smirked “That's why I…”

She could not finish because Peter seemed to wake up from a trance he seemed to fall in. He grabbed Saeko's shoulder and asked with a slightly manic look in his eyes “What does she read?”

“Hm” the ninja was taken aback, “Batman, I think. A ridiculous name if...”

Peter interrupted again “Batman. Batman? Is she a purely DC girl or does her icy heart have room for Marvel?”

“What?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

The boy rolled his eyes “Why Batman?”

“She says he has no powers but is still a badass” Saeko shrugged and then added resolutely, “And I know nothing more.”

Ashley rolled her eyes “Calm down, Peter. You always get way too fired up about those characters.”

“Perhaps a Calming Draught?” the ninja proposed.

“Hush, this is important” Peter waved them off, not really listening, “ _Tempus_. Hm, we still have a little bit of time before Flitwick arrives. Perhaps I can…”

“No” Saeko said sternly and pinned her friend with a cold Uchiha glare, “You will not talk comics with Lauren. Not ever. She will know I told and you wouldn't want to deal with me if she found out.”

“But”

“No”

“Saeko, be reasonable”

“No”

Ashley chuckled “Drop it Pete, she'll never let you near Lauren. Lover girl here would get too jealous.”

“Afraid my superior charm and knowledge of superheroes would allow me to succeed where you have failed?” Peter smirked.

“Hn” the Uchiha said, knowing better than issue a challenge.

Fortunately professor Flitwick spared them a further debate as he walked into class and started his lesson. Or more precisely yet another revision for the Charms part of the OWL exams. That of course did not prevent Peter from making puppy dog eyes at the ninja who stared resolutely ahead. When the Brit started poking Saeko's side as a means to getting her attention again she had enough and treated Peter to the dramatic effect of a spinning sharingan.

When Peter paled and looked away, Saeko smirked in satisfaction. This was petty but also very Uchiha, therefore fully acceptable. Ashley who was observing her two friends shook her head in exasperation.

The bell that signified the end of the lesson came as a saving grace - both the fifth-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins were quite capable and endless repetition was getting tedious.

Among the general chaos of students packing their things Flitwick called up “Before I escort you to History, can please my prefects join me for a moment.”

Ashley and Daniel looked at each other questioningly but obliged immediately. While the prefects were speaking with their Head of House in hushed tones, the rest of the class stood impatiently by the doors.

“So what's up?” Caitlin asked when her two friends returned.

Daniel ribbed his brow worriedly “He asked us to keep a closer eye on a first year, Lovegood.”

“Loony Lovegood?” Paddy asked.

Ashley eyed the boy sharply “And that's exactly why.”

“Is she being bullied?” Peter frowned.

“I didn't think so” the bespectacled prefect sighed, “Beside the nickname that is. We'll look into it.”

“Good” Caitlin nodded approvingly.

“Why did he ask you though?” Helena spoke up, “The OWLs are coming and you won't have the time.”

Daniel shrugged “It doesn't matter, we are prefects and she is our responsibility.”

“Ah, Mr Auror strikes again” Graham joked good-naturedly. Daniel rolled his eyes.

Ashley sighed “It might be that we are closer in age, even if only by a bit. It would be easier if she just told.”

“Yeah, like that is going to happen” Paddy said sarcastically.

Caitlin nodded “Yeah. I got bullied before Hogwarts. They said I was weird. I wanted to say I am a witch and to shove it and I kinda hated my parents when they said I couldn't. It's the law, of course, but I hated it all the same.”

“A muggle school? You didn't have a tutor?” Graham asked.

The Irish girl rolled her eyes “Halfblood, remember? O'Shea might be an old name but mum wouldn't have it. An important experience she said.”

“Oh” Graham nodded, “So, what happened?”

Caitlin smirked “Accidental magic. Samara's, the lead bully's, hair all fell off. It was brilliant. Merlin I love magic.”

The group chuckled, all in agreement.

“So, what about you Saeko?” Caitlin asked, “You're awfully quiet.”

The ninja shrugged “I just didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation. My family name got me protected. Some students in the Academy were intimidated, some hated my guts, but all the same nobody would dare go against the daughter of the Police Chief and Clan Head.” Saeko paused for a moment and then smirked “That and I creamed them in any spars we had.”

“Little miss genius even then, huh?” Graham

“Yup” Saeko grinned, “Though I must say I didn't have it difficult. There were not many clan children in my class. There were two Nara but they were stereotypically lazy, the Inuzuka got riled up extremely easily and so on. Pity there were no Hyuuga, then it might've been interesting.”

Helena tapped her lower lip “Hyuuga are these pompous noble ones?”

“How does it differ from the Uchiha?” Graham asked innocently.

Saeko chuckled “It doesn't.”

“I still can't believe you got spars instead of PE” Ashley shook her head, “Little children.”

“Not so little” Saeko defended her home and obfuscated things a bit, as usual, “I got fast tracked - daughter of police Chief, remember?”

“I got lock picking out of you, so no protest from me” Caitlin smirked.

“Getting out of handcuffs” Helena agreed.

The pinkette rolled her eyes “Yes, yes, yes. Awesome. And Helena, do you seriously intend to get arrested?”

Helena winked “Who said anything about getting arrested?”

“Helena!”

* * *

**Forbidden Forest**

Saeko was _not_ happy.

Not only Weasley and Potter were out of bed, again, but they were off to the most dangerous place on Hogwarts grounds. 'Follow the spiders'. What a load of bullshit. She had tailed the Golden Trio for nearly two years, watching over them, not really interfering directly. When the Gryffs went on their Philosopher's Stone adventure, Saeko let them. It was a controlled environment and ultimately not _that_ dangerous.

This venture though, was downright suicidal. Follow the spiders. Phe.

She had a half-mind to knock the two boys out and drag them back to Hogwarts. Although, that would just result in a repeat of tonight some other time. Stubborn bastards.

The boys were being loud, even the cowardly dog they have taken with them was. Among all the leaves rustling and twigs snapping Saeko had to cringe - Konoha nin prided themselves on noiselessness in forests. And of course no self-respecting ninja would kill his night vision to gain a small cone of light as Potter was producing out of his wand.

Suddenly, the spiders veered off the main path. Harry and Ron hesitated for quite a bit but after a small argument decided to follow. Saeko took it as a sign that they were not completely suicidal. Nonetheless she already had to… discourage two of the more hostile creatures of the forest from attacking. As their carcasses lay cooling on the grass the two Gryffs merrily skipped along, completely unaware of their luck.

Speaking of luck…

“That's our car!” Ron exclaimed.

“What?” Harry echoed Saeko's thoughts.

The boys darted towards the now identified car to inspect it. Weasley seemed to forget his fear of the Forest as he concentrated on the magical machine “It must've been here all this time. Look at it! Somehow it went feral.”

“It does look wild” Harry observed.

Since the car seemed to pose no threat Saeko concentrated on the magical signatures that entered her sensing range. The two mature Acromantulas of considerable size were excited to find such a delicious snack but before the boys even registered they could be in danger Saeko stepped in. A quick _silencio_ to keep the spiders from making further noise and the jounin cut them down in two efficient fuuton strikes.

A process that was repeated twice since the boys resumed following the spiders, right into the Acromantula nest.

Finally the spiders seemed to get the massage and the humans were allowed safe passage into the nest. After all, the nest had thousands of guards.

“This is it. Can you see them?” Harry said in a very unsure voice when he saw the arachnid sentinels.

Ron squeaked and seemed to shrink into himself.

The ninja was apprehensive as well. It wasn't the first time she entered an enemy base but she usually went in chakra blazing. Now she had her scent masked, invisible to the naked eye and her magical presence suppressed. She had already decided she would forget Dumbledore's instructions and _amaterasu_ the whole place if a spider looked at them wrong.

Perhaps she could invest in a mask for next time. And she was sure there would be a next time.

When the students were ushered into the nest the true magnitude of the spider family revealed itself. And its variety, in sizes especially.

Finally a truly gigantic spider came forth “Why have you come here?”

Harry gulped as he looked into the spider's unseeing eyes “We, ahm, we were sent here by Hagrid, our friend.”

“Hagrid?” the leading acromantula clicked his pincers, “He has never sent us anyone before.”

“He's in trouble”

“Trouble?” the spider said angrily.

The-Boy-Who-Lived hastily explained the situation in the Castle. Surprisingly the now named Aragog seemed receptive and gave them some of the answers they sought. Mainly, that he truly was not the monster that hid in the Chambers of Secrets.

With Hagrid's name cleared, Harry smiled shakily “Thank you. We'll go then.”

“Go?” pincers clicked in mocking, “I think not.”

“But…”

“My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid on my command but I can hardly deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye, friend of Hagrid” the spider said definitively.

Since this outcome was inevitable, Saeko was prepared. With a single ram seal she activated the seals she planted around the nest. They were simple flashbangs combined with quake activators but the resulting chaos disoriented everybody and the shockwave sent the boys flying backwards, their flight greatly augmented by wind chakra.

The two second years scrambled back onto their feet and promptly turned tail.

_“At least some presence of mind”_ Saeko thought as she played with the terrain. Ultimately doton seemed a better choice to Saeko's beloved fire. Burning the forest, or a piece of it, would be a waste and it would indubitably anger the residents. Saeko could do without incensed centaurs, thestrals and the rest.

“The car!” Harry exclaimed in surprise. Saeko turned back only to see the Weasley car happily ram a stray spider.

“Get in! Get in!” Ron shrieked.

Saeko was so utterly surprised by the car's sudden appearance that she just watched her two wards get into it and drive away.

“Cool” the Konoha nin hummed. She turned back to face her opponents that were in the first stage of a stampede. “ _Fuuton: Daitoppa!”_

The great gust of wind cleared the forest floor of spiders. With the head start Saeko started running at top speed to catch up with the 'wild car' and her two Gryffindors.

Once the kunoichi was clear of the trees she sighed in relief, it was over. And by the retching sounds emanating from the pumpkin patch the boys were safe and sound.

“Follow the spiders” Ron glared at his best friend who was comforting Fang and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “I'll never forgive Hagrid for this. We're lucky to be alive!”

“I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his” Harry said in a placating manner.

“That's exactly Hagrid's problem!” Ron gritted his teeth, “He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out. And look where it's got him! A nice cell in Azkaban!”

Ron continued ranting and the Uchiha found herself agreeing with him. This little adventure was not fun. Not fun at all.

Finally the two Gryffs started their way home. Saeko was quite eager for a calming cup of tea and then to bed. The boys were similarly eager so Saeko reached the Ravenclaw Tower quite quickly.

“Echoes from a shadow realm, whispers of things to come. Thought's strange sister dwell in night, is swept away by dawning light. Of what do I speak?” the guardian of the Tower asked.

Saeko chuckled since the answer was something she longed for and hoped to have as soon as she got to bed “Dreams.”

The guardian let her pass. The scarred jounin yawned and immediately ran up the stairs. Deciding a shower would be too much effort she sneaked into her room, stripped bare and slid into the covers.

“Where have you been?” her roommate mumbled groggily.

“The Forest, for a run”

“You're an idiot” came the sleepy reply and Ashley rolled to her other side.

“Hn”


	92. 5- 92 So It Begins

 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god”

“Breathe” Saeko ordered gently and rolled up the scroll she was reading with a sigh.

Ashley tried to oblige but managed only to drive herself further into panic. Saeko put on her best 'people person' face and put her arm around Ashley “Let's sit down, you breathe and then tell me what's wrong.” When the pinkette obliged Saeko was hit by a sudden thought and growled “Somebody died, right? The Heir struck again and this time it was not a simple petrification. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that old codger. Dumbledore might be a genius but…”

“NO!” Ashley shook her head hastily, “Nobody died! I'm sorry. No heir business happened!”

The Uchiha calmed down “So what did happen?”

“Well, now it seems a little stupid” the pinkette blushed.

Saeko arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms “Hn?”

Ashley sighed “Alright. It's the OWLs.”

“The owls?”

“The OWLs, you dunderhead! The exams!” the Brit shook her head in exasperation, evidently wondering how her roommate could be this dense.

“What about them?” Saeko asked softly, not wanting to incur the wrath someone who in the moment looked very much like Anko after someone ate her last dango.

“May 29th! They just posted it on the Board. And the whole schedule for it. It's too soon!” Ashley said with a maniacal glint in her eye.

“We knew OWLs started before the regular exams. Early June is the norm” the ninja was still not getting it.

“It's May today. The first of May”

“Indeed”

“The OWLs are just a month away!”

“Indeed they are” Saeko said again. Once she saw Shikamaru 'argue' with his mother. He agreed to everything and said nothing back. She had laughed that day but now she adapted the same tactic.

It didn't work. “Say something dammit!”

“Mendokse” slipped out involuntarily.

Ashley was not amused.

Saeko cleared her throat “I mean, we have already begun revising, both in class and on our own. We will be ready, a month is plenty of time. Besides, I'm pretty sure we could sit the exams right now and pass without a problem. In June we will excel.”

“You really think so?” the pinkette said in a small voice, her posture deflating.

“I do”

“Ok” Ashley said even more softly and sat down on her bed. Then she whined and put her knees up and hugged them.

As her roommate started rocking forward and backwards Saeko finally started to panic as well, but for a completely different reason. She was out of her depth. _“Oh dear Kami. What shall I do when Itachi has children! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!”_

“Your hyperventilating is not helping”

Saeko took a deep breath “You're right, you're right. I'm not going to be an aunt for a while.”

Ashley blinked in confusion “I feel I missed something.”

The Uchiha waved it off and continued on the previous topic “I take it your reaction to the OWL announcement is mirrored by the rest of our year?”

“Pretty much”

“Thank you for taking your time from mass hysteria to tell me”

“Jerk” Ashley huffed, “Come, let's go calm the others.”

“Yes ma'am” Saeko sighed and went to look for her pipe. Sarutobi-sama always smoked when dealing with hard cases. This promised to be one of them.

The Uchiha followed her friend into the Common Room and was greeted by the expected mayhem. The seventh years, who had been in a state of constant panic since Yule, joined in on the chaos and the lower years did as well, just on the merit of being Ravenclaws.

A sixth year sat on the stairs eyed the Uchiha. Feeling a kindred soul he announced somberly “It has begun anew.”

“Smoke?” Saeko offered.

* * *

**Library**

Uchiha Saeko was a ninja of Konoha. She faced countless life or death situations, nearly died a few times, dealt with nobles and council elders. And she was an Uchiha who passed the late Uchiha Fugaku's muster. She was hardened. She wasn't fearless, far from it, but she had no problems in stressful situations. Except…

Fucking OWLs.

Saeko was not new to exams. Hell, she took the chuunin exams and witnessed a few of them as well. She kicked ass at exams. And yet…

Fucking OWLs.

It must be the atmosphere. The hype was contagious.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh” Saeko looked up, resurfacing from her thoughts.

“Are you alright?” Lauren asked with a small smile.

The Uchiha smiled as well “I am, thanks. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

Saeko chucked “Three guesses to get it right.”

“Right, Raven” the red-head smirked.

“What are you doing here anyway? I thought with the escort system and all, the Ravens had the Library for today”

“Snape likes me”

“That's creepy”

“Shush you. He's a wonderful Head of House. And I'm good at potions”

“Sure. Still disturbing”

Lauren rolled her eyes “So, you nervous? All the Ravenclaws seem to be.”

“I am and I don't understand it” Saeko revealed, “I faced far more serious matters!”

“Well, there's a reason the Ravens call the fifth year 'countdown to madness'” Lauren said with a smirk.

“That's actually spot on” Saeko uncharacteristically laughed out loud, “Even Helena went crazy. On a totally related topic, do you know if it's possible to get addicted to chamomile?

“Chamomile?”

“Oh yeah” Saeko sighed, “Just don't ask Helena about it. I received a lecture on tea in general that lasted forever.” The Uchiha mimicked her blonde friend “White tea, green tea, black, tea, fruit tea, herbal tea. Blends!” Lauren laughed and Saeko's voice shifted back to normal “And that's the abridged version.”

“A typical Grey then”

“She's neurotic” Saeko whined, “And the rest is not much better.”

“You included”

“Don't remind me” the ninja growled, angry at herself. “How come you're calm?”

Lauren shrugged “You caught me on a good day.”

“How about a hug?” Saeko fluttered her eyelashes.

“You serious?”

The nin smiled “Why not? As a medic you should see all the benefits of it - endorphins and all that stuff.”

“Stuff” Lauren said flatly.

“You're the medic, not I” Saeko grinned.

“You're so full of shit”

“You swore!” Saeko laughed in delight.

“OWLs got to the Slytherins as well” the Brit pursed her lips, “You should hear the language in the Snake Pit lately.”

“Lovely. What about my hug?”

Lauren sighed and looked around to see nobody close “Alright. For the endorphins and stuff.”

“Sweet!” Saeko grinned and immediately snuggled into the embrace.

After a few moments the Slytherin declared “Ok, that's enough.”

“I don't wanna”

“Saeko”

“You're comfy. And you smell nice”

“Saeko, I won't repeat myself”

“Hn”

Before the Slytherin could untangle herself a voice could be heard from just around the corner of the bookshelf “Lauren, have you found the…” Alexia stopped talking and blinked in confusion. Then she broke into a sly grin “Pardon my interruption. Carry on.”

“Alexia!” Lauren called after her chucking friend. The she turned to the ninja still in her arms “Saeko, I hate you.”

“Endorphins darling, think of the endorphins”

“Alexia will not let me live this down. Not ever” the red-head gritted her teeth, “And Isolde will be even worse.”

Saeko finally ended the hug “You're a good person. Thanks.”

“Shut up. You owe me”

“Anytime you want a hug I'll be ready to pay up”

“Funny. Now, if this little byplay is over I'm going back to studying” Lauren rolled her eyes.

“I could quiz you. What subject you're on?”

The red-head huffed “Go bug Pince, maybe she will give you a hug too.”

Saeko pretended to think about it and then shook her head “Nah, too old.”

“I'll be sure to tell her that”

The ninja peered though the shelves of books “I'm dead.”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“You do know exams are coming up” the newbie beater, Halder, said in an uncertain voice.

“Yup” Saeko said airily as she looked at the Black Lake.

Halder looked around to see the rest of the quidditch team completely unbothered. “Exams?” he tried again, “Anyone?”

“You're new, you'll learn” Caitlin said patronizingly.

Jared grinned proudly at his friend “Yeah. When taichō decides something then that's it. It always helps though.”

“Besides, a little break from studying never hurt anybody” Roger nodded.

“But swimming? The water will be freezing. And there is a monster in there” the newest player whined.

Saeko turned her gaze from the water to Halder. The second year shut up immediately. Saeko smiled wickedly “Strip down, ladies and gents. And for your information dear Rodney, there is a monster in the school as well.”

“Yeah, the giant squid doesn't compare” Jaden nodded as he unlaced his shoes.

“I guess”

The Uchiha grinned “Good, I hate whiners.”

Jared winked and went to his future replacement to whisper something in his ear. After that Halder snapped at attention and started stripping into his trunks right away. Saeko arched an eyebrow at her partner in question and got only a smile in return.

“Speedos!” Caitlin squealed in delight and pointed at Roger. The boy struck a pose for her and Saeko was reminded of Gai. It was eerie.

Jared winked again, this time at Caitlin, and took off his pants to show he was wearing speedos as well.

“Stop drooling Caitlin” Saeko chuckled.

“Just because you can't appreciate it, doesn't mean I don't” the Irish girl rebutted.

Roger grinned “Leer all you like but reciprocity is required.”

Caitlin sighed and revealed her own swimming suit. Roger and Jared wolf-whistled good-naturedly. The girl flicked her short hair and started walking towards the water like a model on a fashion show.

“Speaking of leering, did you notice Lockhart eyeing the Head Girl?” Cho's eyes lit up at gossip.

“Poor Hilda” Caitlin hummed.

“I did notice Sprout giving him the stink eye lately” James said in his deep bass.

“Heh,” Jaden chuckled, “She'll watch him like a hawk.”

“Quit yapping!” Saeko shouted at her team, “And get into the water. Training begins now.”

“Would now be a good time to mention I can't swim?” Halder piped up.

The whole team looked at their newest member. Finally Saeko rubbed her brow in exasperation “Really?”

“Sorry”

The Uchiha sighed “Alright, change of plans. We're teaching you. Or more precisely, Jared is teaching you.”

“Why me?” the seventh year pouted.

“I remember you boasting about being the High Master Commander of the Seven Seas.”

Jared nodded seriously “That I am. Alright, I'll take care of him.”

“Alright, I'll leave him in your capable hands” Saeko nodded, “Good luck Rodney.”

Halder smiled “Than you Jared.”

“Call me High Master Commander” Jared said sternly. Rodney gulped but followed the older beater to the side.

When the duo was out of hearing range Saeko turned to the rest of her team “I'm not as stuck up as Jared so just call me Captain. Although, Mistress works too.”

“Yeah, not going to happen” Caitlin chuckled.

The Uchiha pouted “Ok then, back to training. Swim from here to the other shore three times and I'll time you. Whenever you're ready.”

“What!” Jaden paled as he eyed the distant shore.

“No, wait! You're our calm, beautiful and above all **merciful** mistress!” Caitlin backtracked.

“Naaah” Saeko smirked, “Start swimming. Filch is going to escort us back to the Castle in three hours and I have plans for you before then.”

“Why Filch though, we'd be better off with a fluffy owl as a protector” Roger shook his head.

“He is a member of the faculty and we have to get escorted by one” Cho shrugged.

“Yeah, but Filch!” Caitlin nodded vigorously, “I bet he would let us be eaten by any monster there is so just we stop trailing mud in.”

“And I might to do the same if you lot don't stop stalling” Saeko said sweetly.

The Team reluctantly dived in and stated their first trip to the opposite bank. Saeko sat down on a largo rock and sighed happily.

“You're not going in?” Jaden asked when the group made their first return.

“Maybe later”

“That's just not fair” Cho said, breathing heavily in exertion.

The ninja shrugged “Perks of being the boss.”

“Keep me in mind for your replacement” Roger said in determination.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “No joke?”

“Nope”

The nin hummed and stroked her chin in thought “This could work.”

“What? Really?” the chaser grinned.

“But you understand it would be just for one year, right?”

Roger sighed “Unfortunately. But I'll take it!”

“Alright _vice captain_ ” Saeko's smile slowly spread on her face, “You'll need further training for that though. This will be **fun**!”

The fourth year paled “Training? We should leave that for your last year here, right?”

“No take backs” Saeko said with her variation of Anko's grin, also known as the T&I special.

The Team sniggered at Roger's half-terrified, half-determined face. Considering this mater to be over they turned to start the trip to the other side of the lake again. Their progress was halted by Saeko who called “And Cho, darling? You'll be there right beside Roger. You're the youngest and you have potential to lead.”

“I do?” the petite girl said in dread.

“Don't worry, if not she'll beat it in you” Caitlin muttered.

Cho nodded seriously “That's exactly what I'm afraid of.”


	93. 5- 93 OWL Frenzy

 

The Ravenclaw common room was eerily quiet, as was always the norm on the end of the school year. Of course that silence was on occasion broken by a meltdown, but that was the House of the Witted for you.

As it was the NEWTs were the imminent exam, closely followed by OWLs and then the regular exams - this was apparent on the level of nervousness and desperation of the different years.

Saeko was returning from the bathroom when she noticed Helena not studying, a most surprising occurrence. Instead she was building a house of cards. The ninja approached her friend, quite worried “Helena?”

“Yes” was the cheery reply. Saeko got even more worried for her friend's sanity.

“Shouldn't you be studying?”

“Nope”

“Alright?” was the uncertain reply. Then after a beat of silence the brunette asked “Did you take something? I know that some people sell stuff to help your concentration and so on, but those are usually fraudulent. You know that.”

Helena scoffed “Of course I know that, I have no intention of eating doxie droppings or similar 'miracle cures'. I'm not an idiot.”

“Just checking” Saeko shrugged, “So, what's all this?”

“A house of cards”

“Funny. Now, why are you building it?”

“I'm taking a break”

The jounin sighed in relief “Oh, thank Kami. I was scared you were having a breakdown.”

“Us Greys are made of sturdier stuff” the blonde rolled her eyes.

Saeko shrugged, it was true enough “A break, huh? What about the rest of our little group? Peter and Ash took over our room, I thought the rest was with you.”

“The boys are doing some 'bro' thing in their room, except Daniel who's cashing a favor with an older prefect to help him study Arithmancy” the blonde answered, her focus back on her card construction.

“And Caitlin?”

Helena smirked “Caitlin is blowing… off steam. With her boy-toy.”

Saeko laughed “Good one.”

The Brit grinned “They make it so easy.”

“They?” Saeko asked.

“Indeed. You in particular” Helena nodded. The ninja did as well, fully expecting the answer. “So, what about you? On a break as well?”

“I guess” Saeko sighed, “The books are tedious. I got letters from Jamie ad Frost, so maybe I'll read them. A break is a good idea.”

“What about some chess? We haven't played in quite a while”

“Hm, what about shougi instead? I'm feeling a bit homesick”

“Sure”

Saeko unsealed her shougi board and the duo quickly positioned the pieces. Soon enough they were engrossed in the peaceful game. The activity attracted a fair amount of envy, astonishment and exasperation.

Two games later Saeko actually grew even more homesick. She decided to send a message to her brother, just in case he was free, and to pop in the summoner's realm. Although it was a little bit awkward getting reverse-summoned from the Tower's bathroom.

Saeko sat down and let the air filled with chakra wash over her. Some of her favorite summons landed nearby to catch her up on gossip.

Half an hour later the birds left, leaving Saeko to meditation.

“Itachi” the girl greeted with a smile, her eyes still closed.

“Little sister” came the warm reply.

“I'm glad you're back from your mission, I really need a spar. Some advice would be nice too”

“How come?”

“The big exams I have been telling you about are here”

“And?”

“I'm nervous”

“Don't be”

Saeko rolled her eyes “What a marvelous idea! I'll just stop being nervous then. Thank you!”

Itachi sighed, sat down beside the brunette and bumped her shoulder with his “Jiraiya-sama is writing a new book.”

“Oh yeah?” the girl perked up.

“Indeed. He said he would publish it when Uzumaki returns”

“But that's a year away!”

Itachi shrugged and the siblings sat in silence again.

“How are things with Mihane?”

“Great. She got injured on her last mission though. But everything's fine”

“Good, good”

After another pause of silence Itachi coughed awkwardly “I'm told I'm not good with upset women.”

Saeko broke into laughter. Several nearby crows and ravens started sniggering as well. When the girl calmed down she hugged the tall ANBU “I love you brother.”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Your Ice Queen looks spooked” Graham observed as he buttered his toast.

“Hm?” Saeko looked up.

“You're right. What she's looking at?” Caitlin hummed and the whole group turned to get a look. The object of their collective attention was a small group of old looking wizards and witches talking with professor McGonagall.

“Man, that one looks ancient!” Paddy exclaimed.

“It's the Committee!” Helena and Saeko exclaimed at the same time.

Ashley gulped “You mean…”

“… the examiners?” Peter finished his friend's sentence.

“Yes” Helena nodded, “How come you know, Saeko?”

“Lauren told me about them”

“Ah”

“So, spill. Tell us everything” Daniel asked eagerly.

Saeko shrugged and gestured to Helena. The blonde eyed the Committee again “There is not much to tell. I know a few names. And the fact they have been doing this for ages.”

“Great” Graham sighed.

“Any tips?”

“Nope” Helena shook her head.

Caitlin sighed “Well, once this is over we will need a big party.”

“Balloons” Graham said definitively, “I want balloons.”

“Streamers” Ash nodded.

“Beautiful women jumping from cake!” Paddy exclaimed.

Helena punched the bridge of her nose “I'm friends with idiots.”

Everybody laughed, their mood lifting considerably. Saeko poured herself more tea and sighed “Pity we'll have to wait until the rest of the exams are finished. We would be lynched if we made the slightest noise.”

“We can party during the day” Caitlin shrugged.

“Not a bad idea” Daniel nodded.

“Oh, look. Even the responsible Mr. Prefect is in! It's a done deal then. Can't wait” Graham grinned.

Saeko chuckled “You are aware we still have to go through the exams, right?”

Graham's face fell but then he regained his enthusiasm “Sure, but no we have something worth looking for.”

“Summer vacation isn't?” Peter arched an eyebrow.

“I guess. I still have no plans” Graham shrugged.

Ashley's eyes glinted and took a breath but was interrupted by Helena “You were not going to regale us with your plans right? Remote digs, fascinating discoveries and so on?”

“No” the pinkette murmured unconvincingly.

Peter grinned “It will be awesome though.”

“Ready for some magical creatures?” asked a booming voice above them.

“Hey, Peterson” the group chorused to the Head Boy and the students with the elective stood up and took up their bags.

“Hey. Professor Kettleburn has somethin' great fer ya”

“Cool” Peter smiled, “What it is?”

“Let it be a surprise” the seventh year smiled under his beard.

Caitlin sighed in relief “As long as it's not revision again.”

“Revision is good fer ya”

“Yeah, we know” Ashley grumbled.

The Ravens joined up with the rest of their fellows from the other three Houses and started trekking towards the Forbidden Forest.

Noticing their destination Saeko hummed “This actually looks promising.”

“I still might be a bluff” Paddy frowned.

“Nah, that would be cruel” Caitlin shook her head.

“It would be amusing and that is Kettleburn's style” a voice behind them chimed in.

“Hey, Lauren” everybody greeted.

“So, did you see them?” Lauren asked the ninja.

“Marchbanks and co? Yeah”

Caitlin nodded vigorously “Yeah, Saeko mentioned you knew about them. Share!”

The red-headed Slytherin shrugged “Marchbanks likes ginger cookies.”

“Brilliant” Paddy said sarcastically.

“Maybe if we bring her some she will go easy on us?” Peter said with faint hope in his voice. The group just arched their eyebrows. The boy sighed “Yeah, didn't think so.”

“You can try” Lauren smirked, “but I reserve the right to laugh till I drop.”

“She's tough, heh?” Saeko remarked.

“Quite an understatement”

“Oh goody” Caitlin sighed.

* * *

**Saeko and Ashley's Room**

Both girls woke up simultaneously, roused by the alarm clock ring. They did not speak, they just looked at each other and then turned their gazes back to the ceiling.

This was it.

D-day.

Some other dramatic name Graham and Paddy came up in their spare time.

“I think I'm going to throw up”

Saeko snorted in laughter “Please don't.”

“I'll save it for the first exam, maybe the examiners will take pity on me”

“I don't think that's going to fly, those guys have being doing this for a very long time. Generations of distraught Ravens”

“Yeah, the vomit trick is used up”

“Fainting too. Lauren almost choked in laughter when she recounted how Madame Pomfrey 'cured' one such Raven”

“How?”

“She slapped the girl silly”

“Sounds like Pomfrey alright” Ashley chuckled.

Eventually the two girls got up and got ready. Wordlessly they descended into the Common Room, joining their friends. They all just nodded to each other and settled to wait for Graham and Paddy.

“This somehow feels overly dramatic” Saeko said after a while.

“Speak for yourself” Caitlin growled.

“I am” the ninja shrugged, “Besides, we'll do just fine. We were always the top students. It's just another test. We like tests, right?”

“We like our great results on tests, not the thing itself” Peter grumbled.

“See, we'll do great” the Uchiha continued her pep-talk. Inwardly she cringed, if she was to become Hokage she needed to get better at speeches. It was the one area where Naruto got her beat. By a mile. She blamed her Uchiha genes.

“Feeling better already” Daniel snarked.

“Helena, back me up” Saeko turned to the blonde.

“Mmm” the sickly-looking pureblood replied.

“Fantastic, everyone's gone mental” the nin sighed.

“Too true” the newly arrived Patrick agreed. The pasty-white Graham who flanked him just nodded.

Saeko sighed and put on a smile “Alright, let's go. And everybody eats. That's an order.”

“Aye-aye”

Breakfast in the Great Hall was somber and a little bit forced. Everybody was sneaking glances at the examiners who joined the teaching staff at their table.

“Look at them, all chipper and shit” Paddy said bitterly.

“Just another day in the office for them” Caitlin sighed heavily.

“Bastards” Graham grumbled. The group chuckled.

“Flitwick's coming” Ashley warned them.

“Huh?” Peter turned around to smile in trepidation at his Head of House.

“Good morning Ravens” Flitwick smiled.

“Good morning professor” the students chorused.

“Don't worry, it'll work out just fine” the Charms Master reassured.

“Thank you, professor”

Flitwick nodded “Good. The exam will start at half past nine and it will be held here, in the Great Hall. You have time to get back to the Tower but I would recommend waiting before the Hall.”

“Yeah” Graham said in a choked voice.

“Good luck” Flitwick smiled and went to hunt the rest of the fifth-years.

When the teacher left Paddy asked in a terrified manner “What time it is?”

“8:02”

“Shit”


	94. 5- 94 The Time Has Come

 

“You all have been already briefed about how the exams will work and the rules you are supposed to follow” Professor Marchbanks started her speech as she stood near a huge hourglass, “But just to be sure I'll repeat the essentials. First: No cheating allowed. Every year somebody tries and every year we catch them. Some methods are quite inventive and some even amusing, but we always catch them.”

“Second: Write only what is asked of you - if the question is to write the incantation for this or that, I don't need to read an essay on how the spell was first conceived. This will lead to point deduction, not the opposite.”

“And finally third: No meltdowns. The exams are stressful but hardly the end of the world.”

The old woman's gaze swept through the Great Hall. Some students nodded their assent to the rules, some were mildly catatonic, just wishing everything was over. Marchbanks nodded to herself and with a flick of her wand turned the hourglass, signalizing the beginning of the exam “Good luck!”

The first subject being tested was Transfiguration, it seemed the Committee decided to get one of the hardest subjects out of the way. Saeko turned the paper in front of her, trying to ignore Crow's hyperventilating from the table to the left of her.

To the Uchiha's great relief all the questions were what the little poker group guessed would be asked and had prepared extensively for them. All in all Saeko had no problems. She finished shortly before the sand run out and looked around the Hall to check her friend's progress - she never went back to her answers, when she did she tended to over-think and correct them to wrong ones.

When Marchbanks' second warning came to signalize five minutes till the end of their first exam, the students started either shuffling all the papers around, checking what they wrote or writing lightening fast, ink splashing all around them.

“Tiiiime's up! Lay down your quills”

There were some minor problems when some students continued writing, manic looks it their eyes, which were solved by stinging hexes, courtesy of the aged examiner.

The students streamed out of the Hall, both rather hyper and completely exhausted. The little poker group sat together on the floor of the hallway, not bothering to return to the Tower before lunch.

“I'm hungry” Graham complained.

“How can you think about food?” Helena shook her head.

“I'm hungry too” Caitlin shrugged.

“Me three” Saeko agreed.

The blonde heiress sighed “Barbarians.”

“At least we don't have ink all over our robes” Graham made a motion to encompass Helena's front.

Ashley could not help it anymore “I know we agreed not to compare answers but…”

“Halt!” Paddy, “Don't even start.”

What little conversation that occurred until they were let in the Great Hall again was the very definition of small talk since anything of actual substance had been banned in advance.

Lunch went by in a similar manner, only there was much glaring at the now chipper seventh years for whom it was the first day of relative freedom. The fifth years were not even ashamed by the fact they were glad curfew was still in effect. Nothing bar the OWLs mattered - the Heir and his gigantic pet snake could waltz right into the room and they would complain the basilisk was blocking their light.

The afternoon was dedicated to the practical part of the exam. The students were instructed to wait to be called in the small room adjacent to the Great Hall that once again housed the exam. Even after the first seven names were called the room remained rather crammed, but nobody complained.

Saeko hated being at the end of the alphabet in such instances, the wait was much worse that anything they could throw at her. She, Ashley, who had it even worse than her, and Caitlin stuck together.

“Shepard, Rae; Siler, Chloe; Skarsten, Jillian; Taylor, Margery; Turner, Richard; Uchiha, Saeko; Wallace, Edward”

“Finally” the Uchiha murmured under her breath and stood. Ashley smiled weakly and wished her roommate good luck.

When the students entered they were greeted by sharp nod from professor McGonagall “We have managed to clear out the locust swarm so please each approach an examiner for your test.”

“Locusts?” Richard Turner, a jumpy Hufflepuff, asked.

“Indeed” the teacher pursed her lips, “Please don’t dally.”

Saeko chose a younger looking examiner, only seventy or so, with his grey hair tied up in a topknot. She bowed in greeting and the man nodded back “Saeko Uchiha, yes? I'm Professor Cabot. This here is your armadillo, I named him Todd, please switch his tail to barb wire.”

“Yes Cabot-dono” Saeko inclined her head and took out her wand.

After succeeding in making Todd more deadly Professor Cabot made her do several other transfigurations and untransfugurations, culminating in the vanishing of the poor armadillo.

The examiner nodded and wrote something on his clipboard “Excellent. Before I dismiss you show me your favorite transfiguration.”

“My favorite?” Saeko asked, unsure but intrigued.

“Yes” Cabot said curtly and nodded towards the crate behind him which was full of material, “Choose wisely.”

The Uchiha rummaged through the materials, thinking and deciding - show she can do the harder transfiguration by choosing something intrinsically different to the object or show she can be smart and choose the easier thing to transform.

Finally she decided to be smart and chose a branch. Running her wand down the length of the wood she thought ' _mucro_ ' and the branch transformed itself into a beautiful full-length katana.

“Wordless, very impressive” the man hummed, “And a very beautiful sword. Sharp too.”

“Thank you, Cabot-dono” Saeko carefully did not smirk.

“You may go”

The girl grinned, bowed and skipped out of the Great Hall. Once out she broke into a run and raced up to Ravenclaw Tower.

“One down!” Graham laughed and hugged Saeko as soon as she crossed into the Common Room.

“Only eight to go” Helena said darkly, already immersed in Herbology, the next subject in the line.

Graham pouted “Let me be happy for a little while. I nailed the exam! I was on fire!”

“That would mean point deduction” the blonde smirked.

Before the two could get into it again Saeko interrupted jovially “McGonagall said someone did something that caused a swarm of locust come to be. Does anyone know something?”

“No idea but I think Aaron was in that group” Graham shrugged.

Saeko hummed “Pity. Where's everybody anyway?”

“Up in their rooms revising for Herbology. They'll emerge for dinner” Helena answered airily.

“And why you two are here?”

Graham grinned again “Too wired. Did I mention I nailed Transfiguration?”

“Yes” the blonde rolled her eyes, “And I'm here simply because I like it here. The rest of the Ravens are still out.”

“You're right, it's nice. I'll get my Herbology notes” Saeko said chipperly.

“Ah, your super secret notes you concocted with Lewis” the blonde smirked.

“Don't be jealous”

“Do the notes make plants seem interesting?”

“Nope, that's a lost case”

“Thought so” Helena sighed, “Merlin I hate dirt and everything around it.”

“I feel ya”

X

The next week went by in a blur. Herbology was followed by electives, then there was the weekend which was spent studying anyway or for the lucky ones still doing an electives exam. On Monday OWLs resumed with Charms, then Potions, the electives again and DADA. The last day was dedicated to History and Astronomy.

Saeko was rather impressed by the juggling that was needed to coordinate all the electives and cram them into three days. Runes fortunately required only the written part so Saeko was rather free to study up for the rest of the subjects.

When the fifth years started their trek for Astronomy, the very last exam, they were all exhausted and relieved. Only the precious few were concerned about Astronomy, since it was one of the most often dropped subject anyways. It was almost over.

Professor Tofty, the eldest of the members of the Committee and that was saying something, had been the proctor for Astronomy. Nobody could really manage to get enthusiastic but when the go ahead came, everybody moved to their telescopes.

Three hours later when they were asked to stand down, the fifth years let out a cheer. Soft at first, but it grew in intensity. Suddenly the tiredness vanished to make way for happiness and relief.

“It's over, we made it” Peter grinned as they walked back to the dorms.

“I want a party” Paddy declared.

Ashley rolled her eyes “The whole Tower is asleep, they would murder us.”

“Besides we're going to crash, the euphoria is only temporary. We can party tomorrow when everybody's in class” Saeko chuckled.

“And make fun of them!” Caitlin raised her hands in the air in victory, “They still have to do their own exams. Ha! Little shit Cho Chang dared to tell me that OWLs couldn't be that bad when I vented.”

“I did hate the seventh years when they finished the NEWTs and were so cheery. Not that much since most of them have to go job hunting, but I hated their free time and happiness. Now we get to be them” Graham said with satisfaction.

“Going through OWLs isn't a license to be a douche” Helena said pointedly.

“Oh come on Gray, you know you like being douchy” Graham winked.

The blonde hummed and then smirked “I love it. Alright, let's all be douchy tomorrow!”

“Yay!”

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“I wouldn't want to be the one to tell them they have exams as soon as they wake up” Peter commented.

“They were petrified, not on vacation. There will be made allowances for them like having their test in august or something” Ashley shrugged.

Daniel frowned “I just hope somebody saw their attacker so this whole nightmare can end.”

“Yeah” Caitlin nodded, “I can't believe Wood thought the good news was about quidditch.”

“You can't?” Saeko arched an eyebrow, “He's obsessed and the fact he hasn't won against us ever is driving him crazy.”

The Irish girl smirked “I know, we're awesome.”

The little poker group fell silent when they heard the guardian let somebody through to the Common Room. Everybody was pretty much in class, except the seventh-years who had announced they were camping out on the tallest tower. Everybody let out a cheer when the visitor turned out to be Flitwick.

“So how are my 'Claws?” the diminutive Head of House asked with a large grin.

“Excellent” Paddy gave a thumbs up.

“Brilliant” Daniel laughed.

“Free!” Graham shouted dramatically.

Flitwick chuckled “That's good to hear. I came to congratulate you and to give you some information for the holidays and next year. Where is the rest of your year?”

“Michelle and co. are in their room” Helena informed.

“Eddy and Aaron are as well” Daniel stood up, “Should I get them?"

“Yes, please” Flitwick nodded ad sat down with the students. Since the group was alone in the Nest they occupied the softest armchairs and sofas and had their legs on tables but when their Head of House came by they scrambled to look more polite until Flitwick put up his tiny legs as well “Very comfy.”

“Yes, sir” Caitlin smirked, “We love our Tower. I mean the Gryffs and Puffs don't get their own rooms and the Snakes live in a dungeon.”

Flitwick giggled and took the offered tea “Mmm, thank you miss Grey. Ah, there they are, all my Ravens. Come and sit.” The missing fifth-year Ravenclaws obliged and their Head of House smiled at them “First of all - congratulations.”

All the Ravens grinned at each other.

“The results will arrive by owl sometime during august and they will be graded using the standard O though T scale. Most subjects require an Acceptable to continue them to NEWT level. If the subject has further requirements I have told you during career consultation but the information is also on this parchment - if you could pin it to the Board? Thank you.”

“If you meet the desired grade then you are allowed to continue but you also can drop subjects. Once your results arrive, please send me an OWL with the list of the subjects you'd like to continue. We can do it in Hogwarts but his way is faster. That said you can still change your mind about your schedule the first three weeks of school.”

“Any questions?”

Aaron Sadiq raised his hand “Sir, what exactly is the difference between an O and an E.”

Flitwick hummed “Well, that's hard. Exceeded Expectations means your work was excellent - you remembered everything and did everything right. Outstanding is exactly that - outstanding. Above and beyond what was expected.”

“Shit” Graham summed it up.

“Yeah” Patrick gulped and absently patted Michelle on her back when she erupted in sobs.

“I can see how you waited until now to tell us” Caitlin said bitterly.

“Don't worry” Flitwick smiled amiably, “We have graded you as strictly as the Committee will the last few months. You all had plenty of Os. I brag during staff meetings.”

“Yep, we're screwed” Peter said in a defeated tone. Everybody nodded.

Flitwick sighed “You'll be fine. No, you'll be outstanding!”

“Nice save, professor” Helena murmured sarcastically.

“Hey, you asked! I just answered” the Charms Master defended.

“We hate you Aaron” it was Caitlin's turn to murmur.

“It was important”

“Well,” Flitwick clapped his hand together, “that's everything I wanted to tell you. If you have questions you're welcome to come by my office or owl me. Enjoy free time!”

After the teacher left the fifth years sighed in unison. Finally Graham rubbed his brow “Let's just have this party.”

“I'm not in the mood”

“Suck it up people, the party's mandatory. So is being cheerful” Graham said definitively.

“Let's just call the elves” Ashley nodded.

“Chocolate!” Angela declared, “Something with chocolate! That's practically happiness incarnate.”

“You sound like an advertisement” Helena rolled her eyes.

Patrick shrugged “At least it's a good career that can survive the measly Es we're getting.”

“Not helping the mood” Ash shot the boy a glare.

X

_“All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately please!”_

“That was McGonagall” Daniel frowned at the announcement.

Ashley bit her lip “Something must've happened.”

“The Heir” Graham bit out.

At this everybody fell silent, dreading what happened and what that would mean. Saeko contemplated leaving when she heard frantically flapping wings. Spotting Zake or his kage bushin she replaced herself with one of her own.

When she ducked into her room she asked “What happened?”

“Ginny Weasley has been taken into the Chamber. Kidnapped, possibly dead” Zake reported.

“What!”

“No time” the raven jerked his head to the side in annoyance, “Harry and Ronald overheard this too and decided to play hero. They know the location of the Chamber and about the basilisk and went to Lockhart.”

“Why?” she breathed out and opened the window so she could scale the Tower down to reach the Gryffindor in her care.

Zake made a disgusted sound “He's the DADA teacher. The other professors said he should take care of it but they only wanted to get him out of their way. Potter took it seriously.”

“Where's the Chamber?”

“Moaning Myrtle's bathroom”

Saeko paused for a fraction of a second “Really?”

 “Yes”

“Huh” said the Uchiha and resumed her descent. When she was almost on the appropriate floor she asked again “Really?”

“Yes” the hovering bird rolled his eyes and dispelled since the original was close by.

Saeko hid when she reached her destination, hooping Myrtle would not notice her - some ghosts were frighteningly perceptive.

“…I just remember seeing a pair of big yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up and then I was floating away” Moaning Myrtle recounted dreamily, “And then I came back.”

“Where did you see those eyes?” Potter pressed.

The ghost shrugged and pointed “Somewhere around there.”

The two Gryffs busied themselves with the sinks while Lockhart looked ready to bolt. Suddenly Weasley exclaimed “I found it!”

Harry examined the tap that had a snake engraved on it skeptically but at his friend's prompting he spoke. Only instead of his normal prepubescent voice a low hissing came out.

The wall and part of the floor moved to reveal the entrance of a large pipe.

“We found it” Ron breather out.

“Come on, let's go” Harry said brusquely.

The redhead nodded and looked at the reluctant yet intrigued teacher beside him “After you professor.”

“I really don't think…” Lockhart started but Ron pushed him into the hole. Harry and Ron rushed behind him.

Saeko growled “Zake, get Dumbledore. Now!”

As the bird nodded and flew out the window Saeko jumped in after the intrepid trio, all the while thinking how her séjour at Hogwarts was supposed to be a vacation.


	95. 5- 95 Basilisks and Bathrooms

 

“We must be miles under the school” Harry remarked in a tight voice.

“Under the lake probably” Ron agreed as he took in the dark slimy walls.

Saeko resisted the urge to sigh - she loved forests and fields, meadows and beaches. Not dark, wet tunnels that possibly contained a creature that is colloquially known as the king of snakes. Resignedly she took off her shirt, tie and cloak to reveal the tight long sleeved t-shirt underneath, readying for a fight.

The cheerful atmosphere was augmented by the small bones and rat skulls strewn around the floor of the tunnel and the cracking sound they made when the three wizards stepped on them.

After what felt like ages of following the largest tunnel, fortunately no one had the bright idea of going into one of the smaller ones, the trio and their shadow arrived to a large and strangely warm cave that seemed to serve as a hub.

The three Brits squeaked in unison when they spotted the huge snake skin curled up on the floor and closed their eyes immediately. Saeko had to command them for their reflexes but since she sensed no chakra signature she examined the shed skin before her. It was a vivid green which was slightly disappointing since she imagined it whit-ish. And it was clear it had been shed by a massive reptile. Truly massive. Boss summon proportions.

That's why it wasn't a surprise when Lockhart's knees buckled and he fell on the dirty floor.

“Get up!” Ron said in annoyance and yanked the teacher's arm.

In a surprising feat of agility and cunning Lockhart overpowered Ron and snatched his wand. While it was a broken piece of crap it was still a weapon, now pointed at the two Gryffindors. “Adventure ends here boys!” the man showed his famous smile, “I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school and tell them I was too late to save the girl. You two _tragically_ lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body.”

Saeko was rather impressed but that didn't mean she would let that go.

“You can't _obliviate_ us like you did the rest! Nobody will believe you!” Potter said defiantly.

_The rest? Who, when, why? She'll need to speak with Zake about that, she's missing something._

“Yeah, Pomfrey will know you tampered with our brains!” Ron sneered.

Lockhart smirked confidently “Let me worry about that. Actually you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. I think you'll find it rather freeing.”

Saeko arched eyebrow - not bad villain talk. That said, as soon as the teacher raised his stolen wand the Uchiha cast the tripping charm followed by the very same spell he meant for the boys. She would do something more… creative, when the boys left. The thought made her smile cruelly - Konoha executed for less than this.

Unfortunately she did not have a chance to follow through with her plan which did not account for the unpredictability of a broken magical focus. The wand could not handle the combination of Lockhart and Saeko's magic and gave up, resulting in a big explosion with a force of a custom tag.

Everybody went flying. When the shockwave impacted the rocky ceiling it caused it to come down. When the dust and debris settled the cave was no more.

Saeko coughed and in panic closed her eyes to better focus on chakra signatures. She breathed in relief when three pings came back to her. She could only see Potter lying not far from her and praised Kami he looked unharmed.

When Harry noticed his situation he shouted in panic “Ron! Ron! Can you hear me?”

“Yeah” came the coughing reply, “I'm alright. Lockhart got hit pretty bad though, serves him right. You?”

“I'm ok”

“So what now?” Ron called from his side of the barricade, “It will take ages to get though this rock. And… my leg's busted.”

“You just said you were alright!” Potter ran his hand though the dirty hair.

“More or less” Ron replied, “But Ginny… I can't… Harry.”

“I know” the Boy-Who-Lived said somberly, “I'll go. Just… try to get the way cleared a bit so we can return.”

“I will. Just, Harry please, she's my little sister”

“I know. See you in a bit” Potter said in faux-confidently.

Ron replied with a weak “Okay.”

Saeko contemplated making a passage with doton but then changed her mind - it will be easier to confront the basilisk and the Heir with as few distractions as possible. Heck she should stun Potter for a little bit but Kami knows how paranoid Salazar Slytherin was and how many parseltongue traps he had set.

Potter dusted himself off a little bit and with a deep breath he ventured forwards.

Even in the slow civilian pace it didn't take long to stop hearing Ron hard at work and for the oppressive silence to fall again, only sometimes disturbed by the sound of water dripping from the ceiling.

It was rather spooky. Saeko was reminded of her walking into some of the Orochimaru labs - they were dark and oppressive, filled with various strange chemicals and corpses. Not to mention the knowledge that something dangerous could jump at you at any moment. If it were only enemy ninja that would be alright but with Orochimaru one never knew. It was that unknown that was the issue.

The next reminder just who's Chamber the two students were looking for was a heavy vault door with beautifully carved snakes. The emeralds that served as the serpents' eyes glinted menacingly in the light of Harry's wand.

Harry cleared his throat, obviously quite scared but determined, and hissed the command to open. The two carved snakes obeyed immediately and in a beautiful display of engineering the door clicked open.

After a small pep-talk Potter walked thought the door, his wand held high. Saeko followed suit noiselessly. She felt a flash of pity for the boy in front of her - he was not trained for any of this. But even if he was woefully unprepared, he strode on for the sake of a friend and simply because it was the 'right thing to do'. “ _Very Gryffindor_ ” Saeko thought a bit disdainfully.

The Chamber of Secrets was long and narrower than one would expect - just like a snake. The alleyway of high stone pillars led to a huge face carved into the rock, like a mockery of the Hokage monument. Other than the visage of the Founder the Chamber was decorated solely with snake motifs. Each pillar had a snake curled around it and a dim light lit in each of the opened mouths.

Saeko closed her eyes and used the echolocation jutsu. It was an excellent tool for those without the byakugan but it consumed massive amounts of chakra. The Uchiha thought it a good trade for the safety from the basilisk eye.

Harry proceeded cautiously but swiftly. He did a poor job hiding in the shadow of the pillars but it was a decent try. He also had the presence of mind to turn off his wandlight and ready himself for a fight. Saeko hoped he would grab Ginny and go, if she was still alive that is, and leave the Heir and basilisk to the professionals.

“Ginny!” Harry exclaimed when he noted the body of the girl, seemingly asleep. He rushed to the Weasley “Ginny! Please don't be dead! Wake up!”

Saeko noted the rise and fall of the girl's chest so she focused on her surroundings instead.

“She won't wake” came a soft voice from one of the shadows. The ninja frowned - the young brunet in the old uniform had only the faintest of signatures, like he wasn't really there. Some kind of clone perhaps? He also looked… blurry, for the lack of a better word.

Harry's tear stricken face turned to face the stranger “Tom? Tom Riddle? What do you mean she won't wake? She's not… Is she?”

“She's still alive” was the amused reply, “But only just.”

Saeko frowned and listened intently to the conversation between the two boys. Or more likely, the boy and it. She knew who Tom Riddle was supposed to be - the prefect that 'caught' Hagrid. But that was fifty years ago, yet the boy stood there, looking as young as herself.

“You've got to help me Tom” Harry pleaded with the now identified memory, “We've got to get her out of here before the basilisk comes! Please, help me.”

Saeko resisted the urge to snort at how dense Potter was right this moment. It was obvious now who the perpetrator is. But how to fight a memory?

“The basilisk. We've got to go!” Harry exclaimed as he draped the unconscious body of his friend's sister over his shoulder, nearly collapsing under the weight.

Riddle smiled “The basilisk won't come until it's called.”

“What?” came Harry's intelligent reply, “Hey, my wand!”

Saeko noted the holly wand in the memory's hands and cursed Potter - keeping one's weapon was basic stuff.

“You… You!” the second-year finally realized the situation.

Riddle's smile broadened “Me.”

“How?”

As Saeko listened to the villain's monologue she bit her lips. Such an innocuous looking book and it was such a powerful magical artifact. So much power that it managed to manipulate so profoundly and sentient enough to realize that Dumbledore's hands was not the place to be. And now it was intrinsically tied to the shallow breathing girl that looked paler by the second.

“But why?” Harry asked, “Why did you change your mind after meeting me?”

Tom smirked and brought up his stolen wand. In fiery letters he wrote 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' and with another flick the letters rearranged themselves to spell out 'I am Lord Voldemort'.

_“Super”_ Saeko thought, _“Him again.”_

Further conversation was interrupted by music, beautiful unearthly music.

“Fawkes?” Harry breathed out, happy he was not alone anymore, “And what's this? The Sorting Hat?”

Voldemort's memory erupted in laughter “This is what Dumbledore sends his defender? A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?”

Saeko had to agree with Tom, it was sure an underwhelming gift. Then again, the Headmaster sent her too. On the other hand, Riddle was capable of controlling Ginny well enough to bypass even the old man's wards. The ninja once again checked if the little girl was still unconscious - it wouldn't do to add a possessed Gryff to the mix.

Tom smirked triumphantly and the boy before him and then turned to face the statue of Salazar Slytherin. The hissed command sounded more vicious than anything she had heard so far form Harry.

Potter, who could understand what was said, laid down Ginny and dashed into the darkness at the edge of the room. Saeko followed his example and closed her eyes tightly.

When she heard the sound of stone against stone and scales scraping over it she let out another chakra pulse to get a read on the situation. The basilisk was massive, its old magic made for a deep purple flame. Saeko had a fleeting thought that the runes on this place were brilliant if they managed to hide something like that.

Saeko fought plenty of snakes summons during the Sand-Sound invasion, each of a similar size as her current opponent. Fighting blind was also a thing she had done before, it was one of the basic ninja teaching tools and the snake would be a big target. She knew she could do this. It was just another thursday to Konoha standards. The only problem would be the dwindling chakra supply if she continued the echolocation jutsu.

Tom hissed again and the snake moved, obeying his master.

The ninja jumped from the pillar she had been perched on to get to the water that was at the base of the statue. The snake was half-submerged but moving rather fast. Saeko stealthily put her hand on the surface of the water and channeled the strongest lightening charge she could into it.

“What!” Tom shrieked when his serpent spasmed slightly and stopped his advance.

Saeko drew her tantō and run up the snake as fast as she could towards what she hoped were the eyes - the twin cluster of magic, the two brightest points in her scan. Her intention was to dispose of the biggest threat before Voldemort's memory could use his stolen wand and her chakra run out.

With her wind enhanced blade she slashed one eye. Then the second.

The basilisk roared in pain. His agony overcame the temporary paralysis and it began thrashing wildly. Saeko stopped channeling chakra through her feet and let herself be thrown.

“Who are you!” Riddle screamed and brought his wand to bear, shooting spells after the jounin.

Saeko smirked and in her dark corner she took a soldier pill as the memory urged its pet to sniff out his targets.

Getting the confirmation the basilisk was blind she opened her eyes and lashed out at the snake again. With her sharingan back in play she was more than able to fight war on the two fronts, especially if both those fronts were weakened.

Naturally Harry Potter could not bear to stand on the sidelines. Saeko wanted to blast him away with a bit of fuuton but blinked in confusion when she noticed a gleaming sword in the boy's hand. “ _What the hell?”_

The snake lashed out with its tail at the young Gryffindor, knocking him back. When the basilisk went after Harry, jaws wide open, Saeko had the prime view of the bare neck extending. Not one to decline such invitation she swiftly swung down her sword, using it to unleash a _Fuuton: Kazekiri_.

The multiple wind blades had problems with the tough and magically resistant skin, but ultimately they proved why fuuton was considered the ultimate attack element.

Riddle screamed when his pet was injured and redoubled his own efforts. But being just a memory meant he was much less a threat than the bleeding serpent.

Saeko looked around for Potter. The boy was scrambling for his only weapon that had been knocked out of his grasp. He used the cloak of his school uniform to lift it up from the rapidly growing puddle of snake blood.

Showing herself once more to draw fire Saeko took up lightening manipulation once again. She aimed the bolt exactly into the snake's wound, hoping to bypass the barrier that was its skin.

The smoke emanating from the monstrous creature made Saeko smirk and continue with her strategy. Her goal now was to cook the basilisk from the inside out.

Riddle screamed once more, but this time not in rage but in pain instead. Hearing the inhuman howling Saeko risked a look behind her.

“NOOOOOO!” Riddle doubled over in pain, collapsing, twisting, wreathing. Then, suddenly, he disappeared.

Fawkes sang again. Saeko noted Potter's sword impaling the diary from which Voldemort's memory came and nodded to herself. It was over. The basilisk was on its last legs, metaphorically speaking, and without the need to conserve chakra Saeko casted the strongest lightening charge yet.

“Ginny!” Harry exclaimed happily when the girl moved, totally ignoring the king of serpents drawing its last breath and the masked ninja enveloped by brilliant lightening. _Meh, Dumbledore will make up an explanation later._

The youngest and only female Weasley latched onto Harry and started sobbingly explain what had happened with her and Tom.

After a few minutes the girl calmed down somewhat, allowing Harry to help her up “Let's go. Ron is waiting for you.”

Ginny wiped her nose with a sleeve of her uniform and nodded shakily. Fawkes sang again and led the two young Gryffindors out of the Chamber. Harry cast one more studying look at the Chamber, no doubt looking for the ninja who was cloaked once again. Then he shrugged and deemed getting back was more important than searching for his savior.

Saeko followed right behind. When she remembered how exactly they had gotten into the tunnels she sighed tiredly “ _Great, now how do we get out of here?_ ”

X

Saeko got herself reverse-summoned by Zake. She arched an eyebrow to notice she was in the Headmaster's office, complete with the headmaster inside.

“Thanks Zake. Dumbledore-dono” the girl nodded.

“Miss Uchiha” the elder smiled.

“They're right behind me. Fawkes flew them up”

“Good, good” Dumbledore smiled tiredly, “What's the situation?”

Saeko sighed “Harry will tell you. But long story short Hogwarts is safe again. Oh, and your phoenix has quite the presence of mind, he figured everything out and brought the diary to Harry.”

At this a cat-shaped silvery patrons burst thought the door. In McGonagall's voice it said “Albus! Come to my office, Ginny Wesley is safe!”

“That's my cue” the man nodded and stood up.

“Sir” Saeko stopped him, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Just why? Why send Fawkes instead of going yourself? Why let Potter deal with this?”

Dumbledore stroked his long beard “He's destined for it. It's no coincidence he's the only parselmouth in this school and the only one that could possibly reach the Chamber of Secrets. Besides, you and Fawkes were there.”

Saeko said nothing and the Headmaster glided past her and out of the office.

_“I'm sure glad I'm not a child of prophecy”_

 


	96. 5- 96 Fiestas

 

“Coffee, coffee, coffee. COFFEE!”

“I think Ash wants coffee” Peter smirked at his childhood friend.

Ashley growled “Stop being a smartass and fetch me coffee!”

“Yes, m'lady”

Caitlin chuckled at their antics and passed the sugar “I still can't believe the whole Heir matter is over.”

“Yeah” Graham yawned, “But I don't get why did they wake us up at 2am. I mean, I'm happy the curfew has been lifted and the victims are well now and most certainly I wanted to celebrate it. But 2am? Why it couldn't wait until the morning?”

Helena shrugged “Dumbledore is weird, we all know that.”

Saeko nodded emphatically but said nothing. Besides, she was ravenous after the basilisk and was very happy there had been a feast.

“I'd like to know who the Heir was” Daniel frowned, “The Headmaster said that he had been caught, monster dead and that everything is fine again but no details. No details whatsoever.”

“You expected something different?” Helena arched a delicate eyebrow, “He swept everything under the rug - nobody knows anything and nobody will ever know anything. You have seen the _Daily Prophet_ 's headlines - not a word about strange happenings at Hogwarts all year.”

The entire group nodded, it was remarked upon nearly every time the owls arrived with the mail.

“What I can't believe it the fact they canceled the exams. Can they even do that?” Paddy pouted.

“It's not like they are really important” Saeko shrugged, “OWLs and NEWTs are already done anyway.”

“It's still unfair” Paddy huffed.

“Do you think they will send us home? Nobody has classes anymore and now there are no exams” Ashley asked as she poured herself a second cup of her favorite beverage.

Graham hummed “I don't think so.”

“At least now we can go outside” Daniel smiled, “How about we take advantage of that?”

“Good idea. Cards?” Helena perked up.

“Make it sunbathing and I'm in” Caitlin grinned as the entire little poker group nodded in agreement.

Saeko hummed “You guys go ahead, I want to ask Lauren about the awakening of the petrified.”

“Awakening of the petrified. Sure” Caitlin smirked, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days.”

The Uchiha rolled her eyes “Funny, ancient lady.”

“Invite her” Ash proposed, “She looks like she could use a tan.”

Helena looked over at the Slytherin table “I don't think so, she's the type to burn easily.”

“Can we change the subject?” Saeko pursed her lips.

“Why?” Graham grinned, “Uncomfortable talking about the Ice Queen's creamy skin?”

“You sound like a stalker” the ninja glared at Graham who just chuckled.

X

“So, this is all you guys do?” Lauren asked.

“Pretty much” Saeko stretched on the warm grass.

“Sometimes we even do some work” Ashley grinned.

 “Well, I have to confess, you've got a nice setup here” the Slytherin hummed and took in the relaxing Ravens. Helena and the boys were playing exploding snap, while the rest were either sunbathing or snacking on the small spread they had wrangled from the school elves.

Caitlin hummed “We try.”

The fifth years fell silent, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. It was great to finally be free to come and go about the Hogwarts grounds now the curfew was lifted and the threat subsided.

After a while Daniel spoke up “Does anyone know who will be our DADA teacher next year? Dumbledore said Lockhart quit and I know he was pretty much the only candidate for the position last September.”

“I don't know but anyone would be better than Lockhart” Ashley muttered darkly.

“I don't know either, but Lockhart didn't quit. He's in the infirmary waiting to be transferred to St Mungo's” Lauren corrected.

Caitlin opened her eyes and grinned “Really? What happened?”

“I would bet the all the pranks he suffered somehow interacted badly” Peter tapped his bottom lip in thought.

Lauren shrugged “Maybe. Madame Pomfrey did not tell me. But he appears to have lost a big chunk of memories, possibly the head injury he suffered. But it's more than that. Now he babbles more incoherently than usual.”

“Somehow I can't manage to be bothered” Patrick sighed, “Am I a bad person?”

“Nah” Saeko shrugged.

“Agreed” Helena nodded royally, “He's alive, only a bit knocked on the head.”

“We would probably see no difference” Graham waved it off.

Daniel sighed “I just hope we get someone capable for Defense. It'll be a NEWT class then.”

“Deirdre could come back” Paddy said wistfully.

Caitlin shook her head “Unlikely - every teacher for DADA gets only one term. It's like a curse.”

“Exactly like a curse” Daniel frowned.

“Yet another proof Dumbledore isn't infallible” Helena pursed her lips.

The group fell into a comfortable silence until Peter asked “So. How do you think you did in your OWLs Lauren?”

“Well, but I don't want to talk about it” the Snake shrugged, “Saeko promised me relaxation.”

“I bet she did” Graham smirked salaciously.

“Behave” the Uchiha glared at her friend. Lauren chuckled, amused rather than offended.

“So, what about cards? Those are relaxing” Helena said with a smile.

The red-head shrugged “Why not. We've got mostly chess in Slytherin.”

“Figures”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Faster, you lazy sods!” Saeko shouted from her broom, “And remember, for any hoop you miss you'll be doing push-ups!”

There was an unintelligible cry from Caitlin when she passed the brunette captain. Saeko smirked “And no, being stuck in the Castle for months because of the Heir does not excuse your poor performance!”

“Schnell, schnell, schnell! That's faster in German if you didn't know - I like how it sounds. Schnell!” Saeko continued her drill sergeant routine with great gusto.

“Mercy!” Roger managed.

“That's one more hoop missed, mister Davies!” Saeko shouted back with glee, “Very rude - I worked on those hoops really hard.”

The Uchiha was enjoying herself immensely. She was not obsessed with quidditch like Wood but it was a nice diversion from the usual schoolwork. She missed working with her team during the curfew. Besides, next year every House Team would be twice as vicious since this season was skipped - they needed to be prepared.

Finally ninety minutes later Saeko clapped her hands together “Alright! Come back down!”

“Oh sweet merciful Merlin” Jaden breathed out and dived immediately.

“I'm suddenly looking forward to the summer holidays very much” Caitlin said weakly and collapsed onto the grass.

Saeko surveyed her team with a large grin “But darling, that would imply you will not work out during the summer. That would not do.”

“Oh bugger off” the red-head replied.

“I have devised a personalized training plan for all of you” Saeko continued chipperly.

Rodney Halder, the newbie beater, gulped “Suddenly joining with the quidditch team doesn't seem a good idea.”

“Pish posh” the Uchiha replied, “And what are you all doing sitting on the ground? You still have the penalty push-ups to do.

Jaden looked like he wanted to cry but he, as well as the rest of the team, obliged.

“Alright. Cool down stretches and we're done for this year” Saeko announced.

The Ravens cheered, suddenly some measure of energy returning to their bodies.

As the team was guzzling down water Saeko smiled “I'm sure I don't need to make a big speech about keeping up with your training during the summer. By now you should know me enough to know you would not like the result.” Then she turned towards her newest and the only untested player “Everybody still on board?”

Rodney shivered but nodded “Yeah. I can do this.”

“Brilliant!” the captain smiled and unsealed a few papers, “These are your regimens. Oh, and diet.”

“Diet?” James spoke up in his deep voice.

“Next year is going to be hard” Saeko smirked eagerly.

Caitlin shrugged “Slytherin's seeker could be easier to taunt - I heard Lucius Malfoy got sacked from the board of governors of Hogwarts.”

“Really?” Cho grinned, “I did notice he was upset about something, but I just thought the prat was just sad nobody died during the Heir spree.”

“Bastard” Jaden and Roger growled in unison.

“Serves him right” Caitlin nodded.

“Indeed” Saeko smirked, “Now come on, Jared and my three former chasers have promised us a party.”

“Right” Caitlin snapped her fingers and then smiled sadly, “Wayne, Rory and Cameron are in the seventh year.”

“So is Jared” the Uchiha pouted. Then she turned to eye menacingly Rodney Halder, “You better be awesome.”

The boy gulped “Yes, Ma'am!”

* * *

**Hogsmeade Station**

“I can't wait to Apparate” Graham sighed.

Daniel shrugged “The train isn't so bad.”

“I'm with Graham, the journey takes ages!” Paddy nodded.

“I agree, it should be optional” Saeko chimed in, “At least the return ride - I kinda like catching up with you guys before school officially starts.”

“It would be better if you were able to send or receive owl mail” Helena reminded pointedly.

The Uchiha shrugged apologetically “It's difficult but I guess I could send some ravens out. But the owls won't be able to find me.”

Helena bowed and said in a voice dripping with sarcasm “We will be honored to receive one of your messages.”

Saeko nodded imperiously “Naturally.”

The blonde rolled her eyes while the rest sniggered. Ashley smirked “All joking aside, some communication would be nice.”

“Why do you have the lockdown again?” Peter arched an eyebrow.

“We've got plenty of enemies and even more secret techniques” the jounin explained with a disinterested shrug.

Taking it as a cue to change the subject Daniel asked “So, Ash, since you brought your guitar you plan to regale us with music during our ride or are you meeting somebody?”

“The lucky audience will be you” the pinkette grinned, “I need to practice.”

“How so?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“We're going to Spain” Peter said in explanation.

Ashley nodded enthusiastically “Indeed! Spanish guitar is amazing. Soulful. I really wish to learn.”

“Joy” Helena said with a theatrical sigh, “Now we won't get a moment of peace in the Tower.”

“Oh please” Ash rolled her eyes, “I mostly play in my room. Besides, you like it.”

Helena shrugged with a smirk “Sometimes. The music itself is fine, it's the singing I could do without.”

Ash pouted. Peter bumped his friend's hip “Your singing is lovely.”

“Helena's just a stick in the mud as always” Caitlin rolled her eyes.

Patrick shrugged “Besides, as far as I know, Spanish guitar is usually played without singing.”

The pinkette grinned at Helena “I bet you'll love it. I'll train extra hard, just for you.”

Helena smirked and too her little black betting book from her pocket and waved it tauntingly.

“The train's here!” Graham exclaimed, “Fucking finally!”

“You've got paces to be?” Saeko chuckled.

The boy shrugged “I'm hungry and I want to sit down.”

Caitlin poked Graham's belly “You be careful or you end up fat.”

“Maybe he should join the quidditch work-out” Paddy smirked.

“Not even if they paid me” Graham shook his head frantically, “I've seen how you look after a training. I still maintain Saeko is sadistic and Caitlin and the rest masochistic.”

Saeko grinned widely “I just make them YOUTHFUL!”

As soon as Gai's favorite word passed the ninja's lips Caitlin shivered. Graham noticed and pointed at the chaser “Case in point.”

While the group boarded the train Saeko reminded herself to lay off using Gai's favorite phrases - it was a bit disrespectful, even if it she valued and respected the jounin greatly. But if was _fun_!

Once the Ravens situated themselves in one of the compartments to the end of the train Ashley made good on her promise and strummed her guitar in preparation for her performance.

The music was peaceful and happy. Saeko smiled, closed her eyes and relaxed. As she rested she allowed her mind to wander.

_“I hope the next year would be a tiny bit less interesting than this one. At least no Voldemort.”_


	97. 5- 97 The Gossip Club

 

“You're kidding" Saeko said incredulously when she entered the hospital exam room.

Senju Tsunade, the slug sannin, the princess of Konoha, looked at the brunette impassively and motioned to the exam table “Strip, sit down and shut up."

"What are you doing here? You _are_ aware we are in Ko-no-ha" Saeko very slowly and carefully pronounced the name of her birth village.

"What did I say about shutting up" the blonde pursed her lips in annoyance.

The Uchiha obliged, getting ready for the usual post long-term mission check-up. When Tsunade's hand started to glow green Saeko could no longer restrain herself "How come you're here? I already checked for genjutsu, made sure nii-san isn't pulling a prank, but you're really you."

Tsunade just rolled her eyes and continued working in silence.

“You came back. Just like that"

“I don’t want to talk about it brat. I know you're accustomed to special treatment but not from me. Just shut up and let me do my work, for which I actually get a load of cash."

"Money would not entice you before, so wha-" Saeko started but not continued because the irritated medic did some chakra thing to prevent her from speaking. "..." the girl tried to exclaim.

The Senju smirked in satisfaction and continued with the check-up. When she finished Tsunade wrote something on the writing pad she had on the table "You're fit and ready to gloriously serve and die for Konoha."

"..." was Saeko's only reply to the sarcastic quip.

"Oh, yeah" Tsunade smirked again, "Hmm, maybe I should leave the chakra block on your vocal cords, you're much more pleasant this way."

"..." the Uchiha glared.

Tsunade huffed in amusement and put a finger to Saeko's throat and suddenly the brunette could speak again "You're a bitch. I like it, hospital just got much more fun."

The Senju frowned and jerked her head towards the door "Beat it."

Saeko waved at her with a smirk and skipped out of the door.

"Next time, I'm leaving the block on!" Tsunade called after her.

The witch did not really care, she was more concerned about finding her brother who had somehow forgot to mention anything about the angry medic.

Luckily for her, Itachi was still in the Main Compound "Nii-san?"

"Hn?"

"Tsunade. Really?"

Itachi chuckled lightly "I wanted to see your face."

"Not amused"

"But I am" the ANBU grinned.

Saeko huffed and crossed her arms "So, spill. What's the story there?"

The Uchiha Lord put down his brush and hummed "In short - Shizune."

"I met her, nice gal, much more reasonable than Tsunade, but that doesn't really tell me shit"

"Language. You're a lady"

"And a shinobi who's friends with Anko. Tell me! I _need_ to know!" Saeko whined.

"Shizune is getting married"

"Whaaat!" the brunette ginned, "Good for her! Do I know the groom? It has to be someone from Konoha since they returned."

Itachi smirked "Uchiha Kazuhiko. He delivered your potions and other magical scrolls to Tsunade twice and they hit it off."

"Fabulous! Uchiha Shizune. This means I could have her in my corner for the Hokage race. As we just confirmed, the only one to have any effect on Tsunade is her apprentice" Saeko's eyes glinted.

"Naruto calls Tsunade baa-chan"

"Damn!" the girl growled, "Best I know they met only once."

"Naruto is touring with Jiraiya"

"Damn" Saeko lamented again. Then she frowned "Wait! When was this? How did it get from meeting twice on business to a wedding?"

"That was four months ago" Itachi smirked.

"Bastard! Couldn't you have sent me a letter?

"That would defeat the purpose of having it concealed in the first place - your face was hilarious by the way. And it's not like it lowers your chances or anything"

"It was still juicy gossip. I can't believe Yuuko or Anko did not write me"

"Hn"

"You asked them not to" Saeko breathed out, "You really are a bastard."

"I'm an older brother, of course I'm a bastard"

Saeko rolled her eyes but smiled "So, where's Shizune? I have to congratulate her. And get dirt on her master."

"Hn"

* * *

**Training Field 36**

"You are in the range of my divination"

"Oh hell no!" Saeko exclaimed, already mid-substitution. She really needed apparition. Substitution and shunshin covered by genjutsu was an Uchiha classic - something many experienced ninja knew well. Which doesn't mean it doesn't work but... it was predictable. Not good in the ninja world.

The ploy did work but Neji was upon her the minute Saeko's feet touched ground again. And taijutsu against a Hyuuga? Not fun. Fortunately the sharingan was the perfect tool for evasion.

Also, spells worked just fine at point blank range. " _Impedimenta_!"

Neji stumbled as the spell caught him. Saeko took the time to execute a perfect kick to get some distance between them followed by swift earth spikes.

The Hyuuga used one of the spikes to launch himself to the side, throwing some shuriken in the process.

Saeko cut the incoming projectiles with one fuuton enhanced swoop of her shortsword and jumped to the side as well to maintain their distance. That was the worst thing about fighting with a Hyuuga, a good Hyuuga - genjutsu was flat out and they pushed. Pushed fast enough that ninjutsu was difficult to cast. Oh, plus there was the fact they could cripple you with a poke, of course.

Deciding to push Neji into a _kaiten_ , Saeko used her sword to launch several wind blades. The boy smirked and used a substitution instead.

"Avis" Saeko murmured, going off book. Magic was not a secret per se, but the kunoichi still used it sparingly in village - too many questions.

The flock of birds attacked Neji whose absolute surprise did not impede the lightening fast _juuken_ strikes which dispelled the unfortunate avians. It did give Saeko time to cast a blindness charm on her target.

Neji immediately assumed genjutsu and tried the Hyuuga instant dispel. Pity that charms did not work that way. The astonishment lasted long enough to _stupefy_ him.

"Magic rocks!" Saeko murmured as she did a small victory dance over Neji's unconscious body.

After she calmed enough to tone down the gloating she approached her friend and woke him up with an _ennervate_.

"What was that?" Neji breathed out as he sat up.

"Handy, huh?" the girl said cheekily.

Neji frowned "Some secret unbreakable Uchiha genjutsu?"

"It's actually ninjutsu. Sort of. It's new" Saeko grinned proudly.

"It caught me by surprise"

"That was the idea"

"You win" Neji conceded, "Which makes it 36 to my 34?"

"Yep"

"Don't you find it disturbing we keep score like Guy and Kakashi do?"

"Nope, my eternal rival!" Saeko struck the 'good guy' pose.

Neji rolled his eyes "Spare me."

The girl laughed "I think we are still pretty sane. Besides, we only started counting after witnessing their most youthful competitions."

"Just yesterday sensei lost one. He and Lee spent the whole day running on their hands while balancing a potted plant on their feet" Neji rubbed his brow in exasperation.

"A potted plant?" Saeko arched an eyebrow.

The boy shrugged "Don't ask me, I stopped caring a long time ago."

* * *

**Anko** **'s Apartment**

"This tea is really good" Saeko's eyes widened in satisfaction.

"The best one for tea ceremonies, hands down. Super expensive though" Anko grinned.

"No, I mean, it's really, really good. A friend I made during my solo mission is obsessed with the stuff. I have never had so many types of tea. All of them delicious" the Uchiha explained.

"Nice mission" Yuuko remarked as she munched on dango.

Saeko shrugged and said nothing, it was still classified. Well, Hogwarts was, the magic was very much in use. Just not exactly in the open. Instead the jounin asked "So, Yuuko, I heard you were 'giving this monogamy thing a try'."

"Tattletale" Yuuko glared at Anko who just smiled angelically, "Yeah."

"So who is it that tamed you?" the brunette asked eagerly.

"Don't tell me that Anko hasn't spilled that already"

"She did, but I want to know right from the source"

Anko grinned and spoke up instead "Kirihara is an academy teacher. She's nice. And I mean nice - all mild-mannered and shit. I really don't know what she sees in Yuuko."

"Yeah, me neither" the blonde smiled ruefully.

Saeko sighed heavily. Anko arched an eyebrow "What's up? I expected you be all over this."

"It's nothing" the Uchiha said unconvincingly. Both T&I kunoichi just crossed their arms that just screamed 'really?'

"Everybody's pairing up. Shizune, nii-san, even you" Saeko explained.

"Being single is not bad at all" Anko smirked, "Just the other week I bagged Koutarou from Sensor Squad. Won myself a fair sum in the betting pool."

"Huh, I thought for sure he was gay" Saeko hummed.

"Seems not," Yuuko grinned, "But now back to your issue."

"Not an issue" Anko countered and the Uchiha murmured in agreement.

"Whatever" Yuuko waved it off, "So, just get out there and find yourself a girl."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Anko admonished, "That it's why you are the _junior_ interrogation specialist. She already has an eye on somebody."

Yuuko's eyes glinted in delight "Really?!"

"No"

"Try again" the snake mistress pressed.

"Hn"

The blonde tokujō rolled her eyes "Yeah, that's not going to work. Don't make us use our tools of trade."

"Kinky" Saeko chuckled.

"Yeah, phrasing Yuuko-chan" Anko laughed, "Oh and Saeko, just to be clear, Yuuko is the one that is off-market, not I."

Yuuko elbowed her colleague "Hush. I want to know about the mystery girl."

"It doesn't really matter. She from the mission" Saeko explained.

"An enemy nin!" Yuuko exclaimed.

"A civvie?" was Anko's first guess.

Saeko tapped her lip in thought "Actually both and neither. Well, definitely not an enemy, just foreign. She's medic actually."

"All foreigners are a potential enemy" Anko reminded carefully.

"Sarutobi-sama deemed her and her kin foreigners but not enemies. I'm working with them since my first solo A-rank” Saeko said in a tone that allowed no rebuttal.

“Five years? And you still haven't bagged her?” the purplette said incredulously.

“She's a friend. A good friend” Saeko huffed.

Yuuko smirked “Aww, she actually cares.”

The Uchiha crossed her arms “This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything.”

“Sorry” Yuuko said in a placating manner.

“You really do care, huh?” Anko remarked.

Saeko sighed “I do. I blame Mihane.”

“Your brother's fiancée?” the blonde frowned in confusion.

“Yep” Saeko nodded, “We had 'girl time' as soon as I arrived home. She's good you know, she'd do well in your department. Oh, and now I know I will be the beloved cool aunt when the day comes. Poor kids won't get away with anything.”

Both tokujō laughed but from their postures it was clear she better continue, no deviations.

“Well, long story short she told me to stop joking about it and 'admit my feelings'. Bullshit”

“But we wanted the long story” Anko pouted.

Yuuko smiled indulgently and took a deep breath. Saeko held her hand up and shook her head “Don't you dare Yamanaka me.”

“I would not…”

“No psycho babble”

“Only…”

“Nope”

“Alright” the blonde said mildly, “But if you want to have a serious relationship than you have to be serious. Not like with us.”

“What did I just say?” Saeko huffed, “No Yamanaka-ing.”

“What did Mihane tell you?” Anko asked.

“To grow up” Saeko pouted childishly. Her friends tried so very hard not to laugh. “It's not funny.”

“Kinda is” Anko retorted.

The Uchiha shot her a glare “Anyway, all this talk is moot. She's a foreigner.”

“Then bring her here” the purplette shrugged.

“What? No way” Saeko shook her head.

“Why not?”

“… Hn. She wouldn't come anyway”

“Whyever not? You can be charming if you put your mind to it”

“She's got responsibilities. She's going to be Clan Head. Granted, she hates their guts but…” Saeko started listing.

“Then be extra charming” the purplette shrugged again.

“It's not that easy!”

“It is”

“It's not”

Yuuko cleared her throat to get her friend's attention “You like her? Really like her? No bullshit, no levity.”

“Alright, I kinda do” Saeko confirmed.

“So you get her. If it pans out, great, if it doesn't at least you tried. You'd be pissed at yourself if you didn't try”

“I said no Yamanaka therapy stuff”

“That's just common sense” Anko defended her colleague, “And she's right. You said Hokage-sama deemed her not a danger to Konoha so I guess she'd be welcome. And we could always use another medic.”

“Hn”

Yuuko smiled “Ok, we will be dropping the topic…”

“We will?” Anko blinded in surprise.

“We are” the blonde said sternly, “But one last thing. I know the mission is classified but tell us her name.”

Saeko was eager to get away from the conversation so she acquiesced quickly and gave Lauren's nickname “Ren.”

“Uchiha Ren. Sounds good” Anko grinned widely. Both Yuuko and Saeko glared at her. The purplette sighed “Alright, alright. New topic.”

Yuuko hummed “Well, we have new blood at the T&I department.”

“There's always new blood. Usually on the floor. The walls. Sometimes the ceiling” Saeko chuckled.

“Funny” the snake summoner chuckled.

“And a bit insulting” Yuuko pouted, “We're really good. We don't have to resort to violence.”

“But it's fun when we do” Anko smiled wickedly.

* * *

**Hokage Tower**

Saeko struggled to maintain the typical stoic Uchiha attitude, or any form of decorum for that matter - she was too excited. Kakashi, who was waiting before the Hokage's Office as well, in turn seemed impassive, like always reading his beloved Icha Icha.

Finally the door to the office opened and the Hokage himself walked out. She smiled to his two jounin "Ready to go?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama" both lower ninja chorused and fell into step behind Sarutobi.

The aged leader took one last look inside his office and smirked "Take good care of my village Itachi-kun. And be good for Koharu and Homura."

Itachi was sternly glaring at the mountain of papers on the table before him, obviously contemplating setting it on fire. Saeko felt a twinge of envy - filling in for the Hokage meant nothing in the long run, but it was still nice.

"To the Chuunin Exams!" Sarutobi exclaimed and the trio started moving again. Once out of the Tower they were covertly joined by an entire platoon of ANBU. "Do you know how long it has been since I left the village? Ages."

Neither Saeko nor Kakashi reacted, already dutifully acting as the Hokage's guards.

"This is why I love the chuunin exams so much. Suna might be a bit dry but it is a nice change of pace" the elder continued while nodding and smiling at the bowing Konoha populace.

Kotetsu and Izumo snapped at attention when the group arrived at the gates. It turned out even the Hokage has to sign in. The paperwork went so much faster than usual though - no checking, just a stamp and a signature.

Once out in the open Sarutobi took a deep breath "Aaah. This is going to be great."

"Seeing the showcase of Konoha's young talent and deepening the bonds between us and Suna?" Saeko asked innocently.

"Oh. That too" Sarutobi replied, eyes twinkling.

Once the Hokage took off his Hat and robes to reveal his armor underneath the Konoha shinobi set a very fast pace, intent to reach Suna as soon as possible.

One hiccup on their journey was a massive sandstorm that forced the entire Konoha contingent to find cover. The ANBU were all twitchy, even if this was clearly a natural occurring phenomenon. Nonetheless everybody was on high alert, lest an enemy decided to take advantage.

When the Leaf party finally arrived at the cliffs that surrounded the Village Hidden in the Sand Sarutobi changed back into his robes and their paced slowed to 'dignified'.

At the gates they were greeted by Shikamaru, who was acting as the representative of Konoha, and Temari, the Kazekage's sister. And guards. Many, many guards.

The party was immediately ushered to the Kazekage's office for the official meet and greet.

Sabaku no Gaara, the newest Kage around, was a changed man. Saeko had met him in person only during the invasion of Konoha four years ago and he was... well, different. Psychotic worked too. He was also the reason Saeko landed this sweet high-profile mission - sharingan in case of a raging bijuu and young jounin to show that Konoha has young and powerful people too, teenage Kazekage notwhistanding.

The two leaders talked mostly about the exams and the imminent third round. Konoha did not do so badly. Not great though, especially compared to the last exams - only one team has made it through the desert run that had been the second trial. On the plus side, the genin who succeeded were hands down the best Konoha had to offer.

After the talks between the two leaders were done, Saeko and Kakashi spent their day trailing behind Sarutobi who decided to explore the village and to sample local cuisine. All precautions were being naturally taken. In the evening the Hokage gave a speech to the three chuunin hopefuls and then went to bed. Tomorrow was to be a busy day after all.

X

The arena of Sunagakure was not much different from the Konoha one, only the stands were engraved in the mountainside. The stone being rather hard meant the VIP section could easily be spotted since the benches were topped by colorful soft cushions. In one aspect the arena was completely the same - it was packed. Clients and nobles from all around, even the daimyo's aides taking place of their liege. The Suna villagers and ninja taking up the remaining seats.

The Kage Box was very simple, the only thing differentiang from the regular seats was the privacy and the space for an armed entourage. Gaara has chosen his brother and Baki to be his guards, while Kakashi and Saeko took the place behind Sarutobi. The rest of the Konoha contingent - Shikamaru and the remaining teams who failed, sat in the normal seats nearby.

"No representative from Tanigakure? I believe you said a team had made it to the last round" the Hokage said airily and slowly withdrew his pipe from his robes.

"No" Gaara said as blunt as ever. Then he forced by some notion of socializing he continued, "The jounin-sensei declared he would be enough to judge his student's capabilities and how well they represented his village."

Sarutobi hummed and lit up his pipe "Pity, I'm quite looking forward to the show. I'm sure you're as well. Six genin to mine and Tani's three."

Gaara nodded "They make Suna very proud."

The rather small talk continued in the same vein until Temari, the proctor of the exam, nodded to her brother from the arena floor. Gaara stood up and delivered a surprisingly heartfelt and encouraging speech before officially starting off the third exam.

"Anroku from Suna versus Mugo from Tani" Temari announced.

As the match progressed, Saeko was reminded of a certain blonde Uzumaki. The Tani ninja's main strategy was the copious use of clones that he used as substitution material. Not shadow clones but close enough. Sarutobi was obviously thinking in the same vein as he half turned to his Kaze counterpart, his eyes not leaving the field "I forgot to mention it prior but Naruto-kun sends his regards."

Gaara looked into the Hokage's eyes and merely nodded.

"Of course I didn't mention your new position" the elder puffed on his pipe, "I wouldn't miss on his reaction when he finds out."

Kankurou sniggered and received a glare from his sensei for his troubles. Gaara himself actually smiled slightly.

"Winner, Anroku of Suna!" The crowd erupted in loud cheers. Not only because one of their own just won but it had been a great fight. It wasn't unusual, the first and last fight of the first round were always rigged to be the most spectacular and in local favor.

When the first of the Konoha genin came up in the third match Saeko perked up. Miyamoto Rina went against one of the Tani genin. It turns out Rina, a darling looking girl, really liked wires. The Taki genin almost got _shredded_ when he tried to engage her with his staff. The male tried to play hide and seek for a little while but ultimately he could not outrun the wires. Rina grinned ferally and channeled lightening through her weapon. She only let go when the poor Tani's body started to smoke.

The fourth fight was in comparison almost dull but Saeko swelled in pride - Uchiha Akira did not lift a finger, casting a genjutsu that caused his opponent to throw up and faint. Akira was considered another up-and-comer within the Clan, his auditory illusions were a vicious weapon, one that came naturally for him.

Gaara made an impressed sound. Sarutobi played with the hem of his hat "Yes, young Akira is quite talented in genjutsu."

"He is chuunin material" Gaara nodded.

The Hokage hummed "I'd like to see his other talents as well."

Suna versus Tani was the next fight and it was nearly as anticlimactic as the one before, only this one ended with Tani as the victor.

The last fight before the scheduled break was between Shirogane Rendō of Suna and the last of the Konoha genin, Yoshitaka, no last name.

Rendō was a puppeteer. A really good one judging from the reaction of the Suna crowd. Yoshitaka in turn was a medic, or at least he seemed to favor the chakra scalpels - pretty impressive for a genin. And he was vicious, it seemed to run in the team. Or their teacher - Saeko made note to ask who it was.

In the end Suna won but it was at heavy cost - for a puppeteer to get his puppet wrecked was detrimental.

"Great showing, all in all" Sarutobi remarked.

Gaara nodded and stood up to address the crowd, announcing a break. The guests who did not rush to the food carts or to place a last minute bet were entertained by the Suna Puppet Corp, today playing the part of a travelling theatre. In the meantime the two Kage discussed their genin and their merits, contemplating the promotions.

The second bout started off with the match Suna versus Suna. Similarly the second match was two Konoha genin against each other. It was a long match, possibly the longest of the exam so far - the teammates were used to sparring with each other, plus they were obviously in cahoots to prolong the match to make the best show possible - this smart thinking most certainly guaranteed them the vest. Ultimately the Uchiha emerged the victor.

Shirogane Rendō surprised them all in the third semifinal by bringing out a second puppet, which he revealed mid-match to cleanly knock-out his opponent. It was tad embarrassing actually, even the Suna ninja was taken aback how flawlessly it has worked.

The finale was a free-for-all, which meant the two Suna ninja allied against the lone Uchiha. Akira did very well, but was obviously tired from his previous match, his chakra low from all the showboating. His genjutsu caught Anroku but he was unable to stand his own against Rendō and his puppet.

"Winner of the Chuunin Exams tournament is Shirogane Rendō of SUNA!" Temari announced with pride.

Sarutobi and his entourage clapped politely, not at all surprised, most of the exams were won locally. Otherwise it was embarrassing and rather offensive to the host.

Both Kage gave a closing speech and then retired to the Kazekage's office. When they were discussing the promotions again Saeko was ecstatic she was formally introduced and permitted to speak, along with the other guards. Shikamaru and Temari had joined them as well.

The Konoha ninja did not stay in the Suna much longer. All in all Saeko considered the trip a success - the higher-ups in the allied village knew her personally now and she was seen with the Hokage, the three Leaf genin did great and the Uchiha genjutsu was even more feared.

“Troublesome”

“Hn?”

“You're smiling, that doesn't bode well” Shikamaru sighed.

Saeko smiled even more widely, just to wind him up “That's pure paranoia.”

“Troublesome”


	98. 5- 98 Home Sweet Home

 

**Mission Assignment Office**

“You want a D-rank” the chuunin in charge said in disbelief.

“Yes” Saeko and Asuma chorused.

“The Tora mission” the chuunin said slowly, obviously questioning their sanity.

“Yes” Saeko and Asuma chorused again.

“ _Jounin_ Uchiha and _jounin_ Sarutobi. Capture Tora”

“Yes”

“Alright” the chuunin acquiesced and moved to the scrolls marked D. Finding the right one he passed it to Asuma, “Good luck.”

The two jounin stepped out of the office where Kurenai and her team was waiting for them. “You called your team? Really?” Asuma arched an eyebrow.

“We couldn't miss it” Kiba smirked.

Saeko sighed “Great, the specialized tracking team wants to watch our floundering.”

“Oh?” the Inuzuka grinned, “You aren't a tracker?”

“You know damn well that's my worst area” Saeko gritted her teeth.

Kiba couldn't grin any bigger “Oh?”

Kurenai chuckled “You wanted me to be the referee, so you get my team as well. And you know how I feel about betting.”

Saeko and Asuma shrugged, the only two open wind users always had competitions ever since Asuma returned from the Guardians. Kurenai sighed “Alright. Are you ready?”

“We are”

The genjutsu mistress nodded “Whoever brings Tora the cat first, wins. Once one of you is in possession the other is forbidden from interfering but is allowed to try again if the cat escapes on its own. Ready? Go!”

Both Saeko and Asuma darted up on the roofs, on the lookout for the elusive feline.

When Saeko agreed on the bet she thought her magic would give her quite an advantage - she had many trapping charms, transfiguration that could make a cage and so on, the point-me charm… Tora though proved to be the same challenge as to when she was a genin.

“Ksō!” the Uchiha swore as the cat evaded yet another spell, unnaturally defying the predictive capabilities of the sharingan.

Asuma in turn tried to pin it down with Fuuton: Air Pressure but the cat just slithered under the planks of a fence “Damn it! That furball's tougher than Kumo missing nin!”

Saeko jumped over the fence, her hands twitching to form the signs for the Gōkakyū no jutsu. Alas, Tora had to be captured alive.

The chase continued for embarrassingly long. Both Saeko and Asuma regretted the challenge ever since running past a grinning Inuzuka family, a sniggering chuunin police patrol, Mighto Gai praising them of their youthfulness, two genin teams that were so obviously relieved they had a different mission and an entire Ninja Academy class.

The sniggering little kids were the last straw for Saeko who was used on being regarded as a genius. She was contemplating drastic measures when an idea hit her. “ _Accio_ Tora the cat!”

The spell worked. Perfectly. Unfortunately Saeko did not realize she was summoning several pounds of very angry animal equipped with very sharp claws which was not afraid to use.

“Gaah!” Saeko cried out in pain as her neck and face was brutalized by the hissing cat. She shrugged it off immediately and the cat merrily run off again.

Asuma did not press the advantage in favor of laughing his ass off at the jounin that lost to a cat. The Uchiha was livid. She sent praise to the Kami that at least the academy children did not see the altercation - that would've been mortifying.

“Not a word” Saeko said sternly to Asuma who was trying to get his laughter under control.

“Didn't say anything” the Sarutobi choked out, “But I will, you can count on it.”

“Brilliant” Saeko whined and resumed her chase, now more determined than ever to catch that evil ball of fur.

X

**Uchiha Compound**

"Ouch"

Shizune glared sternly "Don't be a baby. Stay still."

Saeko pouted but obliged, sitting through the cleaning of her many scratches. Some of them were very deep, further proof that Tora could not possibly be just a regular cat. But she had her revenge! Tora was a delightful guest in the Tsukuyomi realm. Full 72 hours. She had a feeling she should be ashamed she used such an overkill but she was not.

“Could you check my eyes too?” the girl asked, knowing how much strain the Mangekyō sharingan put on them. That's why the siblings made a pact to use it only when absolutely necessary. That's why Itachi would never find out about this.

"I didn't know that planning to marry one of you lot meant I automatically became the go-to medic of the Uchiha Clan. Don't you have your own medics?" the older woman sighed.

"Sure," Saeko shrugged and was swiftly reprimanded for the action, "but you're the best."

Shizune blushed "I'm not. Tsunade-sama is much, much more experienced and inventive. I started out as a poisons expert."

"I heard, Anko is quite complimentary of your skills," the scarred kunoichi nodded, "But Tsunade isn't an Uchiha. Or going to be. Pity that... Nevermind. The Clan got much better from Fugaku's day but we are still closed off. We like it that way."

"Kazuhiko-kun mentioned that" the med-nin pursed her lips, "Well, you're good to go."

Saeko wanted to continue talking, she didn't really have a chance before, but they were interrupted by another Uchiha who came for treatment.

“I heard about your little chase”

The girl turned around, hiding her trepidation with a practiced smile “Brother! How are you?”

Itachi just eyed her sternly “Four hours? It took you four hours to capture Tora?”

“Maybe” Saeko shrugged, “But at least I caught it! Asuma was _pissed_.”

“Your uniform is bloody”

“Tora is feisty”

A corner of Itachi's mouth shot up “True. Maybe we should train more, just in case you need to chase down a cat again.”

“Good idea” Saeko said a bit sheepishly, acknowledging the reproach.

“Hn” Itachi gave the usual Uchiha reply and left.

Saeko sighed and started making her way home. Halfway she was ambushed by the woman who runs the 'Uchiha orphanage' and her children and was roped into an impromptu training session.

As she corrected one kid's posture during shuriken throwing she was kicking herself “ _Next time I'll just 'Hn'. I'm slipping.”_

* * *

**Itachi's Office**

“Aww” Mihane said when she entered Itachi's office. Both Uchiha siblings were huddled together, both of them reading. Saeko was intensely studying the Standard book of spells volume 7 while Itachi was reading a standard-looking scroll.

When Saeko and Itachi both reacted with an arched eyebrow at the same time, Mihane could not help herself “Aww, you two are too cute!”

“Mihane/Mihane-chan!” the siblings chorused.

Mihane grinned “Not helping your case. I just brought a bowl of fruit to Itachi-kun. I can bring some more, it's good for you.”

Saeko was torn between propriety and food! Finally her stomach prevailed “Yes, please.”

“Sure thing” the Uchiha-to be chuckled and left.

Itachi looked up from his bowl “Apparently we are eating 'healthy' now. As if we gorged ourselves in ramen or the like.”

The brunette shrugged “Get used to it. Besides, I love fruit, the sugar makes homework so much easier.”

“Really?” Itachi's voice was heavy with skepticism.

“Nope, but Mihane is insisting”

“Better not let the Clan council know she's taking over” the ANBU smiled slightly and returned to his snack.

“Please,” Saeko snorted derisively, “Their wives wouldn't let them notice it.”

Itachi chuckled, even as his eyes got a little misty “Mother was the only one that could ever change Fugaku's mind.”

“Not about everything”

“Right”

After a beat of uncomfortable silence Itachi changed the subject “I have begun to pick out some clansmen to teach magic to. You should start on preparing an introduction course on magic for when we actually start.”

“Please, brother of mine, I have it already. Or the basics of it”

“Good” Itachi nodded and returned to his reading. Saeko followed suit.

When Mihane returned she found both siblings in the exactly same position as before. She smiled and gave a bowl to Saeko “You two are really nothing like your reputations.”

“Utter badasses?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“Unbelievably handsome?”

Mihane sat down with her own meal and chuckled “Dorks. Adorable dorks.”

“Hn”

“Hn”

“Yeah, not buying that anymore” the former ANBU said with a smile. Saeko and Itachi just smirked at each other and returned to their reading.

Mihane sighed “Could I get some entertainment here? Talk to me.”

The siblings looked at each other again, played rock-paper-scissors and upon her loss Saeko closed her book “Nice weather we are heaving.”

“Funny” Mihane rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Itachi promptly closed the scroll, sensing danger “What would you like to talk about, Mihane-chan?”

“Well… I was thinking that maybe I could take on a genin team” the woman said hesitantly.

“Really?” Itachi smiled.

Saeko nodded “That's great. Asuma loves it. Kurenai too.”

“You'll be good at it” Itachi hugged his fiancée.

Mihane patted his back “That's nice and all but I didn't mean right now. I'll ask the next graduating class. And we'll see it the brats pass muster.”

“Still great” the Uchiha lord replied.

“Hey did you know that one of the prerequisites to getting genin is to 'look adult'?” Mihane shook her head.

“Makes sense” Itachi nodded.

“Hey!” Saeko frowned, “Sarutobi saddled me with a teaching stint years ago! Hell, I don't look adult even now.”

“Maybe he was desperate” Itachi grinned and had to evade a sharp elbow to his ribs. “Besides, you loved it!”

“You taught?” the former ANBU asked.

“More like babysat” Saeko shrugged, “The sensei was injured and they needed to be kept in shape for the chuunin exams.”

“Is Itachi-kun right, did you like it?”

The brunette hummed “It wasn't bad. Sometimes even fun. They were already taught so they didn't suck and I didn't have to hold their hands.”

“You worked with rookies before. We made fun of them” Itachi reminded.

Mihane shrugged “Those were ANBU. And your idea of fun was to 'hn' and let the rest of us do the work.”

“You were funny without my input”

“Nii-san's hilarious” Saeko countered fondly.

“Hn” Itachi grinned at his sister.

Mihane pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed “Freaky Uchiha humor.”

The siblings high-fived.

* * *

**Yakiniku Q**

“… so this guy was standing on the balcony, right, leaning on the railing. He was grinning and talking how much of a criminal mastermind he is and that we could never hope to defeat him. So I just kicked him in the chest, he toppled over and fell! It was hilarious!” Kiba finished his story and howled in laughter.

“It was… anticlimactic” Shino commented.

“You get style points for that” Saeko nodded, “But the guy was obviously weak.”

“It was awesome” Kiba countered.

“Eee, Kiba-kun” Hinata said softly, “It wasn't the hardest of mission…”

The Inuzuka huffed “Alright. Then there was this time…”

“Stop right there dog-breath, it's our turn!” Ino exclaimed.

Shikamaru sighed “Troublesome. It's not a competition.”

“It is. It's got points in it” the blonde waved him off, “So we're going to win.”

“Troublesome”

“I've got it” Ino snapped her fingers, completely ignoring her teammate, “Land of Hot Water!”

Chouji shivered “That one was creepy. Horrifying actually.”

The rest of the group made motions for the Yamanaka to continue, now very much intrigued. Ino basked in the attention for a little while and then started recounting “It was in a small village in Hot Water. We were sent there because the people and I quote 'were getting weird'. So of course the best investigative team was sent.”

Kiba and Saeko rolled their eyes but said nothing. Shikamaru just muttered another 'troublesome' for which he got a sharp elbow in his gut.

“As I was saying” Ino glared, “Weird people. And boy how that description fit. It turns out that an escaped monk from the Fire Temple decided that people are cruel and tried to 'cleanse' them. He used some chakra technique to remove all negative impulses!”

“That's possible?” Saeko's eyes widened.

“Most disturbing” Shino said, his hive buzzing louder. Hinata sitting beside him nodded and clasped her glass of water more tightly.

“How does it even work?” Kiba asked.

Ino shrugged “Not for us to know. But it was horrible, those people were so cheerful! But strangely so. It was a nightmare.”

Chouji who was staring longingly at the plates of meat that arrived at the table next to them, shivered again “It was the worst mission that I have been on.”

Saeko wanted to ask something, like what about the missions somebody died on, but Shikamaru caught her eye and shook his head subtly.

“Style points trump creepy points, right?” the Inuzuka chuunin asked, “Creepy just happens, style takes effort.”

“Unless you try for creepy” Saeko thought of Ibiki and Anko.

Ino shrugged and nodded - much of her family was employed in the T&I.

“What about you Saeko-san?” Hinata asked softly.

“Am I creepy?” the Uchiha pouted theatrically.

“NO!” Hinata exclaimed. Then as if spooked by her own volume she meeped and then corrected herself “An interesting mission. Your interesting mission.”

Kiba and Ino chuckled at the blushing kunoichi but did not tease her. They have long found out Shino was very protective of his team and had a talent for subtle revenge. Mostly involving various bugs. Not pleasant.

Saeko hummed, trying to think of a good mission that she has not already shared. When she took too long Shikamaru sighed “Just pick one.”

“I can't. I have a mildly funny one but it's not worth many points”

“Troublesome” the Nara heir rolled his eyes.

Shino pushed his glassed further up his nose “Share anyway. Why? Because ninja missions are seldom amusing.”

“Very well” Saeko acquiesced, it wasn't often Shino spoke up never mind requested something, “There had been a series of suicides and a noble from the Fire Court itself asked it to be investigated. He found it 'scandalous' and 'suspicious to the highest degree' that his friends and would commit such an act. Especially since the cause of death was ruled as auto-erotic asphyxiation.”

Hinata blushed deeply

“So we investigated. Well, I say we but I was there just to look mighty in front of the nobles and be polite, the real work was done by the investigative squad. Anyways, turned out the noble was right and they had been assassinated. We found the pattern and rushed to another possible victim, even though we knew it was likely too late. The guy was dead but we found the perp too - the assassin saw the extended version of IchaIcha Paradise, went through the new scenes and was so engrossed in the book he forgot to run!”

“Dumbass” Kiba chuckled and shook his head

“Most unwise” Shino nodded.

Saeko smirked “You should've seen his face. You could just hear him thinking 'Oh, shit!' It was precious.”

“Cute, but I think we win point-wise” Ino flicked her ponytail with a haughty smirk.

“Troublesome”

“Food!” Chouji exclaimed joyously at the sight of the waitress carrying three plates laden with meat.

The Uchiha chuckled “Aaand this gets you negative points.”

“Stupid team” Ino muttered with a fond smile.

Kiba laughed and looked proudly at his own team which replied in kind. Well, maybe, with an Aburame you can never be sure. Saeko felt a twinge of envy - she made chuunin too fast to make any such bonds. Still, she had good friends and favorite colleagues.

“Our turn again” the Inuzuka announced, “Scars! I've got this sweet one on my forearm…”

“Halt” Saeko crossed her arms, “I'm not stripping for you.”

“What she said” Ino glared at the wild-looking boy.

“Pass” Chouji chimed in.

Hinata blushed and sat a little further away from his teammate who looked panicked “That's not what I meant!”

“Bad dog” Shino said in perfect dead-pan.

Everybody looked at the Aburame in utter surprise. Shino did not react.

“Damn” Saeko breathed out appreciatively as they all started to laugh.

* * *

**Training Ground 9**

“Why are we doing this?” Neji asked long-sufferingly.

“Shika does it” Saeko hummed, “It's actually quite relaxing.”

The Hyuuga looked back up at the stars “I think he prefers clouds.”

“Eh, artistic license”

The two jounin fell silent, looking at the night sky. It would've been far more relaxing if the stars did not remind Saeko of Astronomy. She had received the Hogwarts letter earlier that day and was less than pleased to find out she had received an E in the subject. She was aware her performance wasn't stellar but… she smiled at the bad pun.

“You're smiling” Neji observed, “Good. You have been morose this evening.”

“Hn” Saeko gave the standard reply. After a beat of silence the Uchiha actually grinned “You know, I just realized if you were a woman, this would be a great date. Even that comment was so sweetly caring.”

“Be sure to spread that around”

“Oho, Neji is looking for a girrrlfriend?” Saeko smirked, “I know Tenten would be interested.”

“Hn”

“Hey, that's ours! Make your own sound!”

“It seemed appropriate”

“So what's your type then?”

“We are not talking about this”

“Hey, you started it”

“Don't be juvenile”

Saeko sighed “You're no fun.”

The two prodigies went back to stargazing in silence. After what could've been half an hour Neji spoke up “You're leaving soon again.”

“Yeah. Two more years like this”

“I saw your new techniques, it's worth it”

“Indeed, plus Konoha gets a very, very generous payment” Saeko added, inwardly grinning at Minister Fudge. What a sucker.

“And it looks good on your resume” Neji remarked, knowing his best friend well.

“Yup”

…

“Hey, let's pull a prank!” the girl sat up abruptly.

“No”

“Come on! The village has been quiet since Naruto left for training. Konoha is due some bigger prank”

“No”

“Pretty please. As you said, I'm leaving soon”

“That's blackmail”

“Yup. Let's hit the jounin lounge!”

“Too risky”

“I guess. What about your clan - we could mimic Naruto and dye the laundry. But pink instead of orange”

“You know how expensive it was to replace them?”

Saeko pouted “Itching powder? I'm sure Anko has some.”

“No”

“You try then!”

Neji gave another long-suffering sigh “How about we switch salt and sugar in the Akimichi kitchens?”

“That's, that's actually genius” the Uchiha smirked, “I'm proud of you!”

“You are a horrible influence, my uncle had warned me”

“Hiashi did? When?” Saeko grinned.

“Right away”

“Oh, then it was just the usual doujutsu contest. Pity”

“I'm sure if he knew you then, the warning would've been far more juicy”

“Flatterer” Saeko preened. “Let's go!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And it's off to Hogwarts in the next chapter. Prisoner of Azkaban, yay!


	99. 6- 99 Black Season

 

**Platform 9** **3/4**

"These clothes are... not practical"

Saeko eyed her two ninja companions and said dryly "You're blending in"

"We can ditch the cloaks once we are out of sight” the second shinobi shrugged imperceptibly.

The first ninja sighed "Do you think the target's going to show?"

"Unlikely, too crowded" the Uchiha replied.

"The Brits seem to think Kuro enjoys collateral damage"

His partner snorted "The locals don't know anything - you've seen the file they gave us."

Saeko nodded.

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

_"You have a private mercenary company on payroll?" Madame Bones exclaimed incredulously, "Really, Minister Fudge?"_

_Fudge shifted uncomfortably but stood his ground "You have always complained we have not enough aurors and you obviously have not been capable of apprehending one lone criminal. Not even find out how exactly he managed to break out of a supposedly unbreakable prison. I need Black caught, no matter what."_

_"We can_ _'t give them permission to gallivate through the country" the older woman glared at her boss._

_"That's why I asked them to guard Hogwarts in conjunction with the dementors"_

_"That's another thing I'm very much against" Madame Bones turned her glare at Saeko and Shirakumo Hayama._

_"It is done, I've already decided" Fudge said resolutely._

_"And we thank you for the contract" Saeko inclined her head in thanks._

_The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement not-really-smiled at the kunoichi "You are a student at Hogwarts, aren't you. My Susan told me about you."_

_Saeko nodded "Yes ma'am. But I will not be the one executing the contract, don't worry."_

_"Humph"_

_"So, what can you tell us about Sirius Black?" the Uchiha prompted as Hayama leafed thought the thin file they had received on the man._

_Fudge made a motion to Madame Bones to explain while he cleared his throat "I need to tend to some pressing issues. Madame Bones will fill you in better than I could. It was nice to see you again Miss Uchiha."_

_"Commander" Saeko corrected with a sharp grin to keep up the appearances. Hayama_ _'s lips twitched as he suppressed a smile at how Fudge paled slightly._

_"Of course, my apologies commander" the rotund man gulped and excused himself._

_When the door clicked shut Madame Bones turned to the two jounin "How long has Fudge been paying you?"_

_"Konoha prides itself on confidentiality"_

_The stern woman huffed but soon regained her professional demeanor "Very well. Sirius Black is a prisoner that has escaped Azkaban three weeks ago by methods unknown. He_ _'s been at large ever since, only twice he has been spotted in muggle towns. We have informed the muggle media about the threat."_

_"Tell us about his crime" Hayama asked._

_"Thirteen counts of murder - twelve muggles and one wizard, and belonging to the terrorist organization known as Death Eaters. He was the secret-keeper for the_ fidelius _charm that the Potter family was under. He has revealed the location to his master and when You-Know-Who was defeated he ran."_

_Saeko nodded "Why do you think he will target Hogwarts?"_

_"The Azkaban guards have noted that two weeks before his escape he talked in his sleep. The words were always 'He's at Hogwarts'. We speculate that Black wants revenge for his master's death and will be after Harry Potter."_

_"Hn" said the kunoichi._

_"Everything is in the file" Madame Bones nodded towards the purple folder in the older ninja_ _'s hands._

_Saeko hummed "Very well._ _Captain Shirakumo will be handling it so please contact him with any new information."_

_"I_ _'ll have a team ready" Hayama nodded, "Kuro-san will not get past us."_

_"Kuro-san?" Madame Bones arched an eyebrow._

_"We don't want to alarm the locals so we will be using it as a codename" the Uchiha shrugged._

_"As you wish" the Director nodded, "But I caution you, the Auror Corps are the ones that will be looking for Black. Fudge has contacted you for Hogwarts and Potter guard only. And iIf I catch any of your men doing anything illegal you_ _'re going to an Azkaban cell right next to Black's."_

_Saeko bowed slightly "Have no fear, we adhere to our contracts."_

_"You better"_

**_*Flashback End*_ **

 

"Well, enjoy the hunt" Saeko smiled at her two ninja companions, "I'll be off. And remember..."

"We know" the grumpy ninja interrupted, "We are to stay outside of Hogwarts unless invited by the Headmaster or any of the teachers. Look for Kuro and apprehend him alive. Stay out of sight."

The Uchiha smiled tightly "Good. If anything happens let Hayama-san deal with it. I'm incognito."

"Hayama-taichō explained" the second shinobi replied patiently, But I have to say I'm uncomfortable about those dementors. They will most definitely hamper our efforts.

“We'll manage” his partner shrugged.

The Uchiha nodded and with a wave she made her way through the crowd of the station. She and her friends had agreed to meet in one of the compartments near the front of the train so she boarded right behind the scarlet locomotive.

"Saeko!" Graham called when he spotted his friend thought the doors of his compartment.

"Hi" Saeko smiled and shrugged off the sealing scroll to put it beside the trunks - it looked she was the last to arrive.

Daniel grinned "We were just talking about OWLs."

"Naturally" the ninja chuckled, "What other topic for a bunch of Ravenclaws."

Ashley grinned "Yeah. We already went around. Nobody got anything less than an E if you wondered."

"As a matter of fact I did not" Saeko smirked, "We are Ravens, there are no Acceptables for us."

"Well said" Helena nodded imperiously.

"So, what did you get?" Caitlin asked eagerly.

The brunette arched an eyebrow in question but obliged with a heavy sigh "All Outstandings except... except Astronomy. An E."

Patrick shot up to his feet and laughed "I win! Mwehehehee!"

Saeko frowned "Did he get all Os?"

"No, but he bet you wouldn't" Helena smirked and whipped out her betting book.

"Hn" Saeko defaulted. Astronomy was stupid anyway - it held no consequence for any Konoha nin and she would not be continuing it in any case.

Ashley seemed to pick up on the ninja's resentment and smiled cheekily “Don't worry, we won't tell you're not perfect.”

“Hn. Do you know what Aaron got?”

Helena smirked “No idea. But wouldn't it be fun if he got full marks.”

Saeko looked murderous. Graham covered his mouth theatrically “Careful now, or we might get into an 'unfortunate accident'.”

“Aaron should definitely watch his back” Patrick grinned.

“I'll find out from Eddy at the feast” Caitlin promised, “Oooh, this is going to be good.”

The Uchiha crossed her arms “He's not as good in DADA.”

“We'll see” Graham smirked as the train stated moving and swiftly pulled out of the station.

Saeko immediately used the slight distraction of the anticipation of a new year at Hogwarts and asked about the marks of her friends and, more importantly, what subject they were going to continue.

A few minutes in the conversation Ashley and Daniel excused themselves to attend the prefect meeting.

“So, have you seen the new Firebolt?” Caitlin asked when everybody was fed up with the exams discussion.

Saeko nodded “I did, that's some broom.”

“Yeah” Graham nodded, “The national quidditch team is thinking of buying them. Ireland too. Hands down the best broom on the market.”

“What he said” Patrick nodded enthusiastically.

Helena snorted “At least it's expensive enough that daddy Malfoy probably did not buy one.”

“Let's hope” the kunoichi hummed, “Since when do you keep apprised of broom prices?”

“Daddy fangirled over it” the blonde shrugged.

Graham, Patrick and Peter laughed “Good man, your dad.”

 “The new Firebolt and the new Cleansweep meant the Nimbus 2001's price went down” the Irish girl grinned, “I got it for my OWLs from my parents.”

“Awesome!” everybody exclaimed, happy for the addition to the quidditch team.

An even more enthusiastic response warranted Saeko's “I've got one too.”

“Really!!!”

“Nii-san's early birthday present for me” the Uchiha smiled fondly.

Graham's grin threatened to split his face in two “We are so going to win the Cup again.”

“If Caitlin and the rest trained during summer” Saeko smiled sweetly at her chaser.

“Bugger off” the girl growled, “I did. It was awful. Save it for training.”

“Alrighty”

 Peter sniggered and changed the subject to the _Monster Book of Monsters_  that was the official textbook for the Care class. The group amused itself by depicting the various methods they used to contain the vicious tome. Until the prefects came back.

 “Why so glum?” Saeko asked her roommate.

Both prefects grimaced and Daniel explained “Percy Weasley got the Head Boy job.”

“He's even worse than before” the pinkette sneered, “Insufferable.”

Daniel chuckled “Even his brothers think so. I bet it was the twins that charmed his badge to spell 'Bighead Boy'.”

Everybody laughed and even Ashley lightened up “Yeah, that was great. Pity Clearwater told him about it.”

“Why?” Peter pouted.

“She's his girrrlfriend” Caitlin shared.

“Ugh” Helena rolled her eyes.

Ash nodded “Yeah, she could definitely do better.”

 The rest of the ride went in a similar fashion - catching up after the summer. When lunch came they had themselves a fest and some of them even permitted themselves a small nap afterwards. The real fun started when it was almost dark.

 “Why are we slowing down? We aren't there yet” Daniel's eyes narrowed and he sit up straighter.

Nobody had time to reply him as the light went out. It was still fairly light outside but it suddenly got darker.

Saeko stood up, her ninja nature at work, when the train stopped with a jolt, nearly toppling her down. Only a fast application of chakra to the soles of her boots saved her from falling. “Something's wrong” the brunette said and moved to the door of the compartment.

“Wait up” Daniel said in a strong voice, “We are prefects, we are going too.”

Ashley nodded and stood up as well. When the rest of the sixth years wanted to do the same Saeko shook her head. Remembering the Brits saw worse in the dark than ninja she spoke out loud “No. Stay here. It would be even more chaotic that it already is. Actually, we should usher everybody into the compartment to clear the aisle.”

“Good idea” Daniel nodded and the trio stepped outside.

As they shoved some of the students into the closest compartments Ashley froze “What is that.”

“A dementor” Daniel breathed out in horror.

The shrieking of students died down in an instant as the caped figure glided among them. The dementor was tall, its head brushing the ceiling of the train, and completely covered except for a skeletal-looking hand. Saeko was reminded of a corpse that was in the water for too long.

But the worst part was the cold. The intense cold made everyone shiver even if everybody was too scared to even move an inch. The cold seemed to penetrate skin and seize their insides. The humanoid creature glided past them, seemingly looking for something and as it went it sewed fear. Everybody felt cold, alone and terrified, as if the dementor sucked out the happiness from them.

And in an instant it passed and the creature fled out of the window.

 The lights went back on. The shaken students hastily made their way to their friends, maybe for some feeling of security and cheer.

“Damn” Ashley breathed out.

As Daniel replied Saeko looked at the window from which the dementor disappeared. She had read about the creatures but she was sure their effect would be similar to killing intent. Saeko was used to KI and even used it on weaker opponents, it was a daily part of ninja life. But this was different. She would need to find a different way to combat it.

“You alright Saeko?” the bespectacled prefect asked.

“Hn. Next time I'll set it on fire”

Ash grinned weakly “Yup, she's well.”

“A classic _incendio_ won't do it” Daniel hummed, “ _Fiendfyre_ might.”

“Don't tempt her” the pinkette said in dread.

Saeko smirked “Hn.”

X 

**Great Hall**

“I shouldn't have eaten all that chocolate” Graham complained and rubbed his belly.

“You're a pig” Helena shot back swiftly, not even looking at him.

Daniel patted Graham's shoulder “It's good against the aftereffects of a dementor.”

“So you say”

“Whoa” Patrick stopped in his tracks.

Caitlin nearly fell as she bumped into his “Hey!”

“Look” the boy inclined his head to point at something to his right. Everybody turned. Paddy hissed “Not all at once!”

“Whoa” Graham repeated after his friend, “You know, I'm feeling much more cheered up.”

“Pigs” Helena snorted again and walked towards their favorite spot on the Ravenclaw table.

It was Caitlin's turn to look “Whoa indeed.”

Finally Saeko took a peek. The object of Patrick's attention turned out to be Joanne Harwich who had over summer somehow miraculously grown a huge pair of tits. Saeko's jaw dropped.

“I know, right?” Graham whispered.

“An _engorgio_  charm that went horribly horribly right?” Patrick nodded.

Saeko shook her head and went to sit by Helena who gave her an approving smile “Not perving? Good.”

“I was more surprised than anything. That must've been at least two sizes. It's not normal!”

“Good genes I guess” Ashley shrugged, “I'm a bit jealous.”

“I'm not” Caitlin looked at Joanne again, “I can't imagine running or playing quidditch with that pair of jugs.”

“I guess” the pinkette agreed.

When the boys sat down as well Helena's eyes narrowed “Wipe the drool off your mouths, it's unbecoming.”

As the group discussed this new… development, the Great Hall filled up. It didn't take long and McGonagall was leading the new batch of students towards the teacher's table.

After enduring the Hat's song the first-years were swiftly sorted, Ravenclaw getting twelve new members, and everybody turned their attention to the food that appeared before them.

Once even the desserts were gone Dumbledore stood up “Welcome, welcome to you all. I have several things to say, one very serious, so please pay attention for this little while.”

“As you have indubitably already noticed, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban who are here on Ministry business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds and while they are with us I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises, or even invisibility cloaks.”

At this the old Headmaster looked over to the Gryffindor table, no doubt catching Harry Potter's eye. His next meaningful stare was directed at Saeko. “ _Reverse summoning it is”_ the girl thought morosely.

Dumbledore smoothly continued “It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors.

In the meaningful pause most of the students gulped, remembering the feeling from when the train was searched by their new guardians.

The headmaster smiled in a grandfatherly fashion again to signalize the change of topics which turned out to be the new additions to the Hogwarts staff. The new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts was expected - a tired-looking man in shabby robes - but what came as a surprise was the fact that professor Kettleburn was retiring and was replaced by Rubeus Hagrid, the current gamekeeper.

“Can't believe Kettleburn's retiring” Peter shook his head.

“Me too” Caitlin agreed, “I had two galleons riding on him losing another finger this year.”

Helena sighed and took out her black betting book to check if anyone had predicted Kettleburn peaceful retirement. Turns out nobody did.

“Look at Snape” Paddy sniggered.

“Ouch” Ash grimaced, “I'm glad that glare isn't directed at me.”

Graham nodded “Yeah, he must really despise professor Lupin. Wonder why, not even that ponce we had last year got this degree of hate.”

Saeko chuckled and raised her glass “To another fun year at Hogwarts”

 “To less petrifications”

 “To a more intact professor”

“To big tits!”

“Graham” Helena glared.

 “What?” he said innocently.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Nope, Aaron got an E in Defense ;-)


	100. 6- 100 Wordlessly

 

“Welcome to NEWTs Charms” professor Flitwick smiled widely from his little podium, “I am more than proud to announce that everybody in your year got at least an Acceptable in Charms! Even better, each of you decided to continue my class!”

The last part made the teacher so happy he jumped up a little and clapped. Graham and Patrick latched onto it and began clapping in the earnest. Soon enough the whole class joined in.

“Excellent!” Flitwick exclaimed again, “Naturally charms are the spells you will be using the most in your lives once out of school. So I am most pleased about this development.”

“Now,” the diminutive professor turned a bit more serious, signalizing the official start of his class, “The sixth year is the year in which you will start non-verbal casting. Who can tell me the advantage of a non-verbal spell? Yes, mister Fairbanks.”

Daniel put his hand down and swiftly replied “Your opponent has no warning about which spell you are going to cast. That means he knows not which method of defense would be the most effective or how to counter it.”

Flitwick smiled “Ah, spoken like a true aspirant auror. Mr. Fairbanks is right. No warning. That said this aspect is not one that you are going to need in your everyday lives. Still, you will learn as there are many spells that can be cast only without speaking the incantation. Today we will start with our first and easiest charm - _lumos_ \- but you will try it non-verbally.”

The teacher lifted up his wand and made the tip light up without saying a word “Non-verbals are difficult to learn, they need considerable concentration and mind power. You have to clearly visualize the effect you wish to incur. Try it out.”

Everybody unsheathed their wands, mostly looking a bit unsecure. Saeko lifted up her wand confidently - all ninja that survived to the rank of chuunin had no problem with concentration and all ninjutsu specialists were masters in mind power and visualization. True enough her wand lit up at her unspoken command.

“Take ten point for Ravenclaw miss Uchiha” Flitwick smiled warmly, “And another ten for mister Fairbanks. Excellent, truly excellent!” Saeko turned to see Daniel with his wand lit up as well, grinning brightly. She winked and the two Ravens high-fived. “Try some other simple spells” the teacher instructed.

“I hate you both” Ashley gritted her teeth as she concentrated hard enough to look constipated. Daniel and Saeko smirked.

The rest of the class was in a similar state as Ashley - frowns, brows scrunched in concentration and some frustrated exclamations. Over the course of the lesson several more wands lit up.

When the bell rang Flitwick cleared his throat “That's all for today. If you didn't manage the non-verbal variant don't be disheartened - many full-formed wizards simply use the verbal variation when not under threat of exams.” After the little joke he turned serious again and caught some of the student's gazes “And please don't damage the tables or anything else even if you are angry.”

As the students packed up Caitlin growled “I hate this.”

“I agree, we're Ravens, we should be able to do this easily” Graham nodded sadly.

Helena shrugged “It is rather hard.”

“But you did it” Paddy glared at the blonde who smirked tauntingly.

“I think we will have a long time to practice” Ashley sighed, “Both Transfiguration and DADA textbooks had the introductory chapter for non-verbals.”

“Man, this is going to be a pain” Graham lamented.

Patrick gasped “We have McGonagall next, she'll be even worse.”

“I wonder who'll be in the class” Saeko hummed, “She required an E, right?”

Daniel nodded “Yeah, but I think out of the Ravens nobody got anything worse. But the class will be smaller for sure.”

“Good, some of the thick Gryffindors really got on my nerves” Helena sneered, “Maybe now we will be able to proceed more quickly.”

“Harsh” Paddy chuckled.

“You disagree?”

“Not in the least”

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

Saeko entered the room noiselessly to give herself time to think. Her chat with Mihane and her T&I girls made her confront the possibility of her wanting an actual relationship with her red-headed friend and Runes partner. She smiled when she was met with the peaceful picture of Lauren reading the newspaper that held a big headline _'Black still at large - Ministry incompetent?_ ' with her feet up.

“That's not much lady-like” Saeko commented loudly.

Lauren jumped up in surprise and then glared “What did I tell you about sneaking up on me!”

“Not to do it?”

“Indeed” the red-head said dryly and folded up the paper.

Saeko sat down “So, what's new?”

Lauren shrugged “Nothing really - the exams went well, I am happy to be out of the Lewis' ancestral home, Malfoy is being insufferable.”

“Malfoy? What's he doing now?” the kunoichi asked, “I hope he didn't get himself a Firebolt.”

“No” Lauren snorted, “But word got out that Potter fainted during that dementor search. Now Malfoy does this silly little imitation of fainting at every opportunity. All the time. It was a bit funny at first but now's just annoying.”

“Oh yeah, I did notice something like that at breakfast” Saeko nodded, “I just thought he was having some kind of seizure.”

The Slytherin chuckled “Sadly no. How were your OWLs? Did you get into Potions?”

“I did, thanks for the help”

“Which you didn't need. But I fancy I helped you with Herbology” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

Saeko nodded “You did. I still hated the practical exam but I got an O.”

“Good” the Snake nodded, “I'm glad my effort was not in vain.”

“Wouldn't dream of it” the ninja smiled charmingly.

Lauren snorted in amusement “So what about the rest? Did any of you get anything less than an A?”

The Raven smirked “Nobody had. In Ravenclaw Acceptable is very much  _not_  acceptable.”

“Sound about right” Lauren laughed.

Both girls smirked and fell into a comfortable silence. Saeko took one of her scroll out of her uniform and unsealed a thermos “Tea?”

“Please”

“So how is your knife throwing?” Saeko asked.

Lauren shrugged “I didn't get to practice much during summer. But not bad.”

“Moving targets?”

“Next thing on the list”

“How about now?” Saeko proposed and used her wand to levitate a nearby chair.

The Slytherin shook her head “Too much effort.”

Saeko nodded, put her feet up and made motion for the newspaper. Lauren obliged “Sure. Do you have any tea biscuits by any chance?”

“No, sorry”

After a beat of silence Lauren eyed the reading kunoichi “So I tried to find about Konoha in the Lewis library.”

“Oh? What did you find?”

“Nothing” the Brit frowned slightly, “At all.”

“Good”

“You people are really paranoid. How do you get clients if no one knows about you?”

Normally Saeko would just 'Hn' but in the interest of opening herself up more she replied “Where we usually operate we are well known. In Britain we pinpointed only the Minister as a client so we could begin our operations here unimpeded. Similarly with Dumbledore, so he wouldn't make a fuss of me being here. So far that is.”

Lauren seemed impressed “Smart. Is it lucrative?”

“Very. Certainly much more than what you would get out of your healer career” Saeko grinned.

“Hm. So what do you guy do for example” the red-head said in faux nonchalance.

The ninja shrugged “Our work is confidential. But overall we do escort missions, retrieval, guard, apprehension of criminals and so on. The classics.”

“Classics” Lauren repeated distractedly.

“Yup”

“I'm surprised you told me” the Snake's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

Saeko smiled “You asked. And I am not worried it will reach ears it shouldn't.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence” Lauren said lightly.

The Uchiha shrugged dismissively even though she was glad she shared. She looked at Lauren who was clearly considering asking some more questions and smiled to indicate it was alright.

Finally Lauren decided to push “Dangerous job, mercenary work. Did you ever need to kill anybody?”

“Yes” was the smooth reply.

Lauren didn't appear to be disturbed in the least, she just nodded to herself. It was clear she had already suspected. After a beat of silence she asked “Does Konoha do assassination jobs?”

“Sometimes” Saeko replied tensely.

The Heir to House Lewis nodded again but decided to drop the subject “Well, at least I know the knives you got me are of good quality.”

Saeko smiled widely, happy this went so well. She had not anticipated much problems - with Lauren's pragmatism an overall apathy - but she was still a civilian and civilians had completely different mindsets to ninja. Saeko suspected only Lauren and Helena would be understanding if the full scope of her profession was revealed. Also speaking about killing and actually truly realizing your friend had done it was another matter altogether. Still, with the situation with Lauren's family it was probable she would be alright with ninja - that was the only reason Saeko even listened to Mihane about her Slytherin friend.

“Are you alright? You spaced out” Lauren said with a knowing glint in her eye.

The Uchiha smiled again “Hn.”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“How was Care?” Ashley asked as she sat down next to her childhood friend.

Peter sighed “Not as exciting as the one the third-years got.”

Caitlin pouted “I really wanted to play with the hippogriffs. Leave it to Malfoy to spoil an entire class.”

“He's an idiot but Hagrid should suck it up” Saeko shrugged, “And we are his NEWTs class, we know how to behave in front of dangerous creatures.”

“Sure as hell we aren't stupid enough to call a hippogriff a harmless ugly chicken” Paddy nodded.

Helena who just arrived with Daniel and Graham snorted delicately “Maybe the universe will do us all a favor and remove him from the gene pool.”

“The hippogriff just scratched him, he's just playing it up” Daniel shrugged.

“Pity”

Graham nodded “At least in Care we don't need to cast those stupid non-verbals.”

“Still can't do it?” Ash asked.

“All that concentrating is giving me wrinkles” the boy sighed.

Helena bit her lip, obviously trying really hard not to make one of her usual comments. Not to tempt her friend's resolve Saeko smirked “You could borrow my incense for meditation if you want.”

“Ha ha” Graham crossed his arms.

“I'll lend you a book” Saeko said with a nod, thinking about her occlumency tome. Graham arched an eyebrow but nodded as well.

“Hey” Ashley asked abruptly as the question came to her, “Since you went outside did you see the dementors? Where are they?”

Caitlin shivered “Two at the entrance like a pair of terrifying statues. They're really creepy.”

“Saw three other patrolling” Saeko frowned - it confirmed the suspicion she would have to move the entirety of her training regime into the summoner' realm.

“What about Hogsmeade?” Daniel asked, “Do you think they will let us go as usual?”

Helena shrugged “Professor Flitwick didn't say anything about it so probably yes.”

“Why are the dementors here anyway? Do they think Black will come here?” Peter sighed.

“Why should he” Ash waved it off, “I think the Minister is just covering his ass. Children are the nation's future and all that publicity crap.”

Paddy nodded “They are taking that 'abandon all hope ye who enter here' to a whole another level.”

“Is it Azkaban or Hogwarts that you are comparing to hell?” Ashley arched an eyebrow.

“Both”

Graham chuckled “Still rather be stuck here at school than Azkaban.”

“Dunno, how long is that Arithmancy homework we got today again?

“Point”

Helena arched an eyebrow incredulously “You'd rather be stuck one on one with a soul-suckling monster that write a few lines?

“A few? Professor Vector said three and a half feet of parchment!” Graham exclaimed.

“Oh my bad, what is your immortal soul in comparison” the blonde chuckled.

“But seriously, why Vector's assignments are always the longest?” Graham asked.

Saeko cleared her throat and waved her hand “Runes? That fourth-moth project we did last year?”

Caitlin chuckled “Please, you spent that whole time with Lauren, it was no chore.”

“It's the principle” the ninja defended, “Besides, our homework consist of reading entire books in a whole different alphabet. No way you can top that with a few equations.”

“A few equations?” Graham exclaimed loudly and got a few stares.

Helena sighed “Let it go. Have some pie.” The boy humphed but took the biggest slice of the dessert that arrived on the table. Saeko mouthed a 'thank you' to her friend and in the comfortable silence that ensued she helped herself to some pie as well.

The elves always cooked and baked something special to celebrate the first complete week of school - it was always a bit hard to get used to the routine again after being free all summer. Also the classes were always harder - that went double for the sixth-years who were just realizing what exactly is the difference between OWL level and NEWT.

“Besides I can read goblin” Graham said out of the blue, startling everybody who was lost in their own thoughts, mainly about school and the deliciousness of dessert.

“Pardon me?” Helena was the first to ask.

Graham smirked at Saeko “I can read Gobbledegook. So take that Runes girl.”

“Since when?” Daniel arched an eyebrow.

Graham shrugged and smiled smugly.

“Say something in goblin” Ashley urged.

Graham obliged.

“That sounds like a throat infection” Saeko remarked.

“Impressive” Daniel nodded.

Caitlin hummed “Cool. But not really that attractive”

Graham looked like someone kicked his puppy. Helena smirked and patted him on the arms “Don't worry, we'll find you a nice goblin girl that doesn't bite too much.”

“Ouch” Patrick shivered, “Those teeth are wicked sharp.”

“Personal experience?” Helena grinned evilly.

Paddy blushed in embarrassment at the insinuation “Ha ha, really funny.”

Graham sniggered and offered the blonde a high-five.


	101. 6- 101 A Boggart in the Closet

 

“The Eagles are gonna FLY!” Roger fist-pumped excitedly.

“With this we're winning for sure” Cho nodded confidently and high-fived Rodney.

“It was always a sure thing,” Caitlin smirked, eyes glinting in glee, “But now we get to humiliate them so badly they will cry for mommy.”

“Don't jinx it” their keeper reprimanded them in his deep bass.

“Oh please - the Snakes all had the Nimbus 2001 last year and we beat them bloody with brooms three models older. I can't wait to see what the score will be now that the whole team got an upgrade!” Jaden rubbed his hands together.

“I agree with James, luck can be a bitch. We will train harder than ever so we could fly on Filch's mop and still win. We will deserve it” Saeko declare and then clapped her hands together, “Now chop, chop, I need to see how bad is the damage over the summer.”

“Damn, I hoped my new Cleansweep could get me out of this” Roger sighed as he caressed his purchase.

Saeko looked over her buff chaser who had to have spent his entire summer working out and rolled her eyes “Nope but as you can see I'm rather mellowed out by the new fleet.”

“That's true. I just figured you got laid” the Roger shrugged with a smirk. Saeko glared.

“Actually,” Cho's eye lit up as they always did when she had some piece of gossip to disseminate, “Just yesterday I saw Claire Garnet ask Saeko out - yes, I used a polite term that it actually did not deserve - and she declined!”

“Hottie McHotHot? Nice!” Roger exclaimed. Jaden and Rodney nodded enviously while Cho made a disgusted sound.

 “No way!” Caitlin's eyes sparkled, “Garnet came onto you and you said no? I'm so proud of your personal growth!”

Saeko rolled her eyes “Yes, yes, yes, yes. Now don't stall.”

The training was a bit lighter than usual - Saeko had been rather impressed by the dedication her team showed to quidditch during the summer. And the brooms. Don't forget the brooms.

During their wind down run Cho asked “Do you think Malfoy is completely faking or he might have something for real?”

“Not anything that will impact his seeker performance. Right, Cap?” Roger analyzed.

“I agree. 'Tis just a scratch” Saeko nodded from the front of the still running group.

“Pity” Cho shrugged with a sigh.

“You don't need him to have a handicap, you're the best seeker in school” Rodney smiled in obvious effort to charm the girl one year is senior.

“Thanks” Cho said curtly, “But Diggory is really good and Potter isn't half-bad.”

Jaden shrugged “I dunno, Potter fainted when he saw a dementor and Hufflepuff's pretty boy nearly fell from his broom last time we played him.”

The rest of the team chuckled at the memory of the completely smitten Diggory that missed catching the snitch in favor of ogling the cute Ravenclaw seeker.

“I agree, Cho-chan” Saeko smiled reassuringly, “I think you can do it. And if we all pull together nobody else has a shadow of a chance.”

James cawed loudly.

The rest of the Team looked at it's keeper in question. James shrugged “Now that there are no more petrified people in the infirmary we can make a show again, right?”

“Totally!” Roger exclaimed.

Saeko nodded in all seriousness “You're absolutely right. I'll make sure our fanbase is prepared.”

“Great!” Jaden brightened up considerably, always keen on popularity.

Rodney grinned “This is going to be awesome.”

“I'm really glad Hogwarts is getting back to normal” Cho smiled.

The Konoha nin nodded even if her thought were more in line with soul-sucking prison guards, escaped mass murderers and teachers whose 'time of the month' resulted in a hungry wolf-man. The last part was a very much welcome piece of information the Headmaster gave her in case she encountered a transformed professor Lupin on one of her runs. She supposed that finding a replacement DADA teacher in the middle of a semester would be a pain.

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

After professor Lupin marked the attendance he smiled “For this lesson please put your books back into your bags and take up your wands.” The students looked at each other in anticipation and obliged immediately.

“Are we going to fight a boggart too?” one of the Gryffindors asked eagerly.

“Brilliant!” Graham agreed.

Lupin tried to stifle a grin but was only partly successful “I know the rumors of several classes facing this particular challenge…”

“Snape in a dress and a red handbag!”

“Don't forget the hat!”

The teacher's grin widened as he continued “… and yes, today is your turn.”

“AWESOME!”

Lupin nodded “From the notes of your past professors I know you have already studied boggarts in your second year so consider this revision. Now, who can tell me how to defeat one. Mr Crow?”

The Gryffindor put down his hand and swiftly answered “The boggart is an amortal being so it can't be killed, only stalled and forced to hide. We can do so by pushing away our fear and laugh at it thus confusing it. The spell _riddikulus_ can force a boggart to change shape into something that no longer terrifies us.”

“Indeed” Lupin smiled, “And how do you recognize you're put against a boggart? Yes, Ms Weir?”

“It shows the victim's greatest fear so it is key to know what is yours. Also to think logically - for example if my greatest fear is an aquatic creature and I'm currently in a cave, a boggart is a likely explanation” Ashley answered.

“Certainly a better one than a cross-dressing Snape” Paddy murmured.

Lupin chuckled “True, true. Miss Weir has already hinted at it but who can tell me where boggarts like to live. Miss Uchiha?”

“Dark confined spaces” Saeko replied, “Such as wardrobes, under the bed or that trunk you got behind you.”

“Exactly right” Lupin nodded, “So, is everybody ready to face their greatest fears?

The excited Gryffindors and the slightly apprehensive Ravens nodded and formed a line in front of the trunk. Lupin surveyed the line and his eyes focused on the first up - Leroy Crow. Deeming him ready, the professor opened the trunk.

A clown rose up from the small space. Fist one leg, then the other and then he advanced on the rapidly paling Gryffindor.

“ _Riddikulus_!”

The clown stumbled and fell. As he got up he wiped the make up roughly from his face and spat on the ground. “Fuck this, I'm outta here!” the clown-boggart cursed and fished out a cigarette.

Leroy chuckled and with a shake of his head he ceded his spot to another Gryff.

The boggart transformed into an older man “Son, I just signed a betrothal contract for you…”

“ _Riddikulus_!!!” the Gryff practically screamed. He practically didn't even need the spell since at his back the rest of the class started sniggering quietly.

It was fascinating to observe the various fears and then the reaction to them. They hit a small snag when one of the Gryffindor girls almost passed out when she was informed 'she would need to do public speaking' but otherwise there were no problems.

The class was bit disturbed by Saeko's fear - Itachi stabbing his sister for betraying Konoha. Saeko in turn thought the blood gushing out of her wound was a really nice touch.

Finally the boggart transformed into the moon in front of Lupin and the professor forced the creature back into the trunk.

“Excellently done!” the teacher clapped, “That was truly well done. Twenty points for Ravenclaw and twenty points for Gryffindor. I think that will be enough for today. And please remember your homework is due Monday.”

The students nodded and immediately started to talk to each other about the experience.

“Lupin's an alright bloke” Paddy said as they exited the Defense classroom, “It was high time we had another great teacher. Quirrell and Lockhart were sad.”

Helena nodded “He could do with a little makeover but he's a competent professor.”

“He's no Deirdre though” Graham winked.

“I agree” Saeko grinned.

Ashley rolled her eyes “Of course you would. And that was your brother, huh? The pictures you showed us don't give him enough credit. You've got good genes.”

Caitlin nodded “Oh yeah, handsome fellow. Gorgeous, really.”

“Mmm” Helena nodded.

Saeko grinned proudly “Nii-san's seriously hot - he's got fangirls in Konoha.”

Graham huffed “He's not _that_ hot. Is he?”

“Oh, he is” the Irish girl sighed, then as an idea struck he she amended “When he's not killing his little sister that is.”

“Yeah, what was that about?” Daniel chimed in. Saeko merely shrugged without saying a word.

Graham seemed stuck on the previous topic “Is that what girls go for? He looked kinda broody.”

“Hey, that's my nii-san!” the Uchiha pouted, “By the way, does anyone know if the Slytherins and the Puffs had this lesson yet?”

“Why, you looking to comfort a certain miss Lewis?” Helena asked with a smirk.

Saeko's demeanor turned serious “In a sense. She's got some issues going on and I don't think boggart hunting is the best right now. Besides, airing your biggest fears in front of a Slytherin crowd is… daunting.”

“Yeah, I bet every Snake filed always the various fear and is now looking to exploit them” Peter grimaced.

“Not every Snake is a dick” Ash corrected.

“But they need to behave that way to get ahead of the race” Caitlin shrugged.

Daniel hummed “I think the Snakes have DADA sometime tomorrow morning.”

“Cool” Saeko nodded.

“You're not going to tell her not to go, right? Because everyone knows how that ends” Patrick arched an eyebrow.

Saeko sighed, now regretting telling them anything “Of course not, I'm not an idiot. Just maybe to agree to meet up afterwards.”

Ash sucked a lungful of breath. Caitlin nodded “Yeah, that may make her think you think her weak.”

The boys all had to sort that sentence out but then Graham and Paddy took out notebooks and jotted notes down. Meanwhile Peter nodded sagely “Women are irrational.”

After the beating of Peter was complete Saeko continued “I didn't even know when they have class so out meeting will be a complete coincidence.”

“Lauren's smart” Daniel reprimanded Saeko as he helped Peter to stand up.

“Indeed, so she will know the reason needs to be unspoken” the Uchiha nodded.

“This is getting too complicated” Graham rubbed his brow.

“I think it's sweet” Ashley smiled.

“Really?” Paddy inquired.

Caitlin, Ash and Helena scoffed and in unison they commiserated “Boys.”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Black was sighted in Scotland” Daniel announced from behind his newspaper.

Graham swallowed his piece of toast and asked “Really? I would've thought he'd go south and then lose himself on the continent. Maybe even Africa.”

“There are plenty of places to hide here as well” Caitlin shrugged.

“He must have an agenda here” Daniel frowned.

“That's not really reassuring” Ashley sighed and refilled her cup.

Helena hummed “Well, he is the rightful Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Here he has money and connections.”

“Still?” Peter arched his eyebrows in surprise.

“Of course” the blonde heiress nodded.

Peter frowned “Huh, I would've thought all his assets were seized. Or at least frozen.”

“Of course not, he is nobility. It doesn't matter how much of a psycho he is if he has blue blood” Caitlin sneered.

The group fell silent, contemplating the truth of Caitlin's comment. Saeko in turn wasn't bothered at all “Does anyone want pancakes? They are really good. The perfect cheat food.”

Daniel rolled his eyes “How would Konoha deal with Black?”

“Execution” the Uchiha replied without hesitation.

“I'm not usually in favor of the death penalty but Black killed a dozen of people and laughed about it so hard he couldn't stop, even as he was carted off” Ashley said in disgust.

Paddy hummed “I think that Azkaban is a worse punishment.”

“Yeah, but you can escape from Azkaban, not the cold embrace of death though” Saeko shrugged.

“Poetic” Helena hummed.

“More like disturbing. But true” Graham agreed.

The kunoichi smiled sweetly and shrugged. Her gaze sharpened when she heard a distant caw and she noticed a sleek black bird flying thought the window for owl post. Her posture relaxed when she realized it was her brother's summon and not one of her ravens which would signalize a crisis.

“Mail?” Daniel smiled.

Saeko nodded and took the scroll that the crow let fall into her hand. Before unsealing the contents she took a few strips of bacon and offered it to the bird.

There were four letters from Neji, Yuuko, Mihane and Anko. While the girls mostly wanted an update on the Lauren front, Neji had the most wonderful news to share.

“Wow, that's some smile” Paddy commented.

Saeko's grin widened if at all possible “My best friend just got promoted! Neji deserves it, he's already been held back for the chuunin promotion.”

“Well, tell him congratulations” Ashley smiled.

“What's his rank?” Graham asked.

“Jounin, same as me” Saeko replied and stood up quickly, “I must go write a reply. This is brilliant news!”

With a wave for goodbye Saeko strode out of the Great Hall and once out of sight she ran to the Ravenclaw Tower. Once she was in her room she sat down at the table to compile a letter of congratulations.

She was still smiling when she called for Lykke to carry her message. The albino raven appeared in a puff of smoke “Yo!”

“Hey, Lykke. I need you to take this to Hyuuga Neji”

“Sure thing. But you could've at least asked how I was or something” the bird shrugged.

Saeko raised her hands in a defensive posture “Sorry, how are you this fine morning?”

“Excellent, thank you for asking” Lykke inclined his head, “So, why are you so happy?”

“Neji got promoted to jounin”

“Good for him!” the raven hummed, “I could give him a hug if you want.”

“He'll love that” Saeko smirked. Lykke sniggered and poofed away.

The Uchiha smiled again and went over to the window to open it. She sat down on the ledge and fished for her pipe. Once the very picture of relaxation was achieved Saeko hummed “Oh, what the hell” and called for Zake.

It took only a while and the shadow clone of Potter's current guardian landed on Saeko's shoulder. “What's up?”

“I just wanted an update on Potter” Saeko shrugged.

“Alright” Zake hummed, “But I've got nothing. The only thing of note is that I still hate that thing Granger uses to be at two places at once. It's more than irritating.”

“Highly useful though”

“Should I nab it? She's wearing it around her neck even when she sleeps but I am a ninja summon” the bird said proudly.

“Maybe later, this would be too high profile”

“Oke doke, the offer stands”

Saeko sighed “So, nothing is happening with Potter?”

“Nope”

“Boring”

“I thought that was good news. Last two years you complained about him sticking his nose everywhere” Zake chuckled.

“True. But I'm bored now, give me some gossip”

Zake sighed “Ok. Well, Potter is still getting death predictions in Divination. It's actually quite amusing. Especially Granger's retaliatory snark.”

“Like?” Saeko asked eagerly.

“I can't say exactly. She's just applying cold logic and stout disbelief to divination and it's funny” the bird shrugged.

Saeko pouted “Ok, but the next time I want to hear a line.”

“I'll try”

“What else?” the Uchiha prompted.

“Hmm. Weasley and Granger still argue about the cat, which I admit is smart as hell. Tora level”

The kunoichi nodded “I heard them once too. If Helena knew about this spying routine she would already have a pool set up if they wind up married.”

“Granger could do better” Zake commented.

“I agree”

“I other news, Potter is depressed about the fact he can't go to Hogsmeade. Aaand that's it”

“Hn”

“Indeed, all other happenings are even more uninteresting that his”

“Hn”

“Yeah, it sucks. Now imagine not having any other work to do beside this surveillance” the bird complained.

“That's why I'm a flashy ninjutsu specialist”

“I need to work on my fuuton jutsus”

“Hn”


	102. 6- 102 What Doesn't Kill You

 

**Flitwick's Office**

“I didn't know you liked checkers, sir” the Uchiha hummed as she moved her white piece.

“It's draughts, actually” Flitwick replied, focusing on the board, “Checkers is for the yanks.”

Saeko chuckled “My apologies.”

The two continued their game silence for a while. Then Flitwick hummed “So, how are you handling your first NEWT year?”

“Quite well, I think. The subjects are a bit harder but nothing bad. I rather like we proceed quicker now”

“No complaints then?”

“None.” After a move Saeko frowned “Well, maybe Care for Magical Creatures. Professor Hagrid is depressed after that Malfoy's fake injury and he has us working with the tamest creatures he can find.”

Flitwick sighed and nodded “I know, your yearmates have the same concern. But it is my belief that after the trial for the hippogriff in question is over, things will return back to normal.”

“As you say”

“What about the second new addition to the staff?”

“Professor Lupin? He's very good, brilliant if we compare him to his two predecessors” Saeko made a face.

“Indeed” the Ravenclaw Head of House nodded, “Unfortunately filling the position of Defense teacher is getting harder every year.”

Saeko nodded and when she refocused on the game she cursed - the Brit was going to win. In her defense she was more of a shougi or chess player but that was no excuse. “Rematch?”

Flitwick looked at the clock and then nodded “Why not.” When Saeko determinedly put the pieces in their starting positions the teacher chuckled “Nobody has beaten me at this game in many years. Certainly not one of your yearmates managed.”

“That does make me feel a bit better” Saeko smirked, “But it makes me all the more competitive.”

“You know, I set up the board as a way to relax” Flitwick grinned.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Please, you know your Ravens. You know we can't resist an intellectual challenge.”

Flitwick laughed “True, true. Speaking of challenges, how goes the quidditch team?”

“Very well I would say,” the raven summoner smiled proudly, “Rodney Halder is shaping up nicely. The rest is training hard too. I think we'll manage to keep that trophy right where it belongs - on your shelf.”

“I admit I grew rather fond of this particular decoration” Flitwick looked at the gleaming Cup.

Saeko's grin lasted about two more seconds when Flitwick achieve a king piece. The teacher smirked smugly and continued “What about Mr Fairbanks and Ms Weir, how are they as prefects?”

“Same as last year, I suppose” Saeko shrugged, “The novelty has worn off but they take their duties very seriously.”

“Good, good. What about the dementor presence?”

“I'm searching for a book on the _patronus_ charm”

“Sensible” Flitwick hummed, “I can look into it but I'm sure professor Lupin will be able to help you better than I. And it's my win again.”

“Curses!”

“Do not despair, Ms Uchiha, I'm sure that against someone else you would've won”

“Well, now you're just rubbing my face in it”

Flitwick giggled “I would never. In regard to the _patronus_ though, the hardest part is being confronted with the actual dementor and manage the spell in spite of it. I know you can't possibly be as stupid as to go and try it out on one of our guards but still - do not do so under any circumstances!”

Taking in the serious expression for her favorite teacher Saeko nodded solemnly “I will not seek out a dementor.”

“Good” Flitwick frowned, “I cannot stress enough how dangerous that would be. You are good, you know you are, but a dementor is something old and experienced wizards wouldn't dare cross.”

“I understand” Saeko assured. She did not lie, she had zero intention to seek out a dementor. Although she fully expected that the trend of 'unfortunate Potter-related incidents' would continue even this year.

Flitwick nodded, this time more warmly and after a brief exchange of small-talk Saeko was dismissed. She nodded to Edward Wallace who was next in line for this little interview and then she hummed, deciding what to do. So far the top contestants were training and foraging in the library.

When she passed the entrance for the Hogwarts library she was met with an enthusiastic waving, courtesy of Luna Lovegood. Saeko waved back while Luna saluted and entered Madame Pince's domain.

_“Training it is”_ Saeko thought determinedly. It wasn't like she disliked the small blonde but she was a little bit unnerving. The Uchiha still maintained her stance that she would make a wonderful, even if a little frustrating, ninja.

Saeko chuckled at the thought that she would make a great eternal rival to Rock Lee. It would be amusing to observe his reaction to a failed Wackspurts counting competition or something similar.

“Yosh!” she murmured and skipped merrily towards Ravenclaw Tower.

* * *

**Potions Classroom**

“Antidotes!” Snape spat out viciously as he strode into his classroom, “Antidotes are a vital part of potion making. For five years your classmates have fumbled around with brewing, most often than not their concoction were so faulty they could serve better as a poison. You are supposedly better.”

Snape surveyed his small class, only eleven people, with a sneer to punctuate exactly what he thought about their level of competence. Suddenly he exclaimed “Mr deLuise!”

“Yes, sir!” the Gryffindor snapped at attention.

“How would you counteract an unknown poison?”

“I would use a bezoar, sir” deLuise practically oozed relief at knowing the answer.

The professor humphed “At least you're not completely hopeless. Ms Gray, tell me what the Golpalott's Third Law teaches us!”

Helena straightened up “The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components. There needs to be an accord, a balance between those individual antidotes lest the serum turns into a poison of itself.”

“Ten points for Ravenclaw for not only mindlessly reciting the textbook” Snape nodded and turned to the blackboard to reveal a complicated set of instruction, “The making of an antidote is a long and complicate process. Fortunately for you, you have the next three hours to make one. Mr Fairbanks, distribute the phials I have on my desk.”

Once every student held a phial each Snape grimaced “Try not to kill yourselves. Begin!”

Saeko opened her book on the appropriate page and studied both the instructions there and on the board. When she sighed her and Helena shared a look - this was going to be long and exhausting.

The Uchiha donned her protective gloves, she wore them over her usual set, and a set of goggles to protect her bloodline. After lighting a small fire under her new, higher quality cauldron, she poured the periwinkle blue poison into it. “ _Specialis revelio_ ” she murmured.

Forty minutes later she had eight separate ingredients in her own set of crystal phials and was perusing Advanced Potions Making for the individual counter-agents. Lauren sat down heavily beside Saeko and sighed.

“You alright?” the Uchiha whispered.

“Tired” Lauren shrugged and took up her own textbook, “And thirsty. Also all those fumes can't be healthy either.”

“I've got a water bottle sealed up in a scroll but Snape would kill us is I took it out”

“True” the Slytherin nodded with another sigh, “Back to it then.”

“Hn”

The entire class worked diligently but each having slightly different methods - some added ingredients as they came up with them, others choosing to do complicated calculations into their notebooks before even starting. Meanwhile, Snape was touring the room, peering down the cauldrons of his students, never commenting beside his customary sneer.

Half hour before the end of the class everybody was shaken from their concentration by a crash and a chocking sound.

“Mr Ried!” Snape roared and immediately went to check the boy's potion.

The downed Slytherin chocked out “I can't see!”

Snape growled and _accio_ -ed a potion from a nearby shelf. Meanwhile Lauren knelt beside her housemate and did a basic diagnostic charm, looking for a way to help. Snape shoved her out of the way and force fed the potion to Reid.

When the choking reversed to coughing Snape stood up “You utter **moron!** Ugh! Ms Lewis, if you're so intent on being a healer, take him to the infirmary.”

Lauren nodded and put Reid's hand over her shoulders to try to help him up. Seeing the girl struggle Snape pinched the bridge of his nose “Ms Uchiha, put your brute Beater strength to use and help her.”

Saeko resisted rolling her eyes and obliged. As she and the two Slytherins were leaving the classroom Snape turned around and strode in front of his students “The rest of you dunderheads will get a lengthy lecture on Potions safety. Something even the firsties know! Idiots.”

When the doors to the dungeon classroom closed behind them Saeko looked at the dead weight between them “He's really out of it.”

“I don't know what Snape used but it seemed to work” Lauren frowned in thought, “I must ask Madame Pomfrey about it.”

“If you were to guess what happened…” the ninja began.

“I don't like to guess”

“But if you had to”

Lauren grimaced “I prefer external wounds but in this case I would give him the standard internal package, then do the allergy diagnostic charm, the skin residue charm, the…”

Saeko interrupted her friend “I get it, you know what to do.”

“I actually do. I think his eyes and throat sustained the most damage, there are pretty standard remedies for that. Spell damage is much worse to undo or cure” the red-head lectured.

“You're really good” Saeko hummed.

“Thanks”

After dragging the semi-conscious Slytherin a few more meters Saeko spoke up again “I could take him by myself - I actually do have the brutish Beater strength Snape spoke about.”

Lauren shook her head “The Infirmary is just up the stairs, I can manage.”

“Alright” Saeko shrugged, “But let me just say this method of carrying is highly inefficient. Fireman carry I think is called around here, that's the best way.”

“Carrying wounded soldiers off the battlefield?” the Brit said knowingly.

“Hn”

Two flights of stairs later Lauren was out of breath but determinedly carried her share of Reid's weight. Saeko wisely chose to stay silent.

As they crossed the threshold to the Infirmary Madame Pomfrey was immediately upon them “What happened?”

“Potions mishap” Lauren said and continued with medical jargon. Saeko who had been saddled with Reid's full weight dragged him the nearest bed and lifted him in it.

“One would think a NEWT student would be more careful than this” Madame Pomfrey said sternly and quickly walked to an adjacent room to fetch her remedies.

Saeko sat down on a nearby chair “Do you think Snape is going grade the assignment?”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “Not likely. On the other hand we might all get a T just for the hell of it.”

“That sound like something Snape would do” the ninja sighed, “Well, at least now you can get that water you wanted.”

“So worth it” the Snake said dryly and shot a glare at her delirious housemate.

Madame Pomfrey was back and Lauren went to her side to observe. As they worked Saeko noted Lauren's proud smile, no doubt because she got the treatment right when the Uchiha had asked before.

“Here you go, mister Ried” Madame Pomfrey nodded at her patient, “All better. But I will be keeping you over night. Let me fetch a Sleeping Draught.”

When the nurse left again said arched an eyebrow at her Slytherin friend “And to think he's in the top ten.”

“Shameful” Lauren chuckled.

“Hey” Daniel greeted from the entrance, “Is he going to be alright?”

Madame Pomfrey who rushed to check who entered her domain looked Daniel over for any injuries. When she found none she answered for Saeko “Mr Reid is going to be alright. He needs to sleep though.”

Daniel and Helena who came behind him nodded. The perfect smiled “We just brought Saeko's and Lauren's bags from Potions.”

The nurse's eyes narrowed but she nodded imperiously.

“Thank you” Lauren said and took her bag from Helena's hand.

“Yeah, thanks” Saeko smiled.

Daniel grimaced “You should - I can't use that fancy sealing trick of yours so I had to transfigure you a bag and I shoved everything in it. It should hold for a little while more but I did not put much power into it.”

“Good thinking”

“Ehm, ehm”

The sixth years all tuned to see Madame Pomfrey with her hands on her hips and a very pointed expression on her face.

“Bye!”

“Goodbye!”

“Ja ne!”

As the students fled Pomfrey smirked to herself “Suckers.”

* * *

**North Part of Hogwarts Castle, currently vacant**

Saeko was currently pretending to be a suit of armor.

Why? Simple - this year's 'exciting thing' was hide and seek. Well, more like a variant of hide and seek where everybody was hiding and everybody was hunting. It was no paintball but it was still a nice distraction from the everyday school life. Everybody had been happy when Flitwick announced that despite the reprimand he got last year there would be a new activity to be had.

The rules were simple - you get points for catching a person from your year and up, this was meant to prevent older years ganging up on the young ones. Points for successfully catching someone, by catching meant hitting them with the paint charm they all learned for paintball, were scaled by year. Other than that the only rule was against causing harm and coming back for seconds.

Hence the suit or armor. Since Saeko was a ninja for the sake of fairness she imposed a handicap for herself - no applied tree climbing exercise. In theory she could simply not participate in this event but it was an opportunity to shine and she could not resist that. And it was fun.

“Are you sure you heard something?” a young voice whispered.

“Yeah. Some of the older years can use the disillusionment charm so be alert” came the hushed reply.

Saeko simply waited for the two third years who have teamed up to pass. Of course they were right about the charm but Saeko already nailed someone who thought could sneak upon her with the help of the _homenum revelio_ charm.

Speaking of…

“Ugh!” Daniel exclaimed as he materialized at the corner of the hallway, “What the…”

The Uchiha lifted up the visor of her helmet and smirked. She actually used transfiguration, deeming the _henge_ just plain unfair. That said, all the illusionary spells she had learned at the Hogwarts library were fair game.

Daniel stared “Damn, girl! Is that a suit of armor?”

“Technically it's toilet paper pretending to be a suit of armor. But look, I've still got the 6 displayed as per rules” Saeko indicated the white painted digit to show she was a sixth year.

“Didn't notice that” the prefect sighed, “And here I thought that I'd kick ass while being invisible.”

“What's your score?”

“I got Graham, Ash and a seventh year. And evaded a horde of lower years. Those midgets are vicious!”

“I know!”

“Pity we can't blast them out of the competition” Daniel uncharacteristically growled.

“Speaking of, I need to go and bolster my score” Saeko grinned and peered around the corner.

The ninja crept down the hallway looking for more prey. A noise from a nearby classroom that had no door made Saeko smile and change course. She took a mirror on a long stick she had transfigured from a broken window to take a peek what year the two students she could sense were.

She huffed when she saw the numbers five and four and resumed her hunt.

Ten minutes later she was once again pretending to be a suit of armor when she heard decidedly young shouts - there were no points there. Indeed it was three third years chasing Edward Wallace who per rules could only run and shield or block their path and slow them down. Unfortunately for him the youngsters were quite proficient in evading the jets of light.

The Uchiha smirked under her helm and decided to take the small risk. As Eddy was looking behind him to check what his pursuers were doing Saeko fired off her yellow paint and when the bewildered sixth year stopped she dashed away to get as far as she could from the third years.

One flight of stairs later she grinned and resumed her search. As she turned another corner she had to evade a similar fate as she inflicted to her yearmate, courtesy of a fifth year ambush. “ _Impedimenta_ ” Saeko cast to help her flee.

The spell caught two of the ambushers but the other two shielded themselves and shot the _incarcerous_ charm at her feet. Saeko somersaulted and shot the same spell right back.

One of the fifth-years tripped and slammed into his friend.

Saeko took the opportunity to leg it and go one more floor up where she nearly run into Cho's warm embrace.

_“Ksó!”_ she thought as she evaded the barrage of paint spell from her seeker.

“STAY… STILL!!” the petite fourth year gritted her teeth in frustration at her jumping Captain.

Before Saeko could devise a tactic to get away from Cho the girl in question was hit by a paint charm from behind. Cho turned and growled “Roger!”

The chaser smiled sheepishly “Sorry, if I knew you were fighting Cap I would've helped instead.”

“Moron” Cho muttered and resumed looking for Saeko who was now invisible and noiselessly running past them.

_“This is awesome!”_ Saeko thought with a huge grin. She was enjoying this immensely, maybe even more than the paintball of last year. This reminded her of her genin days - her Hyuuga sensei had taken immense pleasure in finding her student's hiding spots and showering them with senbon. Good times.

X

Flitwick stood on a small podium before his Ravenclaws grinning madly “The portraits and the ghost of Micah the Witted have finished counting the points. But before I announce the winner I would like to say that since there were no injuries nor flagrant rule-breaking, the tradition of 'the exciting thing of the year' will continue!”

The Ravens broke into an applause and proud grins.

“Indeed, indeed. It is that discipline that is envied by my colleagues, mainly professors Snape and McGonagall” Flitwick permitted himself a smirk - everybody knew that if this hide and seek had been among the Gryffs or Snakes, the infirmary would be full.

“I hope you all had fun. Also I'm glad that his time more people participated - reading in the Library or here in your Common Room it well and nice but sometimes a bit of activity is necessary. And now, without further ado… let's announce the winner.”

Graham and Paddy mimicked a drum roll.

“And the winner is… the second year Debra Buckley!” Flitwick finished and began clapping.

As the beaming second year joined Flitwick on his podium to receive her prize the Head of House described how she got the bulk of her points - she actually caught several fifth years at once by a surprise paint bomb when they were too busy laughing at her. Also by the clever use of traps she got several other lower years.

Saeko could admit the girl was very smart and deserved the victory but she was never a gracious loser.

“Are you pouting?” Helena chuckled at the Uchiha.

“No”

“Oh my god, you are!” Ashley laughed.

“Hn” Saeko defaulted. She would be less sore if the girl that won wasn't a junior female Naruto. Traps and paint were his forte.

Peter shrugged “I expected a lower year to win, they had much more potential for points. We could only hunt each other and the seventh years.”

“True” Graham nodded, “But the midget was smart and cunning. Patient too. I have having too much of a blast to set traps and wait.”

“Yeah, the running around was the best part” Paddy agreed.

Saeko decided to end her sulking and chimed in “I was actually surprised the Ravens were willing to run. I expected most of them to be exhausted after the first half hour.”

“Well, I was having frequent breaks” Graham admitted, “It was exhausting.”

“The worst part were the lower years” Caitlin nodded as she returned from talking with Cho Chang, “Like locusts.”

“Aptly said”

Helena tapped her lips and then smirked “I like it. I propose that henceforth we call the lower years 'locusts'.”

“Fourth year down?” Paddy hummed.

“Sounds good”

“Change approved!”


	103. 6- 103 Reasons to Celebrate

 

The Ravenclaw poker group was sitting in comfy chairs, all of them watching the small spectacle that was taking place not far from them. Daniel was using the authority given him by the prefect badge to yell at a group of third year girls that have apparently been caught bullying a lower year.

“You know,” Caitlin said thoughtfully, “He looks rather hot right now.”

“Pity deLuise isn't here to savor it” Graham chuckled.

“You should stop teasing him about that” Ash rolled her eyes.

“When it stops being funny” Paddy retorted.

Graham put his hands up in a calming gesture “We don't mean it maliciously, Danny knows that.”

Saeko looked at her roommate “Shouldn't you be assisting him, miss prefect?”

Ashley shrugged “He seems to have it well in hand.”

They all looked at their Daniel again who was red in the face but excluded an aura of authority. The girls were all looking down, quite chastised.

“I can see him in those Auror's robes now” Caitlin remarked.

“I hope you don't intend to go after Daniel now” Helena said looking up from her sketches, “Didn't you _just_ dump boy toy number… I don't really know, it's hard to keep track.”

Caitlin shrugged “No, besides I don't pursue people, they pursue me.”

“You're worse than Saeko was” the blonde remarked.

“And why is that?”

Peter shrugged “She didn't introduce her flings to us. We didn't have to smile and pretend we didn't know they would be dumped the next week.”

“And there was that one that cried when you broke up with him. Joy” Helena said dryly. The Irish girl smirked but merely shrugged again.

Daniel's lecture seemed to reach its climax so everybody turned their attention back to the prefect.

“Oh, look” Saeko sniggered, “That one is going to cry.”

“She should” Graham's eyes narrowed, “Her victim was.”

Daniel apparently finished his scolding and stomped back to his friends, muttering furiously. Peter smiled at him “Well, done.”

The rest of the poker group nodded. Daniel was still too pissed to smile back “Thanks. But really, how can they even… Ugh!”

“Girls can be mean” Caitlin nodded sagely.

Daniel sighed and sat down heavily next to his fellow prefect “You know, when somebody says bullying, I usually picture some punks beating up another for lunch money or something, but emotional abuse like that… I think it's actually harder to endure.”

“I agree” Saeko nodded - Yuuko and Anko made a living out of it.

“Yeah” Ash agreed as well.

“So what did they say exactly?” Patrick inquired.

Daniel shook his head “I won't tell. Let me just say I will be keeping an eye on these girls.”

“Of course” Ashley nodded, “We can take it to the rest of our prefects as well.”

Graham chuckled lightly “I think there will be no need, you made quite a scene so everybody saw.”

“Good” the bespectacled boy said in satisfaction, “So, what were you talking about before?”

“You” Helena promptly answered.

“And before that we were filling up Graham's crossword puzzle” Peter added.

Daniel arched an eyebrow. Paddy shrugged “Yeah, nothing exciting. We are having a lazy day. It's the weekend.”

“How about homework?” the prefect asked with a smirk.

The rest of the group glared. Caitlin crossed her arms “Aren't you taking that prefect thing too seriously.”

“Just joking. Jeez!”

Graham nodded seriously and turned the attention to his booklet “Alright. Thirteen across. Ash, Peter, this one is for you. Squib who became a philosopher slash historian. Ten spaces, starts with p.”

“Plutarchos” both history enthusiasts chorused.

Helena cleared her throat and whispered harshly “Michelle incoming!”

“Hi Daniel! You were amazing, your tough stance on bullying is much appreciated” the muggleborn girls said happily.

“Yeah, hm, thanks” Daniel smiled with a bit of embarrassment at the praise.

Michelle's eyes glinted “Did you know that Chambers, the blonde ringleader you just caught, has a brother in Slytherin. Nasty bunch.”

“Thanks for the update” Helena rolled her eyes.

“Sure thing!” her roommate said brightly, not having seen the blonde' reaction, “Speaking of update…”

“Ugh, please do refrain yourself from spreading gossip” Helena sneered.

“Speak for yourself” Catlin made a shooing motion toward the heiress, “So Michelle, what did you find out?”

Michelle smiled conspiringly “Welll…”

“Ugh”

“Helena!”

“Come on!”

“Play nice” Saeko smirked.

“If it were you you'd just 'hn' and leave” Helena grumbled.

The ninja smirked “Hn.”

“You know what? Hn” the blonde said, stood up and left.

Graham chuckled “Charming.”

“Don't take it personally Michelle” Daniel rolled his eyes at Helena's retreating back.

Michelle chuckled “Please! I've been rooming with her for five years.”

“Yeah, that's tough” Caitlin nodded solemnly.

Peter waved at them impatiently “Hey, you're getting off track. I want the gossip.”

“Yeah, give us the dirt” Graham grinned.

“Wait!” Saeko smirked, “First, do you have anything on Helena?”

“Ooooooh!” the little poker group chorused and looked eagerly at the gossip queen of their year.

Michelle smirked “I might know somebody that has a huuuge crush on her.”

“No way!” Patrick exclaimed, eyes glinting, “Who? Who? Who?”

“Yeah, who's the masochist in question?” Graham said levelly.

“Connoly”

“Whaaa? Archibald the III. Connoly? That pompous idiot?” Peter exclaimed.

“Why do you think that?” Ashley arched an eyebrow.

Michelle laughed “He asked her to Hogsmeade.”

“That must've been hilarious” Graham chuckled.

“Oh, yeah” the curly-haired girl grinned, “Picture her usual snark and multiply it by ten. It was awesome!”

“So she shot Mr. Pudgy down? Good, she deserves better” Saeko nodded to herself.

“Indeed” Paddy said and then his smile turned wicked.

“Patrick?” Caitlin shook her head, “Whatever you're thinking? Bad idea.”

The boy fluttered his eyelashes innocently “Moi? I intend to do nothing.”

“She's gonna kill him”

“Yep”

“Here lays a guy who incurred a woman's wrath. May he rest in peace” Graham intoned.

“More like pieces” Saeko smirked.

“My thoughts exactly” Ash nodded.

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“Happy birthday!!!”

Lauren grimaced lightly at Saeko's volume level but replied “Thanks. I see you even brought cake.”

“Of course I did” the Uchiha said in a faux-offended tone, “This is one of the better British customs I have assimilated. Besides this is some kind of lemon cake which you told me you like and I can appreciate something that's not trying to rot my teeth at the mere sight of it.”

“And here you go again, disparaging fine English cuisine” Lauren chuckled.

Saeko made a face “If you mean the various brown, beige, green and weirdly yellow sludges than yes. Oh and don't forget that whitish one that you can't convince me it isn't vomit.”

“You don't like biscuits and gravy?” The Slytherin grinned widely.

“What was your first clue?”

Lauren chuckled “Very well, thank you for the cake, it is indeed my favorite. But since there is cake there must be presents, right?”

“Greedy woman” Saeko smirked and unsealed a wrapped up parcel. With another 'happy birthday' she gave it to the red-head.

“A book?” Lauren said, inspecting her gift before ripping up the paper.

 The ninja shrugged “I _am_ a Raven. But this is actually fiction, not a textbook.”

“Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja?” Laruen's eyebrows went up as she read the title.

Saeko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “It's not that good, it's the authors first book and it shows, but on the other hand it's a nice rendition of ninja life and its mercenary works.”

The Slytherin girl eyed her friend for a little while and then her gaze returned to the book “It's from Konoha?”

“Yeah, I got a translation spell for it but it should be alright”

After another short pause Lauren smiled warmly “Thank you.”

Saeko nodded “Well, just don't take everything in it too literally, it's still a piece of fiction. Not very good fiction. But it should give you some small insight and…”

“I said thank you. No rambling” the red-head smirked.

“Yeah, right. Sorry”

“The main character is male” Lauren said with a bit of disappointment as she quickly read the synopsis.

The Uchiha shrugged “Yeah. Naruto, the rival I told you a bit about? He's actually named after the main character.”

“Looks interesting. Thank you again”

“Soooo” Saeko perked up, “What else did you get? And how does it feel to be an adult at last?”

Lauren rolled her eyes “You turn seventeen in a few weeks, I'll keep you in suspense. As for my other gifts not a bad haul. Alexia got me a dress robe, Isolde an expensive writing set and Terrence a very nice book on the healing arts.”

When Lauren's expression turned sour Saeko cautiously inquired “What is it?”

The older girl sighed “Well, it was expected really. Since I turned seventeen my aunt informed me they have started searching for 'a good match for me'. On the bright side they might try to control me through marriage and not trying to get rid of me altogether.”

“You seem strangely calm about it” Saeko said, fully anticipating the reply. Still, venting is much better than bottling things up, ninjas should know.

Lauren let out a low growl “Calm? I'm fucking pissed! But that's not very productive now is it?”

“I imagine not”

“What do you fucking know, your brother is amazing” the red-head sneered.

Saeko did not take any offense, she merely shrugged “Itachi-nii is but our parents weren't.”

Lauren sighed and calmed down “You told me little about them, only that they died.”

“More like they were executed” the brunette shared a bit reluctantly. Lauren sat up straighter and looked at her friend in interest. Saeko sighed “Fugaku, my father, was the Head of the Uchiha clan which by itself is quite renowned for its ego but he really took the cake. Long story short he decided that Konoha would be better off if he was in charge and decided to organize a coup.”

“And he was caught” Lauren nodded.

The Uchiha nodded “Me and nii-san blew the whistle on it actually. Fugaku and his elder council were deemed traitors and executed for their actions.” Saeko censored who exactly had swung the blade.

“With you two being involved it meant that your father was a lone rogue and that he did not represent the whole clan” Lauren said sagely.

Saeko smiled weakly “Indeed. The Uchiha Clan had more or less escaped serious repercussions. Our reputation has taken a serious hit though, but nii-san it working on it hard.”

“And you as well, no doubt” the aspirant healer smiled, “But wouldn't this impact your chanced for the Hokage spot?”

“A bit” Saeko shrugged, “But I was the whistle blower - my brother and I showed that our loyalty to Konoha is beyond reproach. Also, this all isn't too much of a public knowledge.”

“How could it not be?” Lauren cocked her head to the side.

Saeko actually laughed out loud “I don't seem to recall the Heir's attack of last year featuring in the daily Prophet.”

“Touché”

“Still,” Saeko continued, “Everybody except the civilians more or less know but it's never spoken about. An open secret if you will.”

Lauren nodded “I understand. So your dad was a prick, huh?”

The raven summoner remembered how Fugaku killed his own wife, her mother, for the Mangekyō Sharingan when it looked like he'd need to fight them. Prick seemed an understatement. “Yep”

“I hope I won't sound too callous, but I envy you his state” Lauren rubbed her brow with a sigh.

“As in dead?”

“Indeed. At least now that I am of age I have more options. Bad news, so do they”

“You know,” Saeko said innocently, “I did offer you the services of Konoha. A permanent solution. You could even pay in installments if your family can hinder your access to Gringotts.”

Lauren laughed “Konoha - providing permanent solutions for temporary problems since… Since?”

“Since quite a few years” the kunoichi waved it off.

“Thanks for the offer but I'll deal with it alone” Lauren shook her head.

“Why? If you have qualms about the method just say so but that doesn't click with the rest you said” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“That's not it” Lauren shook her head, “It's my problem and I just want to deal with it by myself.”

Saeko gritted her teeth “Why? I'm offering help and it doesn't need to come from Konoha. I did a little research on your aunt and uncle via Helena and I know if anything, you were downplaying what's going on.”

“No, I can manage it alone” the Brit replied coldly.

“Of course you can, that's not the issue!” Saeko pressed, “You once said you wanted somebody who had your back, this is me having your back.”

While Lauren was struck speechless the jounin continued “I can drop it for now but worst comes to worst you could come to Konoha.”

“I seem to remember a lot of rules about that” Lauren said with a small smile, “Complete with the erasing of memories.”

Saeko nodded and explained hopefully “But if you wanted to get away from that shit altogether you could ask for asylum. That would mean a permanent relocation. It would be tough and you would lose the name Lewis but it is a possibility.”

Lauren took a breath to speak but Saeko steamrolled right though “Let me help you. I do care about you. And if you were to decide to stay here then I'd like to make sure you are free of your family's torment.”

“I… I'll think about it” the red-head replied earnestly. Seeing the Uchiha's frown she raised her hand up in a stopping motion “I'll think about it.”

“Alright”

After a little pause Lauren smiled “That was very sweet.”

Saeko grinned.

“So, this 'Utterly Gutsy Shinobi' is a favorite book of yours?” the birthday girl changed the subject.

As the two girls conversed on the new topic Saeko's goofy grin remained _“This went much better than expected. Much, much, much better.”_

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The weather was truly awful - the clouds blocked the sun completely, making it seem the game was to take place in the middle of the night, that coupled with the strong wind and the pouring rain made it for the truly worst conditions to play in.

“Do you think anybody else is coming?” Rodney asked as he looked behind him at the empty seats.

Cho sighed “I seriously doubt it. To be honest I'd rather be anywhere else too.”

“Such is the price we pay for being quidditch stars” Roger shrugged with a proud smile on his lips.

“Warmth and comfort?” Jaden grumbled and burrowed deeper into his fur-lined cloak.

Saeko chuckled “Yep. Be grateful for the heating charms.”

The chaser did not seem cheered “They don't help with the wind and rain in the slightest.”

“True,” Caitlin hummed, “I really don't envy the players.”

“Yeah,” Roger nodded, “Still can't believe Malfoy milked his injury this far.”

Saeko shrugged “To be fair if I had a handy excuse I'd petition to switch our games as well.”

“But Malfoy is 'injured' almost two months” Cho said scathingly.

The ninja smirked “And look, it is the Badgers that are playing instead of the Snakes.”

“Cunning indeed” James commented.

“I don't really care. The only thing that matters is that we are not the one to play today” Caitlin shrugged.

“I agree” Saeko nodded.

_“Aaand it's time, Ladies and Gentlemen!”_ the commentator's boomed over the rain, _“The first match of the season, this time featuring the brave Gryffindors and the loyal Hufflepuffs! If you noticed the absence of Slytherin that's alright, Mr Malfoy was being hysterical and…”_

“Jordan!” McGonagall reprimanded her student as usual.

_“My apologies, I am sure that scratch sustained the first week of school is very painful”_ Lee said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

“Mr Jordan” McGonagall said again, this time with much less heat, clearly agreeing with her Lion.

_“Aaanyway_ ” Lee continued, _“With the Slytherins being indisposed let me welcome the Hufflepuffs instead. Give a round of applause to Preece, Summerby, Applebee, Rickett, Kenyon, Fleet aaaand Diggory.”_

The Badgers dressed in canary yellow flied into the pitch and their housemates erupted in cheers, mostly at the seeker's name. Even in their bright coloring the players were difficult to see over the downpour.

“Ok, so I think the only player worth mentioning is Diggory. Do you agree?” Roger asked his Captain.

“Ugh, Diggory” Jaden scoffed.

“What about him” Cho bristled at her colleague's tone.

The boy shrugged “It's his following of fangirls I have a problem with.”

“Jealous?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“A bit” Roger chimed in.

“He loves the spotlight, thinks he's the shit” Jaden explained.

Saeko smirked “And don't tell me you wouldn’t love a horde of girls shouting 'Jaden, Jaden, he's our man. He can't do it no one can!”

The fourth year chaser stared into space all dreamy eyed until James elbowed him to shake him out of his reverie.

“Thought so” the Uchiha chuckled.

“Pig” Cho pursed her lips.

Jaden put his hands up in surrender “Hey, why am I a pig and Diggory isn't?”

_“And their opponents today will be the valiant Johnson, Bell, Spinnet, Wood, Weasley, Weasley aaaand Potter!”_ Jordan interrupted the conversation by introducing the Gryffindors. Seven blurs of scarlet flied into the pitch in response.

“Is there any real reason for us to be here? We can see shit” Jaden asked.

Saeko shrugged “Try.”

Roger peered through his water-proof binoculars “Jaden has a point, I can barely make out Hooch. I doubt even the players can hear her.”

True to his words the players took off without anyone hearing the sharp whistle. Caitlin sighed “At least they will be motivated to end this quickly.”

“Sure, but spotting the snitch in this is much harder than you seem to think” Cho said a bit morosely.

“But you could do it right?” Roger asked.

The Ravenclaw seeker rolled her eyes “Yeah, but not fast barring incredible luck.”

“Look at them, they can't even fly straight” Rodney remarked as he watched the game.

The rest of the Team turned their attention back to the happenings on the pitch. Lee's commentary was magically enhanced but he too only guessed how the game was going on. The only thing sure was that the score was still zero for both sides.

“Finally!” Jaden exclaimed when Johnson scored the first goal of the match.

“They adjusted to the wind, it should be more exciting from now on” James commented.

Cho shrugged “Let's hope.”

Applebee collided with his teammate, Rickett, in mid-air nearly unseating him off his broom. Caitlin chuckled “You were right, that was exciting.”

“This wind is really messing them up” Jaden commented.

As thunder rolled and lightening followed Roger hummed “That doesn't sound too safe.”

“I think the stands make for a more attractive target, the players should be fine” Saeko shrugged.

“The stands?” Rodney sat up straight, “Like what are we sitting in?”

“Relax” the Uchiha rolled her eyes, “We'll be fine too. Magic, remember?”

“Ok”

Cho nodded “The bludgers are really dangerous in this weather, I can't see them.”

“They blend well in the dark” James nodded.

“At least they are heavy enough not to be affected by the wind too much” Caitlin commented.

Roger frowned behind his binocular “Hey, I think the Gryffs are calling for a time-out.”

“Do you think they had some big genius idea? Because if it makes this game shorter I'm all for it” Jaden craned his neck to look at the huddled Lions.

Caitlin chuckled “I doubt it.”

Saeko frowned as she surveyed the Gryffindor's time-out “No way, this can't be right.”

“Cap?”

“They are charming Potter's goggles” the Uchiha growled, “I can't believe it. Wood is really incompetent if her let his seeker fly without the _impervius_ charm.”

“Maybe they are doing something else” Cho hummed.

“Any other charm would constitute cheating” Saeko said dismissively, “Dear Kami! And to be absolutely clear, if any of you forget to put charms on during rain I'll fan your flames of youth till you combust. Is that clear?”

The Ravenclaw eagles gulped, nodded and chorused obediently “Yes, Captain.”

“Good”

They resumed watching the game in silence even if their interest was waning - the most exciting thing was yet another collision, this time among the Gryffindors.

“Diggory, Diggory, Diggory!” Cho exclaimed and pointed at one of the yellow blurs.

Jaden rolled his eyes “What about him?”

“Snitch, you idiot!”

“Oh”

“Potter's catching up” Caitlin leaned forward eagerly.

Suddenly an eerie silence spread onto the pitch, followed by a different kind of cold. Saeko stood up and leaned onto the railing “Shit! Dementors!”

Then the Uchiha remembered how The-Boy-Who-Lived reacted to the Azkaban's guards and she returned her gaze back up just in time to see Harry staggering on his broom and then slowly falling off.

Someone from the teacher's stands shot a spell at Potter to slow his descent while Dumbledore cast a brilliant patronus to protect his students. Saeko could not really recognize the shape, only that it was vaguely bird-like.

Once the shock of the dementors wore off Hooch magicked a stretcher and levitated Harry onto it.

“ _Alright then, so that happened. Well, Hufflepuff wins I guess - 180 to 80_ ” was Lee's disheartened commentary as they all watched the Gryffindor seeker being carried from the field and the furious Headmaster stomping after the dementors.

Saeko sighed - why was it that almost every match Potter has causes him to land in the infirmary. She formed the appropriate hand seal and her kage bushin started her trek to Madame Pomfrey's domain for an all too familiar reason.

“Let's go get warm” the Captain ordered and stood up.

“Are you sure?” Rodney said in a higher pitch than usual, “What if the dementors are still there?”

“Dumbledore went ahead” James remarked, “It should be safe.”

“Hey genius,” Caitlin turned to the Uchiha prodigy, “Do you know the patronus charm?”

“Nope”

“Oh” the Irish chaser deflated, “I'm with Rodney then. We can endure the rain for a little bit longer.”

“Wuss” Saeko chuckled but before she could leave her three chasers dragged her down onto her seat. The ninja took one look at their plaintive expressions and sighed, “Alright, we'll stay.”

“Good captain” Caitlin patted her friend's head.

Saeko just rolled her eyes “Hn.”


	104. 6- 104 It Always Happens on Halloween

 

“ _Expecto Patronum_ ” Saeko murmured, trying to remember how she felt when she won her chuunin tournament. A silver mist erupted from her wand in reply.

“Damn” the Uchiha cursed. That shadow of a patronus would be as useful as a tissue paper if pitted against a dementor. She wracked her brain for another happy memory, the third one already. Saeko was determined to learn the spell, not only because his usefulness but also since Potter will be learning it too it would be a hit to her pride if she fell behind the third-year.

“ _Expecto patronum!”_ Saeko said more firmly and more mist came out. The ninja sighed, maybe she just wasn't a happy person. She was so sure she had it this time - she could remember with perfect clarity the first time Itachi told her after a spar she did very well and that he was proud of her. He even smiled, a rare thing during Fugaku's reign. She sighed in frustration “That was a perfect memory, what more do you want!””

“Do you want a list?” Lauren spoke, leaning on the doorframe, “Who are you talking to?”

“Magic” the jounin shrugged.

Lauren arched an eyebrow “I see. Does it talk back?”

“No” Saeko said morosely, “That's the problem.”

“Ah. Of course. What a bitch”

The Uchiha chuckled “Hey, I know we said we would study for Runes together but I really don't want to. How about knife throwing again, you're getting really good.”

Lauren smirked “Try amazing.”

Saeko arched an eyebrow in challenge “I'll tell you you're amazing at throwing when you'll manage to hit a moving target while running.”

“Phe. Bring it on” the Slytherin flicked her hair haughtily, “If Naruto can do it, so can I.”

“You finished the book?” Saeko asked in interest.

“Indeed” Lauren shrugged, “It wasn't bad, a bit sappy at times but not bad. Can you jump in the trees like a monkey too?”

The nin grinned “Sure thing, that's actually Konoha's staple move. It's amazing and rather freeing.”

“Yet I remain unconvinced” the Snake arched an eyebrow. When Saeko merely grinned she muttered under her breath “Monkeys.”

“Hey, the money is actually in the emblem of the current Hokage” Saeko chuckled, “The _saru_ in Sarutobi literally means monkey too.”

Lauren shrugged “At least the paper fan you've got going on is more dignified.”

“Right?” the Uchiha preened.

“Don't get too excited. I mean a paper fan near a fire? Not smart”

“It works. Plus I've looked at the Lewis' coat of arms at the Library and a hatchet? Hardly elegant” Saeko countered swiftly.

Lauren tapped her lower lip “I don't know, put a hatchet against a fan and let's see which wins.”

“Our flames melt can melt any axe”

“You mean the flames from the fan that caught fire?” the red-head asked smartly.

Saeko crossed her arms “How about we abandon this line of conversation?”

“I agree. Truce then” Lauren nodded.

“Sooo, any thoughts about the book? Besides the monkey hopping that is” the scarred brunette asked expectantly.

“Nothing you'd answer I wager” Lauren shrugged, “Just tell me, how old is this book?”

Saeko had to admire how her friend selected the most pertinent of questions out of the myriad she had to have. She shrugged in pretend nonchalance “A few years.”

“Recent then, not feudal Japan” Lauren nodded to herself, “A fair depiction of current affairs?”

“Not that far off”

“Intriguing” the Brit hummed, “So daimyos, ninjas and samurai?”

“Rule” Saeko nodded. A beat later she erupted in laughter “Both meanings. At least the ninja - the ninja definitely rule!”

“Hmm. I read up on Japan when we started talking and nowhere was it written, well, this”

The Uchiha shrugged “Naturally. Ninja remember - all cloak and dagger?”

“Of course. Which begs another question - why are you here at Hogwarts?”

Saeko shrugged again “To learn. Truly. But I do accept a contract here and there from Minister Fudge. And Dumbledore is paying me to keep an eye on Harry Potter.”

“Figures. But Fudge?”

“It means he doesn't cause problems for us here in Britain”

“Makes sense. But it's hard to picture an idiot like him ordering assassinations” Lauren frowned and looked appraisingly at Saeko.

“He doesn't” the jounin shrugged, “He's got limited access. We are keeping a very low profile here.”

“And how do you know Fudge won't babble?”

“Ninja magic”

“Cool” Lauren hummed. Then she drew her throwing knife, the one that Saeko gave her when she took up the hobby “The book spoke of kunai, not knives. Gimme.”

Saeko chuckled “I don't have one on me right now. Sorry. Maybe a couple of shuriken will satisfy you?”

“I'll try them out”

“Careful, they're really sharp. And the throwing technique is much different” the brunette cautioned and unsealed the projectiles.

“Ouch!” Lauren exclaimed in pain and brought her bloody fingers to her mouth.

Saeko sighed in exasperation “What did I _just_ say?”

The red-head rolled her eyes and swiftly healed her hand “Show me how this works.”

Saeko chucked and drew her own wand to manufacture a suitable target. Then with a pointed look she _carefully_ took the shuriken and proceeded to show the academy throwing technique. Once she repeated the motion several times she gave the metal stars back to Lauren.

After a few tries the witch hummed “I think I prefer the knife. And I get why you keep your gloves on now.”

“Nah, I'm a trend-setter” the Uchiha made a show of adjusting her black gloves.

Lauren smirked “As long as you know that people take it as a contributing factor to your overall weirdness.”

Saeko shrugged and went to retrieve the weapons for another round.

After several minutes of shurikenjutsu spent in silence Lauren spoke up “I've been thinking.”

“About?”

The red-head fell silent again for a few moments, enough to attempt some more throws. Finally she spoke again “I'll have provisions in place, of course, but if my family succeeds in either marrying me off or getting rid of me altogether I'd rather have dated before.”

Saeko arched an eyebrow, not really sure if she should be happy or offended by the implication “Yeeees?”

The red-head rolled her eyes “What I am saying is that if you asked me out again I'd probably say yes.”

“Probably?”

“Probably.”

Saeko grimaced, deciding on offended “Hn. So I am to be your last hurray? The one you'll allow to date you? Wow, lucky me.”

Lauren sighed and rubbed her brow, trying to find the right words “That's not what I meant. I had reservations before, reservations which have been now rendered moot.”

“Romantic” was the dry response.

“I'm not going to woo you” the Snake allowed a slight smirk.

“And now I want to be wooed” Saeko joked but then turned serious again “I like you, you know that. I want to date you and you know that too, but I actually want a relationship, not some 'meh, might as well'.”

Lauren shook her head and bit her lower lip in a self-deprecating manner, fully aware her sentiment wasn't coming out as intended “That's not it. I told you before you are a prime candidate but your inability of being long term was the main issue of me shooting you down.”

“I invited you to Konoha. That is a big, big deal among my people” the Uchiha crossed her arms before her and frowned.

Lauren nodded energetically “Exactly. And you had my back when I whined about my family last week. Now that my future is even more uncertain than before… no, that's a lie - it was always uncertain, it's just getting closer…” The red-head sighed and returned on track “What I mean to say, hell, you know what I mean to say.”

“But it'd be nice to actually hear it” the ninja cocked her head to the side.

Lauren frowned “I'm not known to be overly emotional.”

“I dunno, I saw you plenty angry” the ninja retorted.

“Emotions betray vulnerability. I don't like being vulnerable”

“Who does” Saeko snorted.

“But I trust you”

The scarred brunette smiled. Knowing this was rather big for Lauren she decided to shelf the subject for a little while and simply asked “Will you go on a date with me then?”

“Yes” Lauren said with a small smile.

…

…

“You can stop dancing any time now” Lauren chuckled even as she shook her head at the ninja's antics.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The common room was pretty empty - it was the first day since long time the weather was decent and it was the Hogsmeade weekend to boot so most of the Tower's occupants went out.

Helena and Saeko were among those few who decided to stay indoors. The blonde heiress was reading a tome on potions that was almost falling apart because of its age while Saeko was comfortably lying on a sofa nearby. Her first idea was to take a nap after her workout in the summoning realm but even if tired, her body was too accustomed to her routine to allow her to sleep.

“Ok, enough. I want to know” Helena suddenly exclaimed and closed her book with a snap, cursing under her breath when fine dust came out of it in response.

Saeko opened one eye and looked questioningly at her friend “Hn?”

The blonde rolled her eyes “You've been uncharacteristically happy since the day before yesterday. Like in public. Even happier than Graham and Paddy and that's saying something since they both managed to score a date to Hogsmeade.”

“Yeah, they wouldn't shut up about it” the ninja chuckled.

“Indeed, but that's not the point I was trying to make”

“Hn?”

“Stop being difficult and just tell me” Helena sighed.

“Nope” Saeko smirked. She _was_ happy but she decided not to tell her friends about her progress with Lauren yet. Maybe after a few dates. Hell, at least the first one so she can be sure this was actually feasible. Despite it being the Hogsmeade weekend both girls agreed having their first date there would be just tacky.

“You're staring into space again” Helena warned, “Soon they will start to compare you to Loony over there.”

Saeko turned her head to see Luna Lovegood staring dreamily at nothing at all. The Uchiha gulped “Point taken, I don't think even I could get away with it.”

“ _Even_ you?”

“Top student, quidditch star and overall awesome gal. Get on with the program”

“Ah. My bad” the blonde chuckled, “So, will you tell me what is making you smile like a fool?”

“No. Please don't pry” Saeko said seriously, knowing all too well her friend would not take long to guess the right answer.

Helena arched an eyebrow but relented “Alright. So, what do you think about Snape and his DADA teaching style?”

“He's good. I would not mind at all if he got that class permanently” the sharingan user hummed, “That said I preferred Deirdre's emphasis on dueling.”

“I actually like Snape better, didn't expect it though” Helena shared, “But his lessons seem more real. Dueling is fine but it felt like a game, Snape though… True dark creatures, murderers with twisted psyche, revolting curses. It's scary but needed.”

“Dueling can be playing but it can also be very, very real. When pit against said dark creature or against the murdered who likes to torture his victims and what not, you need the skill with a wand that comes from dueling” the ninja countered.

“I'd rather win smart than with brute force. Information - where to hit, when to run and hide and so on”

“Naturally best is to have both”

“Naturally” the blonde nodded.

Saeko chuckled “Snape is a good teacher. At least in DADA he can relax a bit, not watching out for potential disasters that would kill somebody or blow up the school.”

“Agreed. Though, I could do it without him giving out homework if he's just the sub”

“It's still Snape” the jounin shrugged in explanation.

“True” Helena chuckled and reopened her book.

Saeko hummed and returned to her not-really-napping. After a while she gave up on sleep completely and started meditating instead.

Since it was afternoon and getting late, people started arriving, disturbing the peace and quiet of the Tower.

Helena sighed “I'll go read upstairs.”

“Hn. I'll stay here. Collect me for the feast”

“Ok, but when the rest arrives they'll bug you” the blonde heiress warned.

“Hn”

“Or you can do that until they leave” Helena nodded and left.

X

“Wakey, wakey Saeko! It's dinner time!” Ashley declared.

“Hn”

“Nope, Helena said to wake you now so…” the pinkette paused dramatically and then sat onto the Uchiha.

“Gaaa!” Saeko exclaimed and shoved her roommate from her stomach “I thought your plan was to get food _in_ me, not _out_!”

“Meh, either works” Ash shrugged.

Daniel chuckled “You know Ash and Peter always go crazy on Halloween.”

“Yeah” the ninja grumbled and reluctantly stood up.

“What is taking so long?” Peter exclaimed from beside the Common Room's exit, “Let's go! I asked and the ghosts are doing a show again!”

“So impatient” Daniel shook his head and the group made its way towards the Great Hall.

As they descended they noted more and more decorations as well as progressively squeakier suits of armor. Finally the Great Hall, decked in black and orange in what Helena dubbed 'muggle style', was already full of students, everybody anticipating the feast.

During her usual flash-check of the room Saeko paused her gaze at the very grumpy Harry Potter and his raven shadow on the window behind the Gryffindor table. The-Boy-Who-Lived still seemed bummed out he could not join his friends at Hogsmeade.

The ghosts showed up right after the fist courses, the Bloody Baron actually emerging from the Hufflepuff table. After the shrieking Badger girls were calmed down the show started up in the earnest. As usual most applause was given at Nearly Headless Nick's reenactment of his own botched execution.

“Man, I'm stuffed!” Graham declared.

“I don't know, I might try some more pie” Paddy eyed the dessert in question contemplatively.

Daniel made a face “If you puke in our room you'll be forever banned from it. After you clean it up that is.”

“Meanie”

“You might want to grab it to go. I think the feast is just about over” Caitlin nodded towards Dumbledore who was indeed standing up to deliver his speech.

Before the Headmaster began, the leftovers and plates disappeared. Patrick looked mournfully at the place he last saw his prize “My pie!”

“Bummer” Peter said cheerfully and turned to listen to the speech.

Once Dumbledore bid them all good night Patrick growled “Pie stealer.”

Everybody ignored him. Ashley hummed “I'm glad the dementors stayed away, they might be scary but they just aren't Halloween material.”

“Dumbledore would have a fit if they came” Saeko shrugged.

Graham shivered theatrically “Me too.”

As the little poker group made their way up to their Tower, ironically making plans for a game, Saeko felt a tug in her summoning tattoo. She quickly made an excuse and rushed to the other side of the Castle towards the Gryffindor's residence.

The ninja arrived just in time to see the Lions stuck outside their Common Room, unable to get inside since the portrait of The Fat Lady had deep slashes on it and the Lady in question was nowhere to be seen. Dumbledore and some of the other professors were near the portrait, interrogating Peeves.

“Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black” the poltergeist said in poorly disguised glee.

Everybody fell silent for a beat, digesting the information, and then shrieks and murmurs erupted from the students. Only Dumbledore's booming voice managed to get them to shut up. After a short discussion among the teachers the students were sent back to the Great Hall under escort.

Saeko herself was confused - Sirius Black, a simple wizard, had managed to infiltrate Hogwarts while the castle was under ninja protection. She knew Hayama had a skilled Hyuuga on his team and they still let the criminal though.

The Gryffindors were soon joined by their peers from the other Houses which looked bewildered at the purple sleeping bags Dumbledore conjured them to sleep in. The Lions immediately shared the reason for the school-wide sleepover, triplicating the panic.

“Settle down, settle down!” McGonagall ordered, “The teachers will conduct a thorough search of the Castle. Everybody stay here. Prefects, you're in charge, please follow the Head Body and Girl's instructions. You have nothing to fear. Everybody grab a sleeping bag and try to get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, the matter will be resolved.”

“But it's early!” one Slytherin shouted.

The Scottish professor pursed her lips “Maybe the extra sleep will help improve your performance in my class Mr. Montgomery.”

As the students obliged with McGonagall's instructions Saeko made a _kage bushin_ to take her place among the sixth year Ravenclaws. The original snuck outside the Hall and went looking for Dumbledore and/or the Konoha team.

She found Hayama and the rest back at the crime scene. To facilitate matters she _henged_ into Yuuko, only swapping her T &I uniform for the standard jounin kit. Hayama's eyes narrowed for a millisecond but then greeted grimly “Commander.”

The rest of the Konoha contingent followed suit. Saeko nodded “What happened, how did he get in?”

Snape sneered “He was always a slippery bastard, knew the School extremely well too. Not to mention he could have gotten…”

“Severus” Dumbledore said mildly, “We have discussed this. Nobody helped Mr. Black break into Hogwarts.”

“If you say so” the potions master shrugged. Then he noticed another teacher walking towards the group “Speaking of…”

Lupin eyes the ninja with a frown, his gaze pausing on their obvious weapons, but then he turned to the Headmaster “I have mobilized the ghosts and the portraits for the search. Mister Filch and some of the House Elves are checking the secret passages as well.”

“Excellent” Dumbledore nodded.

“Pardon me,” the only Hyuuga spoke up, “But this Castle is riddled with secret passages. If the target is as knowledgeable as you seem to think it would be very easy to evade pursuit. Maybe even forever. Even with my range I can't see some of their exits.”

“Who are you again?” Snape crossed his arms.

“We are here on behalf of the Ministry” Saeko answered swiftly.

“I thought that was what the dementors are for”

“No dementor shall set foot into this school while I'm Headmaster” Dumbledore said with uncharacteristical heat. Then he took a calming breath “Hayama-san, please check the Grounds and we will start with the Castle proper. Pay particular attention to those secret passages your colleague mentioned.”

“Yes, sir” the shinobi nodded and the Konoha group jumped onto the moving staircase two floor lower.

When they were out of hearing range Saeko sighed, now this was a matter of pride. But hey, with byakugan on your side, how difficult could it be to find a wizard shaped cluster of energy. Black might've evaded them once but that as high as then number was going to get.

As they stepped outside the ninja shared a look, the hunt was on.


	105. 6- 105 Hunters and Prey

 

Saeko was rushing to meet Lauren at their usual place - she hadn't expected having to make a detour to the bathroom but she needed to make herself more presentable after her training. After the Black fiasco she worked harder than ever. She was no tracker, she was happy to leave that to the professionals, but she still took her team's failure to locate Black personally and resolved to train more. Also she had combed the Library for any and all kind of tracking spells to cover her most obvious weakness.

“Why are you so grumpy? Here I thought a date with me, at least the first one, would be a happy occasion” Lauren arched an eyebrow questioningly.

“Gomen, it's just the Black situation from the day before yesterday” Saeko sighed and then smiled, “I am more than happy to be with you here now.”

“Aww, the big bad ninja was bested by the local criminal element?” the Slytherin teased.

“Hn”

Lauren chuckled “I would say I'm sorry to hear that but I'm strangely comforted by it.”

“Lovely” Saeko said dryly.

“But you didn't encounter him or anything, right?” the pureblood said in a serious tone, “The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black is known for their aptitude in dark magic and their unparalleled library.”

Saeko shook her head “I did not, that's the problem.”

“Don't seek him out” Lauren said sternly, “He's dangerous.”

The Uchiha smiled “I love that you're worried about me.”

“Isn't that how this dating thing works?” Lauren asked with a ladylike shrug.

“Indeed” Saeko grinned. She would have never expected her interest to be such a tsundere, outwardly dismissive but caring all the same. It was surprising but rather endearing.

The red-head hummed and changed the subject “So, how did your friends react upon you finally securing a date with me? I admit I was surprised I was not cornered by O'Shea during yesterday's Care for Magical Creatures.”

“I didn't tell them”

The Slytherin cocked her head to the side “Why?”

“This is a first date and so much of this is still unsure”

Lauren smiled briefly yet brilliantly “Thank you.”

 “You are not a conquest” Saeko smiled as well.

The pureblood nodded “Smooth. Very smooth, now I get why you have girls swooning over you.”

“But you're not swooning” Saeko pouted exaggeratedly.

“I'm swooning on the inside”

“It'll have to do. But I'm prepared to catch you” the brunette grinned.

“You just want to cop a feel” Lauren smirked.

“Might've crossed my mind”

The Slytherin chuckled “Does dating you also mean I have to support the Eagles instead of my own House at quidditch?”

“Since when do you support Snakes at quidditch? I thought you didn't really care for the sport” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“True” Lauren shrugged, “But now you are obligated to win - I don't date losers.”

Saeko laughed and nodded “The Snakes won't know what hit them. Figuratively I mean, because it will be a bludger.”

“Good. And take special care of Malfoy, will you? His imitating Potter and dementors is quite tedious”

“He's still doing that?” the raven summoner blinked in surprise.

“Unfortunately” Lauren sighed, “Only his two gorillas are still laughing, though.”

“Hn”

”My sentiments exactly,” the healer nodded. After a beat of comfortable silence Lauren looked around the abandoned classroom they were in “You know, this date is the same as any of our outings.”

“The routine is disrupted by you being a friend beforehand. We already know each other” Saeko shrugged, “But I'm hoping for a goodnight kiss, that'd be new.”

The pureblood hummed “True. Why wait though, let's get it over with.”

“Get it over with? Charming” Saeko chuckled, not offended in the least.

“I might be a mite nervous” Lauren said stiffly.

The ninja smiled genuinely and approached her date “Don't be.”

“Oh wow, and suddenly I'm not” the Slytherin rolled her eyes, “You must be a witch!”

Saeko replied by gently placing her lips on Lauren's, silencing her in the process. When no shove came her way she pressed a bit harder and this time actually kissing. Lauren's eyes closed as she reciprocated the slow movement. When the red-head finally relaxed into her hold Saeko moved her hand to cup Lauren's cheek and let her tongue slide briefly against the pureblood's.

Lauren hummed appreciatively and with a slightly breathy voice that made the jounin grin shared her verdict “Surprisingly pleasant. I guess I wouldn't be averse to doing that again.”

“Good” Saeko resisted fist-pumping in victory and connected their lips once more instead.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

Saeko surveyed her team with satisfaction - all their sapphire uniforms were immaculate, goggles on and charmed and their new brooms at the ready. The weather seem cooperative too as it was overcast with a very light drizzle going on. From the tunnel that lead to the Pitch proper the team could hear the usual cheers and caws of their fans, making them all smile with pride.

“Alright people, this is it” the Uchiha started her pre-game speech, “We trained for this and we are ready. There is no doubt in my mind that today we will emerge victorious as always. Besides, we creamed them last year and that was with way worse brooms.”

“Hell yeah!” Roger exclaimed.

Caitlin nodded and then patted the nervous Rodney who stood beside her “Don't worry, you'll do great.”

“Just like in training” Saeko smiled supportively.

“Let's do this!” Cho grinned, “And let's give Malfoy a real injury to complain about!”

“GO EGLES!” the Ravenclaw team exclaimed in unison and mounted their brooms, waiting for Lee Jordan to announce them.

_“… will be playing against the champions of five-and-half times in a row… the RAVENCLAWS! Under the captainship of Uchiha we have Halder, Carter, O'Shea, Davies, Byrd aaaand Chang!”_

The blue-clad quidditch players shot into the field, soaking up the applause and the rest of the noise their housemates made in support of their team. Aside the customary caws the wind picked up a veritable rain of pure white feathers and carried it into the field - a new feature introduced by the inventive older-years, no doubt transfigured leaves or something similar.

When the feathers touched the grass the Eagles did as well, positioning themselves in semi-circle opposite the Slytherin team. Saeko dismounted and with her broom in hand approached Marcus Flint.

Madam Hooch nodded and motioned them to shake hands. After the usual power-play, known also as I-will-try-to-crush-your-hand, the referee spoke clearly “I want a clean game out of you.”

“Sure thing” the Uchiha said brightly while her Slytherin counterpart just grunted.

“Alright, mount your brooms” Hooch ordered and brought the whistle to her lips.

_“And it's on! Byrd wins the quaffle and quickly passes it to O'Shea. Oho! Are those new brooms I'm seeing? The Snakes better watch out!”_

Saeko grinned and twirled her bat, eager to prove those words right.

The usual strategy of the Eagles was to go rather easy on their opponent at first, maybe even lull them into a false sense of security, and then suddenly come down to them as a ton of bricks. This time though, they were aggressive from the very beginning and the primary target - Malfoy.

The blonde third-year that caused the whole reshuffling of the quidditch matches was caught completely unaware when bludger after bludger was sent his way. In response one of the Slytherin beaters was made Malfoy's personal guard, leaving their chasers half-exposed to Saeko and Rodney's whims as they did everything to keep the bludgers in their possession and aimed at the Snakes.

_“120 to 40! This is going fast, ladies and gentlemen! The Slytherins really need to step up their game if they want to avoid humiliation, let alone win_ ” Lee took great pleasure in announcing.

Flint seemed to take his words to heart and motioned to his beater to leave Malfoy to his own devices for the moment and both of his attackers to target Cho Chang in retaliation.

It wasn’t an unexpected play so Saeko and Rodney knew exactly what to do. Besides, Cho was an amazing flyer and her lessons with the ninja only enhanced her agility. Long story short, she was flying circles around the Slytherin beaters while the Ravens demolished the opposing seeker.

“Time out!” Flint called out in rage towards the referee who whistled in two short bursts.

The two teams landed. Saeko's eyes immediately sought Rodney and smiled “Excellent work on keeping them on their toes. But now we have to change strategy.”

“Good” Cho sighed, “This was getting really scary.”

Saeko nodded “Don't worry about a thing, we will take care of them. Your only duty now is finding the snitch.”

“We will be on a defensive then?” Roger asked.

“For a little while, we have a nice cushion of points so the main objective is to keep them from scoring. Don't rush for the goal, just keep the quaffle in the game” the scarred brunette instructed.

The three chasers nodded in understanding.

Another sharp whistle reverberated through the field, signalizing the end of the time-out. Saeko nodded towards her team and they all made their way back to Madame Hooch.

While they were still out of earshot Saeko murmured to her partner “And you be especially careful - you're the new guy and you made them look stupid. They'll try something.”

“I'll be ready” Rodney nodded in determination even as his voice shook slightly.

Madame Hooch looked at both teams and nodded “All mount! Ready, set….”

At her whistle the two teams rose into the air once more. True to Saeko's predictions, Flint and his team switched to a much more aggressive tactics - the focus was not on scoring but to hit the Ravens so hard they'd have problems in later game.

“Shit! Rodney!” Saeko who just broke a dangerous chaser play meant to take out Caitlin, shouted in alarm - her partner caught a bludger right into his face while deflecting the second one away from Chang.

“I'm alright” the third-year replied weakly as blood spurted from his nose and around the hand he bought to it.

The Uchiha nodded “They broke your nose so I'll break their legs. Which one was it? Bole?”

“Uh-uh”

With a new target in mind Saeko twirled her bat again. She would need to come closer, point blank range preferable. It was such a pity she could not use her full bag of ninja tricks, it would've been so satisfying to blast the Slytherins with a dragon made of fire. Instead she rallied her teammates to execute her revenge plan.

Rodney, Jaden and Roger cornered their target while Saeko used her bloodline to make sure her chakra-enhanced hit connected.

Unfortunately Bole was a veteran with sharp reflexes and parried the blow, not having a chance to do anything else. The blow sent him several meters backwards, him barely holding onto his broom. His beater's bat fared much more poorly - when the bludger disconnected, the bat simply gave up and crumbled into pieces.

By sheer luck the second bludger came flying towards Rodney who took great pleasure in sending him Bole's way. This time with nothing to defend himself with and still staring at the remnant of his bat, Bole caught the black bludger into his side.

Saeko flew after the first of the bludgers, stealing it right under her opponent's nose, and targeted Bole for the third time - the todomé.

“Mwehhahaha! Take that!” Rodney shouted at Bole who came spiraling down.

“Some decorum Rodney!” Saeko shouted after her partner.

“Tell that to my still bleeding nose!”

“Hn” the jounin acquiesced to his point and went in bludger pursuit once more.

It didn't take long to the match to turn into a bloody battle. When Saeko avenged Rodney, Flint avenged Bole by trying to injure Roger who in turn took it out on Malfoy. It spiraled from there to the point that Hooch shouted at them to forget grudges and focus on scoring.

Well, at least the fans seemed entertained.

Finally, after one of the longest quidditch matches of few years, Cho managed to tear herself away from the carnage to spot the fluttering golden orb that would mean victory.

_“Chang has done it, ladies and gentlemen!”_ Lee's voice boomed, “ _Ravenclaw WINS! 360 to 90! What an amazing score and what an amazing match. Not much finesse, mind you, but full of twist and turns!”_

As the commentator continued with his job both pretty battered teams landed heavily onto the grass. Hooch shot them all a withering glare while doing the 'I'm watching you' gesture'.

“Well, I guess we deserved that” Jaden said tiredly, too exhausted to even cheer at their victory.

“Meh, I've seen worse. I mean Australia during the last Cup? That was a meatgrinder” Roger shrugged.

Rodney nodded but immediately bought his hand to his nose “Mind if we go to Pomfrey now? It really hurts.”

Saeko unsheathed her wand “I'll take care of it. Sorry for not being there.”

“I handled it badly” the second-year said self-deprecatingly as Saeko fixed his face.

“You were excellent, you could hardly tell it was your first match” the Uchiha praised, “Everybody - good job. Now let's get patched up by a professional.”

“And party! I missed those last year”

“Well, partying with several almost-corpses in the infirmary would've been be just bad form”

“Right”

X

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Saeko and the rest of the quidditch team entered into their Common Room, enjoying the cheers once more.

Before the ninja could even grab a drink she was approached by Ash and the rest of the little poker group. Maybe approached wasn't the best word, assaulted might fit better.

“You and Lauren - SPILL!” the pinkette asked, eyes gleaming.

“Hn?” was Saeko's slightly unsure answer.

“She was at the stands. With us!”

“Hn?”

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

_The sixth year Ravens made their way to their usual quidditch stands, looking forward to their fist match of the season. They were almost at their usual seats when Graham held up the line “Huh, guys?”_

_“What's up?” Paddy asked, still grinning from a joke Peter told._

_“Lauren?” Daniel asked in surprise._

_The red-head half-turned towards them and nodded “Good morning.”_

_“eeeh” Paddy started. Lauren rolled her eyes at his eloquence and turned back to face the pitch._

_The Ravens all looked at each other in question. The Ashley ventured “You know, this is a Ravenclaw stand? The snakes are over there.”_

_“I know, I was clued in by the blue flags and such” the Slytherin said dryly, “Although I do not know what a Mexican flag is doing here.”_

_Peter looked up at the flag he was carrying “It's not a Mexico flag, see the colors are different. But yeah, we copied the eagle tearing apart the snake. Like the match?”_

_“And why is the eagle still sitting on a cactus if it wasn't meant to be a Mexican flag?”_

_The boy shrugged “Alright, we copied it, only changed the background to pale blue. Satisfied?”_

_“Ecstatic” Lauren said in an even drier tone._

_“Never mind that” Ashley said and shoved her childhood friend into a seat to get a better access to Lewis. Then she asked, eyes glinting “Whatcha doing? Are you here to support a certain beater perhaps?”_

_Lauren returned her gaze to the pitch and answered matter-of-factly “Yes.”_

_“Oooooooh!” the pinkette grinned and winked at the stoic Lauren._

**_*Flashback End*_ **

****

“Tell me you didn't annoy her too much” Saeko pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Weeeeell” Ashley started.

“We did need to get the info” Daniel shrugged unrepentantly.

“Oh Kami” the Uchiha put her head into her palms.

Paddy grinned “If it helps she was really into the game.”

“Yeah, especially when blood was flying around” Graham shivered, “You might be a good fit after all.”

“So, it's official?” Caitlin asked eagerly, “You're dating her?”

Saeko grinned and nodded. To be perfectly honest she did not expect Lauren 'outing' them to their friends, especially so soon, but she was rather excited about it. Maybe this could work after all. Was it wrong that she began to hope Lauren will give her family the finger and move to Konoha?

Definitely.

Oh, boy.

“Why are you suddenly looking horrified?” Daniel arched an eyebrow.

* * *

**Library**

“Yo, Potter” Saeko greeted the Boy-Who-Lived who was perusing the DADA section, “Looking up the _patronus_ perhaps?”

Harry blushed in embarrassment and gritted his teeth “Yes.”

“I'm actually here to return this book” Saeko handed over the book she used for her own anti-dementor studies.

“Oh” Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Thanks.”

“No worries”

Potter cleared his throat and looked at the floor “Do you have trouble with the dementors too?”

“Doesn't everyone? But no, they don't seem to affect me the way they do you”

“Yeah” Harry sighed, “Well, at least with the beatdown you dished Malfoy at quidditch he should stop bothering me about it.”

Saeko chuckled “He's rather irritating, isn't he. I heard that he took that hippogriff that scratched him to court.”

“Buckbeack” the third-year nodded solemnly.

“Blondie really needs a new hobby”

The-Boy-Who-Lived laughed bitterly “Too true.”

“Harry!”

Saeko and Harry both turned to look at Hermione Granger who was clutching a large book. Both of them nodded “Hey.”

Hermione nodded back but her eyes immediately zeroed on Harry “We need law books, not DADA. The last thing we need is to show that Buckbeak is more dangerous than he is!”

“Why are you looking up laws?” the Uchiha asked, even though she had an idea.

“We need to save Buckbeak!” the bushy haired Gryffindor declared heatedly.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Sound like something his owner and his attorney should do. Not third-year Hogwarts students.”

“We're just helping out” Hermione defended.

The ninja shrugged disinterestedly “Sure, friendship is magic.”

“Hmm, what?” Harry arched an eyebrow.

“Is that a My Little Pony reference?” Hermione crossed her arms.

“Who knows”

The Lion girl arched an eyebrow “I'm pretty sure it is.”

“Good for you”

“Eeh?” Harry said unsurely, “Little lost here?”

“Nevermind” Saeko chuckled, “Well, good luck with your hippogriff issue. Bye.”

“Bye”

Saeko turned to return to her study group, passing a very surly Weasley along the way. When she reached the study table Daniel and Caitlin were at she tossed the book she had in her hand “I found it.”

Daniel caught the book and immediately opened it “Thank you.”

“Sure. Hey, did you know the golden trio is looking to represent that hippogriff? I just spoke with Potter and Granger”

“Cool” Daniel said absent-mindedly, his focus on the Defense book.

Caitlin rolled her eyes “Let's hope it will shake Hagrid out of is funk, because his lessons are boring.”

“I dunno,” Daniel hummed, “Just last week the Monster Book of Monster actually ate my homework.”

The girls broke into laughter, calming down only when Madame Pince shot them a warning glare. Saeko nodded, still grinning “Yeah, that was hilarious.”

“Not for me”

“Speaking of Granger,” Caitlin returned to the prior topic, “While I was tutoring the third-year locusts they told me that she actually attends **all** the electives.”

Daniel frowned “Don't they overlap?”

“Precisely!”

While both Brits mulled it over, Saeko who already knew the answer questioned instead “She's taking Muggle Studies even though she's muggleborne?”

“Seems so. Little overachieving bitch” Caitlin spat out.

Daniel blinked “Harsh.”

“Because of her we don't have a full-Raven Number 1's parade” the chaser explained.

“Well, at least the 2nd years picked up the slack” Saeko shrugged.

“You know,” Daniel drawled out slyly, “I wonder if Granger was in our year, would the mighty Uchiha still be Number One?”

Saeko held her hand to her chest and gasped dramatically “Of course!” _Because, let's face it - little girl versus ninja._

“She better not, Saeko here would be fully capable of arranging an 'accident' if that were to be the case” Caitlin snorted.

The scarred brunette smirked “What a dangerous subject Potions, eh?”

“Scary” Daniel shook his head with a smile.

“Uchiha!”

The Ravenclaws turned to see Isolde Sheehan and Alexia Fleming. Caitlin whispered from a corner of her mouth “Those are Lauren's friends right?”

“Uh-uh” Daniel nodded.

Caitlin grinned and slapped Saeko's back “Good luck!”

“Hn”

The two Snakes crossed their arms at the same time and tapped the floor with their foot identically. Daniel's eyes went wide and he started collecting his books and parchments as if a natural disaster was inbound “Yep, good luck!”

“Hn” the Uchiha said even if she agreed with her friends - this had the potential to go quite badly.

Saeko stood up to follow the two Slytherin girls all the while ignoring Daniel and Caitlin's dramatically impassioned goodbyes.


	106. 6- 106 The New Normal

 

“We should tell her, right?” Graham whispered.

Caitlin looked at Helena once again “We should, thank you for volunteering.”

“Na-ah, I'm not doing it, just look at her!”

“Daniel?”

“Nope” the bespectacled boy shook his head.

“You're a prefect, it's practically your job”

“What is?” Saeko joined her friends suspiciously huddled in a corner.

Caitlin carefully pointed at Helena. The ninja looked past her chaser to see Helena sitting in a chair with a high back casually stroking Balthazar, her black cat, all the while sipping her tea from a delicate porcelain cup.

“She looks like a movie supervillain, right?” Graham asked.

“Ready to take over the world” Daniel nodded.

“She's definitely plotting something” Caitlin agreed.

“Who is?” Paddy asked as he joined the group. The Ravens pointed behind them. Paddy looked and exclaimed “Holy shit!”

“I know, right!”

Daniel hummed “Does she know it's only Charms we have to go to.”

Saeko laughed loudly. Her friends all shushed her frantically. Graham shook the ninja “She'll hear you!”

The jounin laughed again “You know, before I started Hogwarts I worried I'd miss the insanity of Konoha. Hah, weird right? Come on, we need to get going.”

“You approach her then”

“Sure” Saeko shrugged, “Hey where is Ash and Pete by the way?”

“Went ahead. Using the free period to work on some History research in the Library”

“Fun” the scarred brunette hummed and skipped towards the Grey heiress. “Ohayō!”

Helena looked up and smiled brilliantly “Good morning!”

“It really seems so” Saeko arched an eyebrow at the unusual cheer.

“I got some new tea in,” the blonde replied happily, “It's fantastic!”

“That's it?”

“Indeed. Plus the weather is marvelous and I slept really well. It's simply a perfect day”

“Cool,” Saeko smiled, “Just do me a favor and do a maniacal laugh. One of the really creepy ones, that would make _my_ day.”

“Why?” Helena asked suspiciously.

“Please”

“That would be hardly appropriate. Not to mention embarrassing” the pureblood said haughtily.

“Please”

“No”

“What about a cackle then?”

“Still no”

“Chortle?”

“Are you high?” Helena arched her eyebrows.

Saeko chuckled “No. Okay so the dumbasses over there are convinced you're a movie villain intent on taking over the world now.”

Helena tapped her lip in thought “Well, the world would be better off that way, that's true.”

“Excellent! Keep that up!”

“Are you my minion then?” the blonde asked.

“Konoha excluded I'd see myself more like your right-hand man. Woman”

“You're hired”

“Will you cackle now?”

“Still no. Let's go to Charms now”

“Sure”

Helena strode towards the rest of the group and ordered imperiously “Let's go!”

As she walked away Graham shivered dramatically “It has begun!”

The sixth-year Ravens made their way to the Charms classroom, incidentally the closest to their Common Room, while still playing up 'evil Helena'. Neither of them were in any clubs other than the Team so they had to find their own fun somewhere.

“Good morning” professor Flitwick greeted his students chipperly, “Today we will be learning something new for a change.”

Both the Ravens and the Gryffs cheered, happy not to deal with non-verbals for a while. Flitwick chuckled at the enthusiasm “Yes, yes. Initially we will be casting it verbally but once you get the hang of it we will go back to silent casting.”

The students stopped cheering immediately and sagged in their seats. Flitwick chuckled “Oh don't be disheartened, your non-verbals are coming along nicely. Anyways, today's charm is highly useful so listen closely. We will be doing the _Homenum Revelio_ charm. Who can tell me what it does. Yes, miss Bass?”

“It reveals humans near the caster” the Gryff prefect answered.

“Indeed, now… Yes, miss Uchiha?” Flitwick pointed at the ninja.

“Why just human presence? And is there a more comprehensive spell?” Saeko asked, already knowing the _homenum revelio_.

“Excellent question” the diminutive teacher nodded and launched into a long explanation which ultimately boiled down to no 'instant Hyuuga' spells. Saeko nodded but sighed internally. Well, the basic spell was very useful even if limited.

Moving on Flitwick asked “Who can tell me a disadvantage of this spell? Yes, mister Fairbanks?”

“The target can feel he was hit by it” the boy replied as any good aspiring auror would.

“Indeed, indeed” Flitwick nodded, “When you feel like something is swooping low over you it is quite possible someone is casting the _homenum revelio_ in your range. Now, ten points to Gryffindor, ten points for Ravenclaw and we let's start casting.”

After getting the incantation and the movements the students drew their wands and went to work. As they tried the new spell out Flitwick gave them advice like “practice with less people around, try to feel the individual pings, “ and “an excellent spell to catch peeping Toms.”

The sensation of being caught in the _homenum revelio_ was really weird as was feeling so many humans nearby.

After everybody got some good tries in Daniel lifted his hand again. When Flitwick called on him he asked “How big is the range of this spell?”

Flitwick smiled enthusiastically “Another excellent question. If you're casting in a building it never goes further but outside you get around one hundred meters.”

The lesson continued in this manner until the bell rang. Flitwick finished his lecture on yet another aspect of the spell and then before his students started gathering their things he stressed “Please do not practice this in the Common Rooms. As you have felt the effect is in the very least distracting and it would disrupt your housemates' studies. That is all, have a nice evening.”

Saeko and the rest of the students wished him a pleasant evening back and scattered out of the classroom.

“Poker? I'm feeling lucky” Paddy proposed.

“I'd prefer chess” Helena shrugged.

“Commanding an army, eh?” Graham smirked.

The blonde heiress rolled her eyes while Ash waved him off “It's not funny anymore.”

“So, poker?” Patrick asked again.

Daniel shrugged “I'll take you up on that chess, Helena.”

“Splendid”

“I'll take the poker” the Uchiha smiled at Paddy, “Later though, I have an errand to run.”

Everybody smiled knowingly. Graham smirked “Getting together with Laurrrren?”

Saeko rolled her eyes “As a matter of fact no.”

“Oh” Paddy pouted.

“I'll see you later” the ninja waved and strode towards the stairs, intent on touching base with the other Konoha nin stationed at Hogwarts. All of them were quite grumpy and high-strung after letting Black though their net on Halloween.

Once outside the Castle she didn't bother with tracking her colleagues, she simply stood obviously alone and out of sight.

“Uchiha-taichō, any news?” Hayama's Hyuuga asked, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

“No” Saeko shook her head, “Nothing on your side either?”

The Hyuuga sighed as he led the brunette towards his team's current headquarters “Nothing.”

“This Sirius Black is beginning to seriously piss me off”

“I agree” the Hyuuga uncharacteristically chuckled.

* * *

**Infirmary**

Saeko was sitting in a corner of the large room studying Herbology from the thick tome that was assigned them for NEWT classes while her girlfriend was with her mentor studying something healer-related. Something Saeko was expressly banned from by twin glares in her direction. The Uchiha accepted it without protest since destruction was more her forte as opposite to healing and used the time to catch up on one of the more boring subjects.

To be honest when Saeko brought up doing more stuff together she did not expect their date beginning with her being the third wheel to Pomfrey and Lauren. But seeing her Slytherin in her element and so obviously happy was actually worth it. Mihane would be proud.

“Miss Uchiha”

The brunette looked up from the wonders of Fanged Geranium “You two need a guinea pig?”

“I'm afraid you're quite healthy” Madame Pomfrey smirked.

“That's usually a good thing”

“Humph” the nurse shrugged. Then she crossed her arms and eyed Saeko sharply “You know, not too long ago I had in my care a young woman with whom you broke up. Or the equivalent. I had to give her a calming draught. Not fun. NOT why I became a healer.”

“Oh,” the Uchiha gulped, now realizing what this was about, “That must've been like two years ago.”

“More or less, yes” Pomfrey shrugged dismissively, “That is not my point. The point is that I came to care for miss Lewis, she's smart and an attentive student with a very lovely dry type of humor.”

“Indeed”

“This is why if you break her heart I'll get creative”

“What happened to do no harm?” Saeko asked, more out of curiosity than a challenge.

Madame Pomfrey grinned predatorily “Well, miss Lewis has not witnessed an autopsy yet. It would be practically educational. Hogwarts _is_ a school after all.”

“Gotcha”

The white-clad woman nodded and skipped back to her student. Meanwhile Saeko returned to her textbook, passing time before Lauren finished her lesson.

“Hello?” came an unsure greeting from the Infirmary's entrance.

Saeko looked up to see three Puffs, one with a bleeding nose “May I help you? I'm Pomfrey secretary for the moment.”

“Eeeh?”

Pomfrey came striding forward, looking over her new patient. Wordlessly she delegated the Hufflepuff onto one of the beds. His friends still eyed the ninja in confusion but huddled around his injured companion.

“Ready to go?” Lauren asked as she took off her gloves.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “You were doing potions?”

“Just pepper-ups” the red-head shrugged, “But I learnt a lot about sensory-related damage.”

“Cool” the Uchiha smiled and kissed Lauren's cheek, “Very useful. I'm quite attached to my eyes for example.”

As the couple left the Infirmary the Brit hummed “You know, I never saw eyes so dark on anybody. And by dark I mean completely black. It's a bit freaky to be honest”

“Clan trait, you should see the Hyuuga - those have completely white eyes, no visible pupil” Saeko shrugged. Then she smirked “Hey, do you want to see a magic trick?”

When Saeko's eyes turned into their sharingan form, Lauren jerked back “Whoah!”

“Cool, eh?”

The Slytherin brought them nose to nose to inspect the sharingan closely “Freaky. But kind of fascinating. Why though? Do they do something?”

“Yeah,” the Uchiha nodded and returned her eyes back to black, “It grants a few nifty tricks. One of which allows for incredible clarity of perception.”

“Very nice. I imagine you won't be telling me the rest?”

“Not right now”

Lauren nodded her acceptance “So you've got magic eyeballs. That's… well…”

“We okay?” Saeko asked, her grin vanishing instantaneously.

The Brit smirked condescendingly “Honey, I'm a witch.”

Saeko exhaled in relief “Good. Great! Hey, are we on pet names now?”

“Absolutely not” Lauren's eyes narrowed, “Just a figure of speech. If you use a pet-name for me, incredible perception of clarity or not, you're getting punched.”

“Aye-aye”

The Brit stopped walking abruptly and turned to Saeko “Thank you for telling me. It means a lot.”

“Well, I…” Saeko started but was interrupted by a searing kiss.

When Lauren started walking again the ninja cleared her throat and said dazedly “You're welcome.”

“Don't dawdle”

“Bossy” Saeko murmured and caught up with the red-head. “You know, you're usually quite frosty when in public” _and often out_ , “Why the kiss?”

Lauren bit her lip in thought and reluctantly answered “I'm a Lady of pure blood. We do not show affection, we do not show weakness. We are demure, polite and never show what we are thinking. Or the fact that we _are_ in fact thinking. We blend into the background and we analyze.”

The ninja nodded slowly “That does sound like the etiquette for most females in daimyō's court. I didn't actually realize that was the norm, I met women of noble Houses who acted… well, normal. Like Amelia Bones.”

“You met Madame Bones?” Lauren was taken aback, “Nevermind. What about Helena? How does she behave?”

“Pretty much like you” Saeko nodded, “It was noted.”

“We have the same background” the red-head said pointedly.

“Yep. That said you'd fit nicely among the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. They are uptight too”

“I'm not uptight!” Lauren exclaimed.

“Of course not,” Saeko smirked, “Otherwise you wouldn't have kissed me like _that_.”

The red-head actually blushed “Shut up.”

“I'm not complaining”

“Whatever. Let's go” Lauren turned away from the ninja and started walking again.

Saeko shrugged “Where are we going again?”

“Our usual spot. Since I'm _not_ uptight I want some cuddles. I like cuddles”

The Uchiha nodded, more than amenable to the idea. To be honest Saeko was rather surprised at first that after getting together, Lauren seemed to seek out body contact. She guessed that after losing her parents the red-head was pretty starved in that aspect. “Cuddles coming up”

“Great. And let me reiterate, I'm most definitely not uptight. I'm English”

“Yes, dear”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Aaaaaaand Zero!” the quidditch team chanted the last digits of the countdown.

Saeko gracefully dropped her legs down from her handstand and righted herself right up “Told ya I could do it.”

“Yeah, showing off is Saeko's forte. Don't you all know that by now?” Caitlin chuckled and held out her hand.

Jaden grimaced as he rummaged his pockets for a sickle as did his teammates “It should be impossible. A whole briefing upside down! Her head should've exploded.”

“Obviously it did not” James uncharacteristically smirked as he got his share of money from Caitlin, the only other quidditch player who bet on his captain.

“But it should've” Jaden huffed.

“Not if done right” Saeko sing-songed., “Also it can be part of an effective training method for which you have all just volunteered.”

The whole quidditch team groaned. Jaden and Rodney in particular shot her an admirable attempt at puppy-dog eyes. Unsuccessfully.

The Uchiha smirked “Now, go and do stuff, this briefing is over.” When her team scattered she grinned “Kami, how I love being Captain.”

Caitlin who stayed to rejoin their friends together rolled her eyes “If you're quite done talking with yourself.”

“Sure” the brunette grinned, “You go, I'll drop my notebook upstairs and join you all.”

The Irish girl shrugged and left while Saeko went to her room. She sighed when she was greeted by a loud croak originating from her bed. Jiraiya's toad eyed her sharply, spat out a scroll and then disappeared with another croak.

“Super” Saeko grimaced and reached out for the message which was surprisingly devoid of toad fluids. She read it thought quickly. Once done she made a note in her notebook to look up more exotic poisons and antidotes all the while contemplating Naruto's return to the village. The timing seemed to coincide with her summer vacation - she was quite eager to check up on her rival. Jiraiya seemed quite smug about Naruto's improvement.

Saeko smirked - she too had plenty new skills and even more surprises up her sleeves.

Feeling happier all of the sudden she decided to invite up a summon of her own. Finally she decided on a very young raven, little more than a fledgling to be honest. When he appeared she smiled “Yo! Could you carry a message for me?”

When he cawed in reply Saeko quickly wrote a message on a piece of parchment and sent him to Lauren. After he took off she briefly wondered how Slytherins could even get mail in their dungeon Common Room. Then she shrugged, her raven was a ninja summon, he'll find a way, and left her room to join her friends in their own Common Room.

Saeko arrived just in time to hear Peter say “I'd definitely kill Benson and marry professor Vector.”

“Excuse me?” the Uchiha gaped at her friend.

The poker group laughed like mad while Peter spluttered “It's a game! Marry, fuck, kill. It's a thing!”

“If you say so” Saeko smirked and sat down.

The rules of the game weren't hard to grasp but the ninja didn't get much fun out of it since she didn't know half the people they were naming. Helena who was in the same boat as her gave up on playing completely and was reading a book while sipping a glass of red.

“Mail?” Daniel nodded towards the raven that came flying though one of the open windows.

Saeko smiled and relieved the parchment from her summon, asking him to wait. She quickly wrote a reply and sent him away again.

“Who's it from?” the prefect asked.

“Lauren”

Ashley chuckled “The kids are texting, how cute.” The Uchiha rolled her eyes but did not reply even as her other friends joined in on making fun of her.

The raven didn't take as long this time. Saeko opened the paper and chuckled. _“What's new? Well, Isolde is being chatted up by Tristan Willard. Ridiculous, right?”_

_“Tristan and Isolde!!! I'm shipping it!”_ Saeko wrote back.

_“Alexia had to tell me what that meant, I like it. I'd 'ship' it too if he wasn't such a douche”_

_“Which one is he?”_

_“Seventh year, curly brown hair”_

_“I'll ask Caitlin to point him out for me during breakfast”_

When the raven summon flew back with a reply he shot Saeko a withering glare, obviously not amused about his role. The severely annoyed bird took another message and flew off while the jounin sighed - she would bet the Raven Clan is laughing at her right this moment. Maybe they’ll try owls next time.

_“What do you feed your Ravens? Because this one was eyeing Alexia's kitten”_

_“They usually catch their own meals. Although raw meat can prevent any pet murders”_

_“Sure, I've got stashes of that. How about a nice set of fingers?”_

_“I think they prefer eyes and soft organs in general”_

_“How did you get carrion birds as messengers is beyond me. Oh and Alexia declared you officially disgusting”_

_“I'm not the one eating that, just my ravens”_

_“Well, they are rather beautiful at least. Intelligent too, I'd swear they can understand me”_

_“Very intelligent. At least intelligent enough to mutiny against me, I think this one is on the verge of quitting.”_

_“Smart indeed. Good night then”_

Saeko looked her raven in the eyes “This is the last one, I swear.” The bird cocked his head to the side and flapped his wings in annoyance. Saeko smiled placatingly “She thinks you're handsome.”

The bird huffed and tore the message out of the ninja's hand, nearly drawing blood.

“Smart bird” Helena chuckled, “Although I would've told you to sod off much earlier.”

“I'll get him a treat, a really good one”

“You better, you had that poor fellow play cupid for ages”

Ashley nodded “The magical world would profit from a new way of communicating. The muggle cell phones are amazing in that aspect.”

“I bet even if they worked here they'd get banned - this is British boarding school” Peter shrugged.

“True that” Caitlin smirked, “Just yesterday I saw McGonagall rip a Puff a new one for wearing a big flashy ribbon in her hair.”

“McGonagall could stand loosening up a little” Paddy agreed.

“When hell freezes over” Daniel chuckled.

“Sounds about right” Helena smirked.

“Prank, anyone?” Ashley lightened up, “Animate McGonagall's hair or something!”

“That'd be awesome!” Graham grinned.

“Hard as hell, even the Twins have problems catching her”

“We're Ravenclaws, we're smart. We'll manage”

“Are you sure we can't just pass the idea to the Weasleys?” Daniel sighed, “I don't want to mount another expedition to the library for it.”

Graham choked “Not. Library?” Then he shook Daniel and shouted “Help! My friend is turning into a Gryffindor!”

“Oh, Merlin! Let's hope it's not terminal!” Paddy exclaimed.

“You're all a bunch of idiots” Daniel rolled his eyes and extracted himself from Graham's grip.

“It's decided, we're pranking Daniel too!”

“What! NO!”


	107. 6- 107 From the Cold

 

**Quidditch Pitch**

“An obstacle course?”

“Yup” Saeko nodded with an enormous grin playing on her lips. She spent most of the early morning setting it up and it was a masterpiece. Doton-made hurdles, a suiton/doton shallow pond and several other obstacles that assured quite a work-out for the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Saeko was very proud of herself and her handiwork.

“Really?”

 “Are you serious?” Caitlin put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend. Saeko just smirked in reply.

“When did you manage that?” Roger whispered in disbelief.

“I hate you”

Saeko smile only widened at every sound of protest from her team. After she got her fill she clapped loudly “Enough! The weather is getting colder and this is the perfect warm-up. I'll go first so you'll get to see how's it done.”

“Wait!” Rodney called, not looking at the ninja but the stands instead, “There's someone watching us. A Slytherin!”

Caitlin grinned when she saw who that was “It's Saeko's girlfriend. She's not here to spy on _us_.”

“Beside,” Saeko shrugged, “It's not like there is much to see. Flint is way too dumb to create something similar. Or it would take ages. This matter solved, let's get to it. We'll start with stretches.”

The quidditch captain led her team into a stretching routine so they wouldn't have to deal with any pulled muscles or anything similar. When that was done she demonstrated the proper way to complete the obstacle course she designed. The first lap was done rather slowly so the Brits could grasp what they were meant to do, but on her second one Saeko went full academy student speed.

“Any questions?” Saeko asked when she rejoined the group.

Jaden grimaced “Your sanity was in question well before this, so I guess no.”

“Excellent!” the kunoichi grinned, “You'll go first then. The chasers, James, Rodney and lastly Cho.”

“How many of these do we do?” asked James, the keeper.

Saeko shrugged “Until I say stop.”

“Marvelous” Cho grumped.

“You're trying to kill your own team” Rodney said in a voice bordering on tears.

Roger slapped the beaters back “Oh come on, she hasn't yet. And those jumping jacks last week were worse. For the win!”

After Roger took off, braving the obstacle course Caitlin glared once more at Saeko but followed. Jaden venomously murmured 'for the win' and started running as well. Once her team was engaged the ninja went in as well.

On their fourth lap Cho slipped “Shit!”

Everybody stopped running and converged on the downed seeker. Saeko examined Cho's leg and bit her lip “Twisted ankle. I'll fix that no problem.”

“Halt!”

The Eagles turned to see Lauren striding towards them with her wand drawn and a very eager gleam poorly disguised in her eyes. Saeko chuckled “All yours Healer Lewis.”

“Dude” Caitlin exclaimed playfully, “Did you set this all up so you two can play doctor?”

Lauren rolled her eyes as she examined the ankle. Saeko smirked “Be glad we've got someone who can fix it without needing to go to Pomfrey afterwards to check it.”

Cho shook her head even as she chuckled “You got her here so we could continue running without visiting Pomfrey.”

“Evil genius” Roger said with a smirk.

The red-headed Slytherin sheathed her wand “There, good as new.”

“Thank you” Cho smiled and stood up gingerly.

“Feel free to injure yourself again” Lauren winked, “That's why I stayed.”

“More like insisted” Saeko murmured and got an elbow to her gut for it.

Jaden looked around crestfallen “Does this mean we continue?”

“Yep” the Captain smirked, “You Cho can rest, but the rest of you should start running again. We can't do this when the snow comes so let's milk it for what it's worth.”

Caitlin sighed and looked at Lauren and Saeko “You know, you two are perfect for each other, you both like seeing people in pain.”

Lauren brought a hand to her heart “Goodness me, I could never. I'm a healer.”

Saeko chuckled, pecked her girlfriend's cheek and then took off running, calling the rest of the team to follow her.

Two hours and one small injury later Saeko declared the training finished. During the cool-down exercise the ninja asked “Wasn't so bad, was it?”

“No, it was one of the more fun trainings actually” Roger agreed.

Jaden shook his head “Anything that's not up in the air is pure torture.”

“Good training though” James countered in his deep voice.

“Torture”

Cho shrugged “Wasn't too bad. Hey, can we go? I really want to thank Lauren again.”

Saeko nodded “You're free to go. I'll clean this up so the Gryffs can have the pitch after us.”

“Should I wait on you?” Caitlin asked.

“Nah, I'll go with Lauren” the jounin shook her head.

When the team without its captain made their way to the locker rooms Lauren approached her girlfriend “Do this quickly, it's getting cold even with the charm on.”

“Sure” Saeko nodded and quickly flew through the appropriate handsigns. The Slytherin having witnessed the jutsu before did not comment, although still very curious about the mechanics - how a few gestures can make up for a magical focus like a wand.

A few moments later the quidditch pitch was pristine.

Deciding to take shower later Saeko lifted up her broom. Lauren sighed “Finally.”

Saeko rolled her eyes “Like you didn't enjoy watching the training.”

“Well, giving me injuries to heal was a very thoughtful gift” Lauren chuckled.

“I thought so. Very romantic of me I would say”

“Better than flowers certainly”

“I'll take note”

Lauren chuckled “What about you? Knives instead of flowers?”

“I happen to like flowers” Saeko countered, “Although knives are pretty good too.”

“Truly? Wouldn't have guessed” the Slytherin arched an eyebrow and made a motion with her wand. Flowers appeared in her hand and she offered them to the ninja with a slight bow.

“Roses?”

“Too trite?” Laure _vanished_ the bouquet, “ _Orchideous_!”

Saeko laughed and took the simple gerberas “Better. Caitlin will probably piss herself laughing but I _do_ like flowers. Thank you.”

Lauren shrugged “Father used to bring those to mother.”

The Uchiha smiled “They are quite pretty. Does this sudden burst of affection mean I could hold your hand?”

“Never said you couldn't” Lauren shrugged with a small smile and clasped the ninja's gloved hand, “So, your team is really close. They whine but it's easy to tell you all like each other. Maybe that’s why you're winning.”

Saeko chuckled “We don't have a monopoly on that, the Badgers for example are closer to a cult than a quidditch team. I think it's only your House team that deviates.”

“Flint is keeping them in line but they all can hardly stand each other” the red-head hummed.

“Oho?” the Uchiha grinned, “Do they blame each other after we defeat them every time?”

“Yes. It's annoying”

“Awesome”

“At least they keep most of it out of the Common Room”

Saeko smirked “You know, if you gave me some info I could destroy that team completely from the inside.”

“No” Lauren glared, “Far too much hassle that would result in Drama. Keep me out of this.”

“Spoilsport”

“Keep the your interest on your own team, wouldn't want them to miss on the fun”

“I do love pushing them” Saeko smirked, “Their glares never fail to make me feel happy.”

The British girl laughed “Yeah, it was rather amusing.”

“Right!”

* * *

**Summoning Realm**

Saeko whipped up her wand and the three incoming shuriken were turned to dust.

“Useful” Itachi smiled as he approached his still sitting sister, “Meditating?”

“Yep. Before you came barging it at least” the girl smirked and stood up to hug the Uchiha lord.

“Just checking if you're keeping your fighting edge”

“Hn” Saeko scoffed.

Itachi chuckled “A spar then? Last week I was too busy but now I'm free. And rather looking forward to it - you're one of the few who can actually challenge me.”

“Hmmm, flattery will get you everywhere. I don't know, I promised a fencing duel to my friend in an hour or so…”

“Fencing is kenjutsu, right?”

“More or less” Saeko hummed, “Emphasis on the less.”

“Very well, next week then. And prepare more than an hour” Itachi shrugged.

“Ok. Sooo, what's new?”

At this the Uchiha lord frowned and motion for his sister to sit. Saeko arched an eyebrow but complied, trying not to worry. Itachi sighed “We have another Magekyou sharingan in the clan.”

“WHAT!” Saeko exclaimed, “Who? What happened?”

“Uchiha Mitsuyoshi” Itachi said grimly, “He and his lover took a mission together, to get away from the clan for a bit I would wager since they took a simple C-rank. Only they encountered several missing nin and it was more than they could handle.”

“Akatsuki? One is a bounty hunter” Saeko asked immediately.

“No, some guys from lightening” Itachi shook his head, “Long story short Mitsuyoshi killed his lover to spare him from captivity and managed to escape even though grievously wounded but not before killing everybody else with his new set of eyes.”

“Wasn't he dating a cousin of ours?” the scarred girl asked after mulling it over for a moment.

Itachi nodded “Uchiha Issei.”

“So he not only killed him but also had to destroy his sharingan” Saeko bit her lip.

“Blew Issei's head right off”

“Dear Kami”

“Indeed”

“How is he?”

“Unresponsive and suicidal” Itachi confirmed their worst fears, “He reported back to the Hokage, then to me and then he collapsed. Shut down completely.”

Saeko shook her head “That's horrible. Do we even know what was his magekyou ability?”

“He didn't say. We'll see if he ever awakens” the Clan Head said somberly.

Both siblings fell silent, both contemplating their clansman's loss. After a while Itachi asked “What about you, any news on your side?”

“Found a set of highly useful, ninja-worthy potions” Saeko shrugged.

“Hn” Itachi nodded, “Oh, I nearly forgot, Mihane-chan said to ask you about your progress with a Ren?”

The girl's eyes widened imperceptibly but enough for a seasoned ninja like her brother to catch “Oh.”

“Why did I had to learn about your new interest in someone from my fiancée and not you?” the crow summoner crossed his arms and glared accusingly at his sister.

“I… Well, I never expected that something could come out of it” Saeko confessed.

“But now it has” the ANBU captain arched an eyebrow.

“Yes”

“So, is it serious? Because last I checked you were away for mere three months”

The girl rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly “Sure but I have known her for five full years already. I told you about Lauren, remember? Healing and runes?”

Itachi nodded slowly “Yes, I remember. Red-head. You are calling her Ren now or was it to just keep everybody thinking your mission is still in the Elemental Nations?”

“Both”

The ANBU's eyes narrowed “Just how serious are you with this woman if you gave her a Konoha sounding name?”

Saeko gulped “It isn't how it sounds.”

“Really? And how does it sound?”

The girl ignored his question and shrugged instead “Like you said, we have been dating only a short while. A really short while, about three weeks. And we haven't even slept together yet.”

“So why the different treatment?” Itachi sighed, already knowing the answer. When his sister wasn't forthcoming with her reply he only pinched the bridge of his nose “Do you want her in Konoha?”

Saeko looked down “It's far too early to tell. And it's not like she would come anyways, she has ties to Britain.”

“Not that strong if I remember correctly” Itachi hummed, “Well, if you manage to date her for the whole year and your wish is unchanged then I want to meet her.”

“What!” Saeko exclaimed. Then as realization struck she looked directly into her brother's eyes “This is Mihane's doing.”

“In part” Itachi admitted freely, “But if you had talked to me about it instead of her I would have come to the same conclusion.”

“Which is?”

Itachi smiled “I love you sister. And if this Lauren of yours can accept the consequences and you some consequences of your own, her coming to Konoha is doable. Not easy but doable.”

“It's been only three weeks” Saeko blushed, “But thank you.”

The Uchiha Clan Head scoffed “Three weeks or no, we're Uchiha - we're damn stubborn but also charming. Lauren never stood a chance.”

Saeko laughed “You might overestimate me a little, she's so very stubborn herself. And my friends call her icy, so…”

“Is she icy with you?”

“Working on that. Her walls were built to last”

“Fitting in the ninja crowd already” Itachi smirked.

The scarred girl frowned “Please don't joke like that, the possibility of her coming is already remote and it doesn't need jinxing.”

Itachi arched an eyebrow but relented “Aright, but don't dismiss the possibility she might want to follow you. Don't convince yourself it's hopeless right from the start.”

“I'm not”

“Hn”

“Hn”

“Give her a chance - as you see we're already invested” Itachi smirked, “Do try to keep her.”

“I'll try, just for you” Saeko rolled her eyes.

“Good, otherwise all this hassle wouldn't have been for nothing” the shinobi grinned.

Saeko rolled her eyes again “Hn. Well, it's been a pleasure as always, nii-san, but I need to go for my fencing spar. Zake! Would you take me back please?”

The albino raven landed on his summoner's shoulder. Before they disappeared Itachi called “Remember what I said!”

“Hn”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“It's December seventh! Has everyone lost their minds?” Helena gritted her teeth.

Daniel shrugged “They are just singing carols. Hardly proof of insanity.”

“It's the seventh!”

Saeko chuckled “It's actually rather nice. Cheerful.”

Helena scoffed.

It truly did seem like some kind of Christmas/Yule magic had gripped the majority of the Ravenclaws. Somehow it started with a single student whistling a muggle carol but snowballed into an impromptu concert, complete with violin, flute, harmonica and much else.

“And of course Ashley is in the middle of it” the blonde heiress glared at their pink-haired friend playing the guitar while singing loudly a Yule tune.

Both Daniel and Saeko shrugged. Daniel chuckled “You know she takes any opportunity to bust out Betsy. That guitar is Betsy, right?”

The ninja hummed “No idea, I think so though. She has like three of them and they all look the same to me.”

“If anyone starts tap-dancing I won't be held responsible for my actions”

Saeko and Daniel burst into laughter. Then they both smirked identically and looked at each other. Helena caught it and bared her teeth “I swear, if you two burst into song…”

“Us?” the bespectacled prefect smiled innocently, “I was just thinking of paying homage to a certain red-nosed reindeer…”

“Aaand I'm out of here” Helena closed her book and stood up, “I dare anyone to sing in the Library.”

Saeko hummed “Maybe we could bribe Madame Pince with cookies and milk.”

“Yeah, you're on your own there” Daniel chuckled as he watched Helena disappear into school proper.

The Uchiha smirked “I'm not crazy enough to bring food into Pince's domain.”

“Good, I would miss you if you were dead”

“Thanks” Saeko chuckled, “Helena's right you know. About being far too early for all this.”

“True, but I don't mind it. Besides, I'm looking forward to Christmas, all my relatives are coming”

“Yeah, I'm going home too”

Both sixth years hummed and returned to their respective readings. Saeko had wrangled another book about elemental magic from her Head of House and she was devouring it in record pace.

“Hey, what about a duel?” Daniel proposed, looking up from his book.

The ninja arched an eyebrow “You found something in there you want to try out?”

“Nah, but I want to try an all non-verbal”

“You're really good at those”

“Thanks” Daniel smiled brilliantly, “So how about it?”

“Sure, it'll be nice to stretch my legs a bit”

The two Ravens collected their things and left the Common Room to look for an empty room they could use. Flitwick had 'reserved' a bunch of them on his floor for his Ravens if they needed somewhere private to practice. They were almost always in use so it took some searching. Fortunately nobody was stupid enough to use those for 'private liaisons', a direct quote from Flitwick, otherwise that would be very awkward.

Daniel opened one of the doors cautiously and smiled when he found the room empty.

“Dueling rules or our general rules?” the prefect asked when they were settled.

“General, we're not raising a podium” Saeko rolled he eyes and called her wand into her palm.

Daniel chuckled and nodded. He let a beat of silence pass and then he whipped out his wand to fire a white-colored spell in Saeko's direction, closely followed by another and then a red one.

Saeko pirouetted out of the way and shot spells of her own.

The duel lasted around half an hour, which is quite a lot if you are in constant motion and on high alert. Both Ravens dodged and parried, firing spell after spell, trying out strategies. The novelty of the non-verbals provided another element for the fight - ever since Saeko used and area based spell that caught Daniel even when he evaded both grew more cautious and focused on redirecting spells, something that required quite a bit of skill and concentration, not to mention fast reflexes.

“Alright” Daniel breathed out, “Enough. I can't anymore. I need to work on my stamina it seems.”

The ninja chuckled “You're welcome to join the quidditch team for PT if you're interested.”

“Heh, that sounds both like a good and the worst idea I've ever heard”

“Suit yourself”

The two Ravenclaws sat down, waiting for their heart rate to calm down. After a while Daniel asked, still a bit breathless “Do you have anything to drink in that neverending bag of yours?”

“It's a scroll” Saeko corrected with a smirk and stood up to retrieve it.

“Thanks” the prefect smiled when he got his beverage.

“Energy bar?”

“Sure. Thanks” Daniel nodded and took the offered food. He opened the packaging and took a big bite. When his face morphed into the epitome of disgust Saeko laughed. The Brit washed the bar down with water “God! What was that!”

“Military field rations”

“Next time warn me!”

Saeko only laughed in reply and motioned for the water bottle.

After a few minutes the ninja asked “You seem deep in thought. Care to share?”

Daniel went to say something but then he closed his mouth with a click of teeth. Saeko shrugged “Or not. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, I…” the prefect started but then he bit his lip in contemplation. Saeko just arched an eyebrow and waited in silence. Finally Daniel sighed “Ok, might as well. I'm gay and I don't want to hear shit about it.”

“From me?” Saeko asked in disbelief, “That would be rather hypocritical.”

“I might've said something sooner if Graham and Paddy didn't hound me about deLuise” Daniel said a bit angrily.

“They didn't mean it maliciously” the Uchiha defended mildly, “And when you tell them they will… eh, probably continue. But in a much nicer manner!”

Daniel chuckled “Yeah.”

“They won't be weird about it. At least in relation to themselves”

“Yeah, I think they won't have a problem with it. Right?” the statement morphed into a question at the last second.

“They won't” Saeko agreed, “And if not they'll have to deal with me. Rainbow team sticks together, yeah?”

“Sounds good”

“So what prompted this?”

Daniel grimaced “deLuise actually asked me out. To Hogsmeade next week.”

“He did? What did you say?”

“No, of course. He's a bit of an ass. So no, thank you” the Brit shook his head, “But since it was out there I guessed it was time.”

“Ok” Saeko nodded, “Welcome to the team. If you want to talk about it I'm available, just no details please. I don't want to hear about boy cooties.”

Daniel laughed loudly “Sure. Thanks.”

“How do you plan to tell the group? You _are_ telling them, right?”

“I figure exactly like this”

“That works”

Without nothing more to say on the topic the two 'Claws picked up their things and started their track back to the Tower.

Halfway there Daniel chuckled “That makes four of us that we know of. Out of our year. You, me, deLuise and Lauren.”

Saeko stopped walking and frowned “You know, Lauren never expressly stated her preference.”

“I think it was implied by dating you” the prefect arched an eyebrow.

“I need to go”

“Ok?” said the bewildered Daniel who was left in the dust.

X

**Unused Classroom on 4 th floor**

“What is so urgent?” Lauren asked, “I was in the middle of a Potions assignment so this better be good.”

Saeko turned on her heel to face her girlfriend “Are you gay? I mean, you're into me, right?”

“Yeees?” the Snake drawled.

“Are you then? Gay?”

Lauren rolled her eyes “Let's just say you weren't the only one that found Miss McKenna attractive.”

“Deirdre?”

“Indeed. But two gingers, that would never work” the Slytherin winked.

Saeko smiled elatedly “Good. Great. And you're not a ginger - that ugly orange the Weasleys have is ginger. You have beautiful deep red hair.”

“Why thank you” Lauren smiled, “So, this was it?”

“Yeah” the ninja rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

“You're an idiot” the red-head said fondly and kissed Saeko gently “See? Into you. But now I really need to get back to Potions.”

Saeko pouted.

“Not going to work. See you tomorrow. **After** Potions”

“But what if I needed some more reassurance?”

“Suck it up, I'll reassure you tomorrow”

“That sound dirty somehow”

“And yet is not” Lauren smirked, “See you tomorrow.”

Saeko pouted again “Hn”


	108. 6- 108 Merry Time

 

**Hogsmeade**

The village was packed - most of the Hogwarts students decided to take the chance to do some Christmas shopping before going back home or just enjoy the freshly fallen snow without dementors looking over their shoulder.

Saeko and Lauren were more in the second category, even if the ninja had made a lengthy trip to Honeydukes for some candy to bring back to Konoha. Two years back she brought Sarutobi a pack of gummy bears and he has been asking for them ever since. Also, Anko and Yuuko were always quite appreciative of her delivery.

As the jounin sealed up her purchases she eyed Lauren's empty hands “So you're going back home for Yule, eh?”

Lauren sighed “As much as I don't want to, yes. I need to get some affairs in order now that I am of age. Mainly Gringotts and lawyers.”

“That's tough. Sorry I can't be of help” Saeko frowned.

The Lewis heiress shrugged “It's my matter to resolve anyway. But if you could ask your former quidditch captain Jamie to keep an eye out for me I'd be grateful. It's her firm our family uses. If you still speak with her that is.”

“I do. Of course I will ask”

“I just want someone who would give it to me straight. I don't trust the name partners much - I don't know them and my aunt and uncle were the ones to deal with them”

“Smart” the Uchiha said approvingly, “I'll write Jamie when we return to the Castle.”

“Thank you”

Saeko nodded with a smile “Say, you're sure you don't want anything? Those liquorish wands are great.”

“Not in the mood”

“Speaking of mood, how are Tristan and Isolde?”

Lauren rolled her eyes “You're having far too much fun with that.”

“All the Ravens are” Saeko smirked, “I hope you don't mind I told them, I just couldn't keep it to myself.”

The Slytherin shrugged “Not really. Besides, they are on a date here somewhere anyway.”

“Oooh, I really hope they work out”

“I don't” Lauren grimaced, “His whole dating thing is nothing more than a poorly camouflaged, overly complicated audition for sex.”

Saeko snorted in laughter “I like the wording, I'm going to remember that. So we don't like Tristan.”

“No”

“Do we do something about it?”

“Isolde is a big girl”

The ninja pouted “Alright. So, if we're not going to tail them and then put the fear of Merlin into Tristan we could go to Three Broomsticks. It's warm there and I wouldn't mind a butterbeer.”

“Three Broomsticks is going to be packed” Lauren pursed her lips.

“Well, the other choices are the Hog's Head or Madame Puddifoot's” Saeko smirked.

“Point taken. To the Three Broomsticks!”

“Not a fan of lacy napkins and heart shaped cakes?” the brunette grinned.

“Sounds like the first circle of hell to me. Please tell me you never took someone there” Lauren said with a horrified expression.

Saeko shook her head emphatically “Who do you take me for? I wouldn't be caught dead in that place.”

“Good”

As the two sixth years made their way to the most popular Hogsmeade establishment Saeko heard an all too familiar caw. The ninja's gaze shot up to see Skygge circulating high above Weasley and Granger who were walking in the opposite direction. Her eyes narrowed at the two Gryffindors and indeed she found a third set of footprints that could only belong to Harry Potter under his infernal invisibility cloak.

Saeko groaned, The-Boy-Who-Lived really liked to tempt fate. The Uchiha eyed her summon and made a nod towards her charge - Skygge will be enough protection. Not many could, or would, try to spot Potter under his cloak.

“What is it?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“Saw a raven” the Uchiha shrugged.

“One of yours?”

The Leaf nin saw no real reason to lie “Yep, but I don't need to take it.”

Lauren hummed “You could. As long as you make it up to me.”

Saeko smiled and used the arm she had around the red-head to bring her close enough to peck her cheek “No need, but thank you. But out of curiosity, how would that making up look like?”

“Do my bidding for the rest of the day? That sounds adequate” the Brit tapped her lip in thought.

“My curiosity has only increased” Saeko grinned.

“Let's start with that butterbeer. You're paying”

“I'm slightly disappointed but it's a start”

Lauren smirked and opened the door to the Three Broomsticks.

True to their predictions the pub was packed even if it was rater early. Much of the clientele were the seventh years, celebrating their last Christmas at school together but also those who found the weather just too cold for their tastes.

“We could try the second floor or just take a seat at the bar” Saeko proposed.

“Bar” Lauren replied.

The two girls got their drinks and exchanged small-talk with the owner, Madame Rosmerta. As they sipped the warm butterbeer Saeko talked about the festivals in Konoha, the closest equivalent to a Christmas celebration.

In turn Lauren spoke about the pureblood extravaganza that was the annual Yule balls, both those organized by the Ministry or the old families. It certainly didn't sound like too much fun.

“This is getting way too crowded” Saeko pursed her lips as she surveyed the room during a lull in conversation. She even spotted Caitlin, Graham and Paddy with their respective dates.

“I agree” the red-head nodded, “Let's get out of here.”

After the couple left the pub Saeko asked “A tour of the village? Or is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Not really. I actually wouldn't mind slowly going back”

“Ok. I confess I find this village unimpressive as well. But the track here is nice”

Lauren hummed “True. Hey, how big is Konoha? You always refer to it as a village but it is at odds with all the politics and clans you mentioned.”

“Big” Saeko laughed, “The Uchiha Compound alone is as big as Hogsmeade. But we're not growing, good thing since rebuilding the walls would be a pain.”

“Around the compound?”

“Around the village. Although the Compound has walls too, but we're trying to be more approachable”

“And how's that working for you?”

“Hn”

Lauren snorted “I thought so.”

“We are not known for our friendliness, that's for sure” Saeko acquiesced, “But we have other excellent qualities.”

“Of course” the Brit said with a small patronizing smile.

“Hey, it's true!”

“I'm sure it is”

Lauren received a snowball into her back in reply. The Snake turned sharply “You didn't!”

Saeko smirked “I've been teaching you to throw knives, you should manage to retaliate.”

“You bet I can”

…

…

…

“Turn off your creepy eyes and stay still!!!”

The Uchiha only laughed and skipped merrily towards the Castle.

Once in the sight of dementors the two sixth years fell silent and slowed down. The guardians of Azkaban were really the ultimate buzzkill.

Saeko took a Honeydukes chocolate bar from her pocket once they entered school proper. Lauren nodded “Dementors are truly foul creatures.”

“Agreed”

“So, you promised me the whole day. You're not off the hook yet”

“Wouldn't dream of it”

“Good”

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed as she considered something “You're unusually proactive today. Have any specific plan in mind?”

Lauren smirked “Sharp. Fortunately you knowing doesn’t really take all the fun out of my seduction.”

“… seduction?” Saeko ventured, mouth dry.

“Indeed”

“Oh”

The red-head chuckled “Do try to pick up your jaw up from the floor.”

Saeko cleared her throat “Bold.”

“What is?” Lauren asked breezily.

“You”

“You like it”

“I do” the ninja nodded most emphatically, “A tad surprised though.”

“Really?” Lauren said dryly, arching an eyebrow.

“That came out wrong” Saeko backpedaled, “I… Shutting up now.”

“Smart” the Slytherin smirked, “I'm going back home for the holidays, something I loathe to do, so your chances were never better. Try not to screw it up.”

“Yes, ma'am” was the breathless reply.

Lauren smirked again and led them to their usual hang out spot. True to her word Saeko skipped soundlessly beside her.

The Uchiha didn't even manage to lock the door of the abandoned classroom when she was roughly pushed against it and her lips attacked.

Both girls lost themselves in the kiss that turned unexpectedly ferocious in a short amount of time. When they came up for breath Saeko couldn't help herself “This is what I meant earlier. I expected you wanting more romance before this.”

“You courted me quite satisfactorily” Lauren shrugged. Then she arched an eyebrow “Do _you_ want some more romance before this?”

“Kami no”

“Then shut up” the Snake smirked and reconnected their lips again.

Saeko soon lost all her apprehension and accepted the fact she was finally going to touch Lauren like she wanted ever since she realized the depth of her feeling towards the icy Slytherin. She had pictured it much differently to be sure, but even if she could think clearly right now she would never think of protesting.

Her mind set, the Uchiha grasped Lauren's hips roughly and used the leverage to reverse their position. The red-head responded with a sharp intake of breath followed by an approving hum. She tried to bury her hand in Saeko's black hair but they were still tightly braided.

“Your hair, I want it unbound. Now” Lauren ordered breathlessly.

Saeko complied in a flash, trying to reduce the time she was not connected to the red-head to the minimum. Once done she sought Lauren's neck.

The Brit moaned and turned her head to the side to allow for easier access “Just don't mark me.”

“We'll see” Saeko whispered against the heated skin, followed by a gentle bite to Laurens ear.

The red-head shivered “Well, I guess I could heal any marks afterwards.”

Saeko chuckled and captured Lauren's lips once more. This time she did not attack but traced Lauren's lower lip with her tongue, silently asking the red-head to deepen the kiss. Lauren immediately complied, bringing the kunoichi even closer to her when she felt Saeko's tongue slide sensually against her own.

Both witches lost themselves in the kiss until Lauren gently shoved the Uchiha from her.

Saeko's already black eyes appeared even darker because of her arousal, nonetheless she immediately stepped back and asked in concern “What is it?”

Lauren smirked to indicate everything was fine “I won't be taken against the door. I'm sure you have a spell of some kind for these situations, Merlin knows you had enough practice.”

The raven summoner grinned and wordlessly conjured a futon much like one she used for sleep back at the Uchiha Compound.

“Handy”

“Indeed” Saeko agreed and was upon her soon-to-be lover again, this time grasping Lauren's coat with an arched eyebrow.

Lauren smirked and shrugged the coat off, closely followed by the thick sweater she had underneath. The scarred brunette mimicked her girlfriend and took it a step further, leavening her with just the band around her breasts.

“Well, that's sexy” the Snake chuckled, “Didn't expect to get lucky today?”

“Hn”

“How do you take it off?” Lauren asked hungrily.

Saeko smirked “Don't tell me you lost the knife I gave you already.”

The Brit licked her lips even as she looked questioningly at her partner. Then she slowly brought her hand to her belt to withdraw the blade in question.

Seeing Lauren's uncertainly Saeko snatched the knife from her and swiftly slashed her band open. The red-head gasped, in part because of the gesture and in part because of Saeko's breasts revealed.

“Your turn” Saeko smirked.

Lauren tore her eyes from the falling band and what had been hidden behind it to look the ninja into her eyes. She chuckled “Nothing as dramatic please, I happen to like my underwear.”

“Noted” Saeko agreed as her girlfriend slowly divested.

The Brit's breasts were roughly the same size as the ninja's, but Saeko's were used to be taped down. The ninja stepped closer to Lauren so their noses nearly touched and locked their eyes together while her hands slowly caressed the sides of the newly revealed mounds.

“You're beautiful” Saeko breathed, her eyes never leaving the red-heads.

Lauren actually bushed “So are you. I finally got to meet those famous abs of yours.”

The Uchiha chucked “They say hello.”

“That was horrible” Lauren rolled her eyes affectionately even as her fingertips traced the hard stomach.

“You make me delirious enough to say such non-sense”

“Now, _that_ 's a line!”

“Thank you” Saeko smirked and crashed their lips together once again. Lauren inhaled sharply as their bare chest collided. The Uchiha wanted to smirk proudly for eliciting such a reaction but had to moan herself when Lauren's hands travelled to her ass and with a squeeze brought them even closer together.

The girls spent the next several minutes just tasting each other, letting their hands roam. Saeko had to shiver when the pads of Lauren's fingers followed along her spine

When Lauren's eyes glinted dangerously Saeko knew something was up but she was beyond caring, allowing a sudden firm shove to let her fall onto the conjured bedding.

“Nice aim” the scarred kunoichi hummed appreciatively when Lauren straddled her and let her long red hair form a curtain around their faces.

“I try” the Slytherin chuckled, “It was fifty-fifty but I figured you're tough enough to handle it.”

Saeko snorted in amusement and gently bit into Lauren's shoulder in retaliation. The red-head placed hear hand on the ninja's sternum and pressed her back down with a faux-glare. The she bared her own teeth and let them sink into the same place only on Saeko's body.

The ninja arched involuntarily under Lauren who laughed in delight “You like it when I bite.”

Saeko did not respond and instead rolled them over to shut the red-head up. This time her lips found a different target in the form of Lauren's left nipple. The pureblood sucked in a breath when Saeko's tongue circled the taunt peak.

“Shit” the red-head cursed and let her fingers thread into the typical Uchiha black hair, encouraging a repeat.

The Konoha nin smirked tauntingly at how the tables reversed and switched breasts, delighting herself in the sounds she evoked.

Deciding to give Lauren a brief respite she sat back up and unfastened the red-head's pants to reveal a hint of red underwear. Saeko made short work of both of their shoes and returned her mouth right where it belonged - to Lauren's chest.

After she had her fill and Lauren's sounds went from aroused to urgent, Saeko shuffled back up to capture Lauren's lower lip between her teeth. The red-head eyed her heatedly and Saeko smiled “May I?”

“Merlin, yes!” Lauren bit out, “And get on with it!”

Saeko chuckled and placed a soft lingering kiss on the red-head's lips. The she moved to the pale expanse of her neck, using kisses, teasing licks and playful nips to slowly but surely progress downwards.

“I said get on with it” Lauren keened and grabbed roughly Saeko's hair to glare at her.

The scarred brunette smirked but nodded nonetheless. When Lauren's hand left her hair in favor of gripping the futon, Saeko let her hand slowly trail from the red-head's lips, across her tits and finally splay on her abdomen, only to disappear under Lauren's red boyshorts and between her legs.

Lauren's hands flew to the ninja's back with a long moan as Saeko run her fingers though the red-head's folds.

“You're soaked” Saeko said, voice full of wonder.

The Brit had her eyes closed but if she didn't she would've rolled them. It was really quite obvious. The pureblood's flushed face didn't leave any room for doubts about her excitement as did her sounds.

Saeko ignored the whine of protest when she withdrew her hand. She smiled and used the same hand to slowly bring down Lauren's boyshorts and pants. The red-head's eyes flew open and with a look that could only mean 'finally' she helped the motion along.

“Please” Lauren breathed out when her lover's hands trailed her thighs and legs.

Feeling merciful Saeko decided to end the teasing and land a small kiss right above the small patch of well-groomed hair.

Lauren's hips shot up but Saeko caught them firmly and pressed them back on the fuuton. Then using both hands Saeko pushed Lauren's legs a little further apart, opening her up for better access and licked swiftly through the wet folds.

The pureblood cried sharply in elation and her hands found Saeko's hair once more.

With a hum of appreciation Saeko returned her mouth to Lauren's folds, this time exploring, tasting, sucking. When the ninja's tongue found Lauren's clit she had to use her hands to keep Lauren from bucking wildly. Delighted, Saeko brought her lips to the clit, this time sucking on it harshly.

She was rewarded Lauren's nails scratching her scalp with force while a loud animalistic sound was drawn from her lips.

Deciding to give Lauren a little more, Saeko dragged two of her fingers through the wetness before her and then into Lauren, at fist one and then both of them as the red-head arched up.

“Saeko” Lauren gasped, a plea unspoken.

The ninja hummed in acknowledgment but her lips and tongue never stopped playing with Lauren's clit, only now she added a gently pumping motion of her hand. The two fingers slid easier and easier through the copious wetness as Saeko moved faster.

“Please!” the pureblood urged on, pressing her hips into the ninja.

Saeko withdrew her tongue with one last broad lick across the clit and gently took it between her teeth instead. Lauren arched up again and Saeko curved her fingers upwards.

It took only three more thrusts to Lauren's legs to seize and lock around the kunoichi's head, along with the rest of the red head's body, as her climax raced though her.

When Lauren exhaled loudly and sagged down bonelessly Saeko withdrew from between her legs and with a soft kiss to the red-head's brow she settled beside her.

As the Brit cuddled into her, still breathing heavily, Saeko had a fleeting thought that next time she had to give herself more time to explore, to find all the spots that made Lauren moan.

“Still awake?” the Uchiha asked when the breathing beside her slowed down.

“Yes. Who do you take me for?” Lauren chuckled.

“Just checking”

The Slytherin opened her eyes and looked up at Saeko with a smirk “Checking when are you getting your turn?”

“Not really,” the brunette smirked as well, “I suspect I'm just one touch away from coming embarrassingly fast.”

“Well, I ought to verify that, don't I?” Lauren smirked predatorily.

Saeko licked her lips, her mouth suddenly vey dry “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Sure does” the red-head whispered against the skin of Saeko's neck as her hands found the ninja's tits.

When Lauren's mouth followed the path her hands took only moments prior the Uchiha whimpered “I wasn't kidding before. Please, Lauren.”

“But I want to explore” the red-head pouted, mirth clearly audible in her voice.

“Next time?” Saeko asked hopefully.

“You can still speak, so it can't be that bad” Lauren smirked and bit down on the breast she was playing with, eliciting the most powerful reaction yet out of the ninja. “You _do_ like to get bitten” Lauren confirmed her previous hypothesis.

“Hn”

Deciding to try something out Lauren scraped her nails over the brunette's sides more forcefully than before. Her reward was a loud mewl.

Lauren chuckled “I didn't expect you to be so vocal. I kinda though all I would get would be 'hn'”

“Hn”

“And now miss deadly ninja is at my mercy. I like it. I like it a lot” the Slytherin grinned.

“Hn”

As Lauren marveled at the Uchiha's flushed skin she moved her right hand down to make a tentative pass though Saeko's wetness. Delighted by the needy sound she made another pass, this time focusing on the hard clit.

Confident in the Uchiha's responses she moved her fingers in a circular motion over the nub. Saeko only had to breathe “Harder” for the pressure to increase.

Not wanting to repeat herself too much Lauren teased Saeko's entrance with two fingers that she eventually plunged in.

Saeko's nails dug into the red-head's back as she matched the movement of the body over her and the fingers inside. Two fingers became three and with an almost accidental brush of a palm against the ninja's clit sent it Saeko into an orgasm, punctuated by a blissful exhale.

Lauren looked at the spectacle before breathlessly. When Saeko's body fell limp under her, the red-head's gaze went to the fingers coated in the ninja's essence. After the shortest deliberation Lauren's tongue ventured forth for a taste.

“That…” Saeko trailed out.

Lauren smirked and rested her sweaty brow on the ninja's shoulder, settling beside and over her.

“You were rather… confident” the brunette ventured after a while of silence, not really wanting to ask about any previous sexual experiences.

Lauren grinned proudly “You're not the only one to read erotica.”

“I commend your reading”

The red-head chuckled. Saeko smiled fondly at her lover and pressed a kiss on the pale neck. Lauren stretched upwards and captured the ninja's lips into a languid and slow kiss.

X

**Saeko and Ashley's Room**

The Uchiha was lying in her bed but instead of reminiscing on her encounter with Lauren she was listening to Skygge's report. That said, her mood was much better that it would otherwise be.

“Well, Potter always wanted family. He's got family”

“I don't think he appreciates it much” Skygge commented dryly.

“Why is it always Potter” Saeko exhaled loudly in exasperation.

The raven snickered “They named him The-Boy-Who-Lived, that's reason enough.”

“Heh, true” the brunette chuckled, “So this Marauder Map, you sure you don't show up on it?”

“Only humans”

“Good, that's something. I'll need to be careful then”

“He won't be checking it all the time”

“True. But I will need some trips to the library to find out how it works”

“Why not just steal it? We could use it”

“Potter gets in so much trouble and this map could help out”

“Or get him in even more trouble now that he can feel a little bit safe”

“True”

Skygge hummed “Maybe safe enough to look for his dear godfather?”

“Black has proven elusive”

“Weren't you angry about the Headmaster using Potter as bait?”

“Then he should be used to it”

Skygge smirked “I'll spread the word around.”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“We'll keep an extra eye out for Potter, don't worry” Hayama said with a poorly concealed annoyance.

“Hn, sorry. With all this godfather business and his new Map…” Saeko smiled apologetically.

“I understand”

“Anything you want me to deliver to Konoha? I'm offering” the Uchiha asked.

Hayama was mollified “No but thank you.”

“Well, then” Saeko hummed, “I should be going, the train is about to depart.”

The two ninja exchanged a goodbye and Saeko took off running to the Hogsmeade station. She reached the scarlet locomotive when most of the students were already inside but still well within the timeframe for departure.

With a quick run along the train she located her friends. Coincidently the window of the compartment was open all the way down.

“Holy shit!” Peter jumped up in fright at the ninja's sudden appearance.

“Dude!” Caitlin said half surprised, half impressed.

Saeko grinned “Hi!”

“You're late” Helena said airily, her eyes never leaving her Arithmancy book.

“Not really” the jounin shrugged, “We're not moving yet.”

Caitlin chuckled “True.”

“Quickie with Lauren?” Graham smirked salaciously.

Saeko agreed so she wouldn't need to explain her part-time surveillance job. In truth she had met her girlfriend, recently turned lover, in the morning. While the sex Graham had insinuated indeed happened, the main purpose of the meet was to give Lauren a gift-wrapped bezoar as a not-really-a-joke. The Snake was appreciative.

“I know that smirk” Ashley said knowingly.

“Don't we all” Daniel chuckled.

“You seem happy” Helena observed, “See that it lasts.”

Caitlin nodded vigorously “Oh yes, please. Quidditch trainings had been more bearable these last few days.”

The Eagle Captain grinned dangerously “Is that so?”

“No?” the chaser said weakly. Then she cleared her throat and said more surely “I mean, no.”

“That's good to hear” Saeko said with excessive brightness, “Of course you do realize you still have to keep up with your PT even during the break. I will be weighting you afterwards like usual.”

Caitlin groaned while the rest of the group sniggered.


	109. 6- 109 Carol of the Leaves

 

“So I missed Shizune's wedding?” Saeko pouted as she sat before her brother who was combing her hair, preparing them for a trim.

“It was tasteful and small. Shizune, read Tsunade, did not want a big spectacle with the whole Clan involved. So it was mostly friends, all Clan Heads, the Hokage and the elders…”

The younger sibling chuckled “I bet Tsunade just loooves the elders.”

“Indeed,” Itachi smirked, “Her reaction to their incessant 'inquiries' and 'comments' was worth her emptying the whole bar.”

“I'm really sorry I missed it. I'll give her the wedding gift later today then”

“Hn” said the ANBU captain as he took up one of his kunai to cut Saeko's hair.

“Can't you use scissors like normal people?” Mihane rolled her eyes from her reading spot in the corner of the room.

Both Uchiha siblings looked at her, not really computing. Then they said in unison “That's how we always did it.”

“Not surprised in the least” Mihane shrugged with a sigh and went back to her scroll.

“Speaking of elders, how are ours? You said you had a big meeting scheduled not long ago” Saeko asked.

“As always, I suppose” Itachi shrugged, “One learns how to sidestep what one prefers not to be involved with or in.”

"In other words, you don't really take any shit. Good"

Mihane snorted in amusement “Did you hear all that diplomatic speak?”

“Yeah” the girl smirked, “That was really good. I get practice as well when I speak with the authorities my mission required.”

“Still not telling me?” the only non-Uchiha smiled.

Itachi and Saeko shared a look. Finally the girl hummed “I guess we could.”

“Really?” Mihane arched an eyebrow.

The Uchiha lord calmly finished with his sister's hair. Then he nodded “We could.”

Saeko checked the new length of her hair and then started to recount her assignment at Hogwarts and briefly went over magic and its uses.

To say Mihane was surprised would be understating it. Finally she chuckled “So you got pretty much unlimited access to all of their jutsu arsenal for the small price of accepting a mission here and there for them. And you're getting paid.”

“In gold”

“Fuinjutsu, healing, jutsu, poisons, all kinds of support techniques. And you're getting paid” Mihane chuckled again.

“Yup. Although the jutsu cannot be used by everyone”

“Still, it's a treasure-trove”

“Especially the Runes - you should see our basement” Itachi grinned, “It's five times bigger than before and from outside it looks exactly the same.”

Mihane's eyes glinted “I wanna see. But you said neither of you are good at fuinjutsu. Are these runes this much different?”

“Less volatile, definitely” Saeko explained, “And there are actual manuals on how to use them. Classic fuinjutsu is usually passed from master to pupil and the books are very limited. And difficult to understand since every user has their own way of doing it. On the other hand using runes on humans is pretty much illegal over there, rituals they call it. I haven't researched that yet for obvious reasons. But they are rather complicated and seals might be better in that regard anyway.”

“Did Jiraiya-sama take a peek?” the former ANBU asked.

“Sure,” Saeko shrugged, “He says he prefers his own stuff but that they are cool too.”

Mihane chuckled and nodded. The she smirked knowingly “Ren is a witch then, yes? Are the things with her… magical?”

“Hn” the raven summoner rolled her eyes.

Itachi smirked “It's Lauren actually. Ren just pairs better with Uchiha.”

“Hn” Saeko repeated, crossing her arms.

“Uchiha Ren” Mihane enunciated with relish.

“Hn”

“She can continue this all day, you know” Itachi said nonchalantly.

“Hn”

* * *

**Mission Assignment Office**

“Yo Hinata, Neji,” Saeko greeted the two Hyuuga, “looking for a mission to do together?”

Neji turned and smiled near-imperceptibly “Welcome home.”

“Saeko!” Hinata smiled more warmly, “How was your mission?”

“Long but really fun”

“Really?” the lavender-haired kunoichi asked.

“I have a good team on site” Saeko smirked.

The ninja exchanged a bit of small talk, mostly for Hinata's benefit, catching up on some bits of gossip about her peer group.

Before Neji could answer a question about his sensei they were interrupted by one of the chuunin manning the desk “I need a jounin for a five day or so mission to back up one of our teams. Urgently!”

Saeko whistled “Something must've gone FUBAR.”

“FUBAR?” Hinata asked as Neji strode towards the ninja to speak about the emergency.

“It's nothing” Saeko shook her head and joined her best friend to catch the tail of the explanation.

“… so they need a jounin, if you can get a team quick they would be more than welcome” the chuunin said urgently.

“I'll take it” Neji nodded resolutely.

“Good” the chuunin sighed in relief and gave the Hyuuga jounin the file in his hand.

“Need a team?” Saeko grinned eagerly.

Neji looked behind the brunette at his cousin “Me and Hinata-sama can handle it, right?”

Hinata practically beamed “Of course nii-san!”

Saeko smiled, it was really a heat-warming sight to see Neji reach out to the girl “Ok, you two have fun. Try not to die.”

“Of course not, you would miss me” the elder Hyuuga smirked.

“Can't have my Hokage advisor dead before I take office” the brunette smirked back. Neji chuckled while Hinata was looking down, obviously rooting for Naruto.

They exchanged hasty goodbyes, both Hyuuga rushing to back up the Konoha team that was in trouble. Saeko returned her attention to the available missions when she felt a familiar presence.

“Saeko! You're back!” Anko skipped towards the Uchiha and hugged her, “How come you didn't come by?”

“Got interrogated by nii-san and his fiancée and I wanted to get away for a bit, bolstering my mission record in the meantime. Maybe take Shika as a partner for it”

The purplette smirked and shook her head “Mission? Nonsense, you just came back. Come with me.”

“Where?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“The Academy”

“The Academy? Why?”

Anko grinned “Sarutobi-sama said I'll be getting one of the throwaway teams to sort. Maybe this time we can get someone with decent control we can ship to the hospital. Most people end in the chuunin track but just in the last batch there was one for T&I.”

Saeko's jaw dropped “Right out of the Academy?”

“Yep, vicious little fucker” the purplette sighed, “His civilian mum was gang-raped and killed by missing nin. His dad fell into the bottle and the son is now Ibiki's newest protégée.”

The Uchiha nodded solemnly, stories like that were not uncommon “Do you already know which ones you will get?”

“Nope. You in? Of course you're in. We can get dango afterwards”

“Sure”

“Just let me drop something to the Big Boss first and we'll go. I hope they have a lesson with Iruka, he's delicious”

Saeko chuckled “Does the poor man know you have him in your crosshairs?”

“You never complained” Anko laughed, “I have to get my kicks from somewhere since you're apparently off the market.”

“Point. Now go drop your file or whatever so we can go”

“Eager now?”

“The dango really sold it”

Anko chuckled and strode towards the stairs leading to the upper levels of the Hokage Tower while the brunette went to wait in front of the building. Most of the ninja she encountered politely nodded at her, some she knew even stopping for conversation. Saeko enjoyed Hogwarts very much but home was home and she missed it quite a bit.

“Ready to go?” Anko asked

The raven summoner nodded and they both disappeared in a burst of speed. A few hops on and over the rooftops and they were at the Academy - all the most important structures of the Village were grouped together in the most defendable part of Konoha.

Once they were positioned so they had a good view of the soon-to-be graduating classroom they took turns pointing out the student types every class had. Saeko started with an easy one - the class clown which this time was two Inuzuka twins. Coincidentally the only ones who apart the teachers noticed them looking in. And their ninken. Naturally.

“Aaaand the pretty boy over there is the prince. Look at all the fangirls fawning over him. Disgusting. You know him?”

“Not all Uchiha know each other. I have seen him, that is all” Saeko rolled her eyes.

“You know, you lot are awfully pretty” Anko commented, “Men included. Although those are effeminate at times. Then some turn surly instead.”

“Itachi-nii will be pleased to hear that” the raven summoner chuckled.

“Your brother is a hunk”

“Ugh” Saeko grimaced and refocused on the aspirant ninja before her “Look at that one! Is she wearing a long dress? Has the fashion changed while I was away?”

“No, she's just an idiot. But hey, she might prove us wrong and this is ninja-worthy deception”

Both kunoichi looked at each other. A beat later they snorted in laughter “Naah!”

After they stopped laughing Saeko asked “Which ones are for the jounin track you think?”

“The clan kids for sure. Then that two in the back”

“Hn. What about that girl, the one closest to the window in front row”

“Hmm, yes. She might have potential. At least she's not drooling over your clansman”

“More than that, she's got this glint in her eyes”

Anko smirked “Isn't she too young for you?”

“Funny”

“But yeah, I agree” Orochimaru's former apprentice nodded, “But with my luck I'll get a trio of fangirls. Well, at least I get to drop them.”

Saeko chuckled.

“Oh” the purplette remembered something “That one over there is off-limits. He's getting apprenticed.”

“To who?” the Uchiha asked, intrigued. Apprenticeship was not overly common right out of the Academy.

“I forgot his name” Anko shrugged unapologetically, “But I think he's an assassination specialist.”

Both women looked at the future assassin to size him up. He didn't look like much, but then again, that was what the training was for.

Saeko shrugged and let her eyes wander at the front of the classroom “That teacher is the one Yuuko's dating, right?”

“They broke up. Quite recently in fact” Anko said sadly, “Yuuko won't even tell me why.”

“Where is she anyway? I asked Ino but she didn't know”

“Somewhere around Mizu no Kuni on a long-term mission. I hope it will help her snap out of her funk. She really liked this girl. No idea why”

The Uchiha sighed “It's a pity, Yuuko seemed happy with her”

“Sure, but I wasn't all that surprised at the news” Anko shrugged.

“Hn”

…

“So, Iruka is not here”

“Dango?”

“Dango”

* * *

**Training Field 10**

“I won against Shika! I won against Shika! I won…” Saeko sang while she danced around the grass field.

“Mendokse”

Asuma chuckled and looked at the shougi board “He fell asleep during your match, that's hardly a victory.”

“Sure is!” the Uchiha smiled brilliantly, “That's an automatic forfeit!”

Ino smirked “I say it counts.”

“Congratulations” Chouji said and offered the brunette a freshly opened bag of chips.

The bearded jounin sensei shrugged “Come on, Ino, Chouji, let's continue that spar.”

Saeko finally sat down after her dance performance and eyed the Nara “So, what happened? You never fall asleep during shougi. Especially not against an okay player like me. And your long unseen friend.”

“Mendokse” Shikamaru sighed, “I have been assigned to cooperate with Suna on the matter of the next chuunin exams.”

“That's rather early, isn't it?”

“Yes”

“So why are you so tired, you usually pace yourself and… oooh!” Saeko suddenly grinned knowingly.

“What?” Shikamaru arched an eyebrow.

“Who is the Suna representative you are dealing with?” the Uchiha asked sweetly.

“Mendokse. It's Temari”

“I knew it! I heard from Ino and Yuuko she's one of the few people that can get you in line. Just like Yoshino-dono, your mother. Yuuko had a field day with her psychology specialization about it.”

“Mendokse”

“Daughter of a Kage. Good job!” Saeko smirked slyly, “And don't you dare to say 'mendokse' again.”

…

“That doesn't mean you should not say anything” the Uchiha sighed. Shikamaru smirked and started reorganizing the shougi board. Saeko smirked as well “You know, I got an invitation to dinner to the Nara compound. By Yoshino-dono actually.”

The Nara heir grimaced “Kami.”

“Won't be that bad” Saeko chuckled, “For you that is. I'll have heaps of fun.”

“I'm invited too” Ino sing-songed as she approached the duo, looking for her water bottle.

The sharingan user grinned “Maybe we should get Temari invited as well, seems to me she's still in town. It would be only proper. Konoha hospitality and all.”

“Only proper” the Yamanaka nodded in exaggerated seriousness. Chouji chuckled, he had been invited as well and this promised to be a lot of fun.

Asuma chuckled and fished out another cigarette from his vest “Sucks to be you, kid.”

“Mendokse”


	110. 6- 110 Back to School

 

**Hogwarts Express**

“You're one difficult gal to find” Saeko announced from the doorway to the last compartment of the train.

“That was by design” Lauren looked away from the window to smile slightly at her lover, “But I figured a ninja would be able to find me.”

“Actually tracking is my weakest suit” the brunette shrugged and sat beside Lauren and leaned for a kiss.

When their lips disconnected the Brit asked “How was Konoha?”

“Nothing overly exciting. I am far more curious how it went here”

Lauren sighed “Pretty much as expected. I'm very tired though, and glad to be out.”

“Tired?” Saeko asked lightly and nudged the red-head to lay on her lap. When her girlfriend obliged she was a bit surprised but very pleased, “So? Tell me about it.”

“Don't really want to”

“Hn”

Lauren sighed once more “I spent the majority of Yule doing paperwork - reading what felt like an entire library and signing enough documents to last me a lifetime. Good news though, my father was very smart and loved me so I'm quite secure money-wise.”

“Great. And other-wise?”

“I was getting to that” the red-head said in annoyance.

“Gomen”

“No, I'm sorry. It's just that our family's lawyers are a bunch of pricks! At least the name partners, Jamie and some of the others were ok. Old-fashioned geezers!”

“Jamie mentioned that” Saeko nodded, remembering how her former captain feared her sexuality would be discovered.

Lauren didn't seem to hear as she was getting angrier by the second “Just because I shave my legs instead of my face doesn't mean I'm not capable of thought! And I might be young but I'm still the heir to House Lewis. A highborn lady. Not some snot-nosed brat! And of course uncle got the firewhiskey and cigars treatment.”

“Can't you just take your business elsewhere?”

“I can't until I'm officially Head, so after Hogwarts” the Snake explained bitterly.

“And what about that 'fine match' they were searching for you?”

“They can search all they want but nothing can be official until I graduate. They are setting up some 'teas' with the other old families which I will be compelled to attend by my lovely guardians. Can't wait” Lauren said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “But marriage has to be consensual to be valid, right?”

“Sure, but it can be arranged in a way that I either say yes or bring my family to ruin. Same with our name. With that I could fall under some very old provisions meant for unfit Heads”

“Hn”

“Agreed”

“Any potential allies?” the Uchiha inquired.

“Dad left letters in my new vault - I'm not without options”

Saeko smiled “Good man, your dad.”

Lauren laughed “He would've liked you. Not my mother though, she would hate your guts.”

“Virtually meeting your parents? Sounds serious” the ninja said purposefully lightly.

Lauren rolled her eyes “What about your parents?”

“What would they think of you? Well, you're female, not from Konoha, Fugaku didn't pick you, you are a mere healer… should I continue?”

“No need” the red-head chuckled, “I got the gist.”

The trained jerked and started moving, slowly gaining speed. The two girls took the opportunity to fall silent and enjoy the moving scenery.

When the train left London Lauren spoke again “I really like this last compartment, nobody trying to barge in.”

Saeko chuckled “It sure helps that I cast an illusion over it.”

“Really?” the red-head inclined her head to look at the door, “What's it called?”

“ _Magen: Kononi Arazu_ \- false surroundings. The name is self-explanatory”

“So what do people see from the outside?”

“No door”

Lauren hummed “I like it. No chance you could teach me?”

“Sorry. But I have plenty of illusionary spells I learned here”

“There is a good chance I already know them. I like illusions. It's a hobby”

“Really?” Saeko grinned, “I didn't know that.”

The Slytherin shrugged “I have hidden depths.”

“I know” Saeko chuckled and stroked the red-hair spilling from her lap. When Lauren just smirked and fell silent the ninja fished out her pipe “Do you mind?”

“Go ahead, just don't blow the smoke in my face”

“Thanks” the ninja smiled, “Hey, it's about noon, you hungry?”

“What do you have?”

“Onigiri. My brother made them”

“Those are the riceballs, yes?”

“Yup”

Lauren sat back up and made a gimme motion. Saeko unsealed her lunch, took an onigiri and offered the rest to her lover to choose from.

“Thanks” the snake smiled as she took one, “Won't your friends miss you? Because those are delicious.”

“I'll tell Itachi-nii you liked them” Saeko smiled as well, “And no, I told them I was hunting you down. Besides I think I will not miss much - I already know where all of them went. And as a bonus I won't have to listen to Graham asking Daniel about his _extra sparkly_ Christmas.”

The Brit chuckled “I don’t blame Daniel in the slightest for not telling them sooner.”

“I love that we have another rainbow team player in the group”

“So you said before”

“Speaking of rainbow team” Saeko smirked, “I did not expect a calm ride like this.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “Oho? And what did you expect?”

“You being extremely pissed. A sentiment that would result into loud and explosive sex”

“That could still be arranged, but no way it's happening on this train” the Slytherin pursed her lips and looked around the compartment.

Saeko pouted but agreed that the train wasn't the best place. Pity the portkey she had was an emergency one and Dumbledore would be alerted to her arriving in front of his office - talk about awkward. The other option was to be summoned by Zake or Skygge but that was still more that she was prepared to reveal to the Brit.

“Chin up, Uchiha” Lauren grinned, “We'll be arriving well before dinner.”

“I have more onigiri” the brunette wiggled her eyebrows.

“We'll see”

Saeko smirked and returned to her meal.

Lauren chucked “If you intend for us to skip dinner then I ought to take a nap.”

“Sweet dreams”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“So you're keeping it?” Ashley squinted at Graham.

The boy in question stroked his new beard that was in the early stages “Yes, I look manly. Don't I look manly?”

“Sure” Caitlin smirked and returned her gaze to her cereal.

“Come on ladies, some appreciation here? What do you think?” Graham looked around the group.

Ashley shrugged “It's not bad.”

“It actually suits you” Saeko hummed as she inspected her friend's newest accessory he started cultivating during the break.

Even Helena deigned to answer him “Well, at least you have the hair for it. Remember that tragedy that was Geoffrey?”

The group chuckled in unison - that had truly been a tragedy. It was horrible enough his buddies shaved him while the former prefect was sleeping.

Daniel smirked “Keep it short though, only a handful of people can manage a Dumbledore.”

Graham grimaced and nodded “My mother would kill me if I pulled that.”

“Too true” Paddy chuckled, knowing the woman from visiting his best friend during summer, “It would be funny as hell. Speaking of, I bet you anything she cooed about her baby all grown up. Pinched your cheeks maybe?”

The Raven in question blushed and murmured “Shut up.”

Caitlin's eyes sparkled in mischief and cooed as well “I just remember the first time he started shaving. He was so proud.”

“Saeko had to heal him afterwards” Ashley joined in.

“Awww” Saeko put her head into her palms and looked sweetly at Graham who silently seething.

Daniel chuckled “We should get to Runes before he explodes.”

Peter smirked “You go, the rest of us have got a free period after all.”

Graham glared as Saeko, Helena, Ashley and Daniel waved at him enthusiastically as they left him with the grinning rest of their little poker group.

Once out of the Great Hall Ashley looked Daniel over “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“No facial hair experiment?”

The bespectacled prefect grimaced “No. But I do admit Graham looks good with a beard. Not Paddy though, even if I can safely bet that by tomorrow he will be trying for a goatee or something.”

Saeko chuckled “Sounds about right. Well, worst case scenario, we can shave him after we knock him out.”

Helena smirked evilly “I like the plan.”

“Speaking of knocked out, sorry about not being there when those girls tried to beat each other into a pulp” Ashley apologized to her fellow prefect.

“I missed a cat fight?” the Uchiha pouted.

Daniel rolled his eyes at the ninja but smiled at Ash “No problem, Underwood helped me with them.”

“Why did no one call me?” Saeko continued.

“What was the issue anyway?” the pinkette asked, ignoring her roommate.

Helena smirked “By their screams I would surmise the brunette one had gotten a bit too friendly with the other one's boyfriend during Yule.”

“Aaah”

“Seriously guys, why didn't you tell me. I might be in a relationship now but that doesn't mean I'm dead” Saeko crossed her arms.

“Really now?” a very interested voice asked behind them.

“Hi, Lauren” the very amused Helena, Ashley and Daniel intoned.

Saeko herself turned smoothly and greeted with a grin “Good morning, darling”

The red-headed Slytherin arched an eyebrow “What did I tell you about pet names?”

“That if I ever called you by one I'd get punched in the face?”

“Indeed” Lauren smirked.

“You didn't yet”

“Don't tempt me”

“How sweet,” Helena rolled her eyes good-naturedly, “But we're blocking the doorway.”

The group poured into the Runes classroom and sat down at their usual seats. Saeko and Lauren sat beside each other and shared a brief kiss.

“Is this how's it going to be all the time now?” the blonde Raven arched an eyebrow.

“Whatever do you mean?” Saeko smirked.

“You being whipped” Helena shot right back with a smirk of her own.

Ash and Lauren chuckled while Daniel bit his lip preventing himself to do the same. Saeko narrowed her eyes “What in this brief conversation made you think I'm whipped?”

The blonde smirked “Oh, not this cute little flirting, _darling_ , don't worry.”

“Then wha-“

The ninja was interrupted by professor Babbling entering her classroom “Good morning, students. I hope you had a nice break because I have a nice book for you to read and translate.”

All students groaned in unison. Babbling smirked “I know, I know. But homework can wait until the end to the lesson. Now…”

Before Saeko could turn to her blonde friend to interrogate her some more, albeit inconspicuously, Helena leaned towards Lauren.

When the purebloods both giggled, _giggled!_ Saeko gulped.

Daniel eyed the duo and mouthed _“Scary”_

The Uchiha let out a strangled sound and nodded _“I know!”_

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The exhausted quidditch team dragged themselves into the Common Room, all of them wet from the snow that has been falling outside since their return to school. Even Saeko was quite tired - she really pushed them all to counteract any possible slacking off the Eagles might have done during Christmas.

“Caitlin, Saeko, over here!” Graham called from beside the Notice Board.

The Irish girl blinked sluggishly but then she shrugged and slowly made her way to the rest of the little poker team. Saeko chuckled and instead turned to the rest of her team “Good job everyone, really good. Eat something before you go to sleep though.”

“Uuuugh” the quidditch players mumbled and dispersed.

Saeko smiled at them fondly and then rejoined Caitlin at the Notice Board “What's up?”

“Look!” Paddy grinned and pointed at the new piece of parchment pinned to the Board.

“Apparition classes?”

Graham nodded enthusiastically “Indeed! I can't wait. We just signed on.”

Caitlin yawned, signed her name on the sheet and passed the pencil to the ninja. Saeko scribbled her name as well, noting the rest of her year was already signed on.

“Just twelve weeks and we can Apparate” Paddy high-fived Peter who started making whooshing sounds.

“You need to be seventeen first” Ashley doused their enthusiasm.

The boys quickly did the math and sighed in relief. Graham frowned “Don't do that, you scared me. I almost didn't make the cut.”

“Sorry” the pinkette smirked.

Helena tapped her lip in thought and turned to Saeko “Will you be taking the test?”

“Why the hell she wouldn't?” Paddy asked.

Daniel hummed in understanding “Not wanting to leave a record? Or more convenient to do it in Japan?”

Saeko inclined her head on a slight bow “Hn.” Her friends were spot on, she did indeed not intend to get the certification from the British Ministry. Or any certification at all for that matter. That said she very much intended to learn Apparition from the Ministry instructor - it was much more useful that shunshin. Apparition left less of a mark, less magic/chakra cost and the distance you could go. Oh, the distance.

“Did anyone apparate already?” Daniel asked, “We usually use the Floo.”

Helena nodded “It's… uncomfortable. But you get used to it after a few times.”

“Uncomfortable is a gross understatement” Caitlin grimaced, “My uncle took me on side-along-apparition once. It felt like being sucked though a straw - pressure all around you. Awful.”

“Really?” Paddy pouted.

“No matter” Peter shrugged, “It's still awesome. I mean you can hop continents in a blink of an eye”

“That's not advised” Daniel frowned.

Helena shrugged “Just because the governments like to keep track of the coming and goings and the Floo is perfect for that.”

“Only a handful of wizards can pull that off - the concentration to achieve it has to be enormous!”

When the discussion turned into an argument Saeko noticed Caitlin slowly dozing off. Finally her head lolled to the side and rested on the kunoichi's shoulder.

Ashley chuckled quietly after shushing the rest of the poker group “You really tired her out, heh?”

Graham and Paddy both smirked lasciviously. Saeko chuckled and the girl on her shoulder mumbled something at being disturbed but did not wake.

“Caitlin. Caitlin!”

“She's out cold” Peter grinned.

“Hn”

“Merlin! What do you do to your team?” Graham whistled.

“Hn” the Uchiha smirked and with one more gentle shake she tried to rouse her chaser. When that failed she put a hand under Caitlin's knees and back to lift the short-haired brunette into her arms.

That did manage to wake her “Wha-?”

“Just enjoy it” Saeko winked.

“I don't swing that way, Cap” Caitlin smirked tiredly but laid her head back on Saeko's shoulder. Everybody oohed and ahhed, tossing jokes about knights in shining armor and telling Lauren.

“We'll see when I throw you into bed” Saeko smirked at her chaser.

“Oh, I do love when you talk dirty to me” Caitlin chuckled.


	111. 6- 111 Beam Me Up, Scotty

 

The first apparition lesson was held on a Saturday afternoon. Pretty much all the sixth years were extremely excited to start and apparition was all they talked about. True to the nature of Ravenclaws they found the only book dealing in this particular art in the Library and passed it around their Common Room to read up the subject.

When they entered the Great Hall the students noted the tables were pushed to the sides and instead there were thin wooden hoops on the floor roughly eight steps apart. Aside the four Head of Houses there was a new wizard present who everybody assumed was the instructor from the Ministry.

“He's… weird” Ashley said quietly.

“Yeah. Do you think it's because he apparates for a living?” Peter frowned.

The wizard was indeed quite odd - extremely thin and oddly colorless. Nearly transparent eyelashes, wispy hair, looking like a good gust of wind might topple him.

“I sure hope not,” Graham frowned, “I don't want to get frail like that dude.”

“He does look like all the substance was sucked out of him” Caitlin observed.

“It's safe, I'm sure” Daniel waved them off.

Helena rolled her eyes “I don't care, let's go. I don't want to be stuck in the back.”

The members of the little poker group nodded and made their way in front of the Hall to join the rest of the sixth year Ravens, in no uncertain terms shoving the Puffs daring to take their spots out of the way.

When all the students were squared off and in their places the Ministry wizard started the lesson “Good afternoon, I'm Wilkie Twycross and I will be your apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. At the end of this course you will be permitted to take the exam provided you'll be seventeen of age.”

Twycross started pacing as he continued with the introduction “As you know, it is usually impossible to apparate or disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has temporarily lifted the enchantment on this Hall. For this one hour only you will be able to practice what I will be teaching you.”

“To apparate you need to keep in mind three things, also known as the three Ds”

Some of the Gryffindor boys snickered but they were promptly silenced by McGonagall's glare. Twycross in turn never paused in his lecture “Destination, determination, deliberation!”

“Step one: fix your mind firmly upon your desired **destination**. In this case the inside of your respective hoops. Concentrate on it now”

Everybody dropped their gaze to stare into their hoops. Saeko instead stared at Twycross still, sharingan active, intent on not missing the demonstration.

“Step two: focus your **determination** to occupy the visualized space. Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body.”

“Step three: when I give you the command, and that time only, turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with **deliberation**! Now, three… two…”

The students looked up at the frail man in mild panic. They were expected to try now? Like right now? The Ravens had the worst of it since they were used to far more premeditation and thought before attempting something new.

“ONE!”

Along with everybody else Saeko spun on the spot as instructed for their first attempt at apparition. With the suddenness of it all the ninja disappeared in a shunshin and into the designated hoop.

As soon as she realized what happened Saeko cursed - that was her biggest blunder yet while studying at Hogwarts. _“This might be harder than expected”_ she thought. At least the shunshin she inadvertently used had been smokeless and leafless.

The Gryffindor that fell on his ass behind her, glared at the Uchiha, muttering something about insufferable showoffs. Other than that only Flitwick reacted, arching an eyebrow in question at her different method of transportation. Saeko shrugged nonchalantly, deciding the motto 'fake it until you make it' applied, and looked around to see how the others fared.

Most of the sixth years were climbing back on their feet, having fallen like the Gryff, while others were still on their spots looking frustrated. There was one student that had pirouetted with his eyes closed right into his hoop that seemed near to tears when he realized he did not in fact succeed.

“Alright, alright” Twycross clapped to get their attention, “Adjust your hoops please and go back to your original positions. Let's try again!”

 On their second attempt at apparition everybody fared very much the same as before. Saeko in turn did not move, trying to isolate her magic from her chakra to achieve the desired feat.

During the fourth attempt there was a loud snapping sound followed by a pained scream. Everybody looked in its direction to see Daniel and his left arm several paces behind him.

“Oh my god!”

“Daniel!”

“Splinching, or the separation of random body parts” Twycross lectured dispassionately as he went to fix the horrified Raven, “Occurs when the mind is insufficiently _determined_. You must concentrate continually upon your _destination_ , and move without haste but with _deliberation_. Thusly.”

The Ministry employee stepped forward, turned gracefully on the spot and vanished in a swirl of his robes, reappearing at the back of the Great Hall.

While an interesting feat, most of the student's attention was still on the very pale Daniel who was inspecting his right arm that was back where it belonged.

“Come on, try again!” Twycross said after he returned to the front of the room with another soundless apparition, “Don't let this discourage you.”

The students were much more hesitant this time but tried anyway. Saeko who had finally observed apparition though her bloodline took one more attempt but managed to apparate in her hoop. Despite being elated to have managed it even with her chakra's interference she staggered, disoriented by the displacement. She hoped Helena had been right about the body getting used to it since this was definitely not combat-applicable. And loud.

Graham who was standing next to the ninja tskd “That's twice you did it. Any tips?”

“Don't puke” Saeko replied, not even joking.

The Brit rolled his eyes “Thanks. And FYI I hate you so much right now.”

“Hn”

The hour designated to the apparition exercise went by rather swiftly. Saeko had been the only one to have moved according to the instructions but two more people managed to splinch themselves. Still, her apparition needed at lot of work if it was to be of any use.

Finally Twycross cleared his throat loudly to get the students' attention “That's it for today. See you all next week. And remember, you cannot practice outside the mental component here in Hogwarts as there are enchantments that prevent it. Also, it is illegal to apparate without a license should you feel the need to practice outside the school grounds.”

The students streamed out of the Hall on unsteady legs, due to the copious turning on the spot, all atwitter.

Peter sighed “I definitely prefer brooms.”

“Hear, hear” Caitlin nodded.

“Are we going to ignore the fact that Saeko is being beyond frustrating again?” Graham pursed his lips.

“Aaron sure isn't” Helena nodded towards the surly Raven that was glaring at the girl in question.

“To be honest I'm slightly pissed too” Patrick sighed.

Saeko shrugged, it was a common sentiment towards the Uchiha “Sorry. You can vent as you wish since I'm going to bug Lauren.”

With a wave the ninja skipped towards the leaving Slytherins. She caught up with Lauren, Alexia and Isolde not far from the Hall “Yo!”

“Ah, little miss prodigy strikes again” Isolde huffed.

The Uchiha smirked “Sorry, can't hear you over my genius.”

Lauren chuckled “Did you ever apparate before?”

“I actually did” Saeko admitted, since it wasn’t completely wrong. And it lessened the bitterness of the rest of her year.”

“Ah” Alexia nodded to herself.

“Still impressive” the red-head hummed.

Saeko smirked proudly “Hn.”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The Ravenclaw quidditch team landed on the hard ground, their training over. Unlike most trainings, this session was rather light since Saeko needed her team to plan for their game against Gryffindor, or more specifically the Firebolt.

Caitlin dismounted her broom and patted it affectionately “Much better than apparition. Immeasurably so.”

“Still can't do it?” Roger smirked provocatively.

“It's hard,” the Irish girl frowned, “Just you wait for next year. You'll crash.”

Saeko pursed her lips in disgust “Better to crash than projectile vomit.”

“Eww” Cho grimaced.

“That really happened?” Rodney asked in morbid fascination.

“Yes” the two sixth years said in unison. The ninja continued “A Puff successfully apparated but then…”

“It was such a mess” Caitlin shivered at the memory.

Jaden rolled his eyes “Still better than what my cousin does. He always yells "BAM!” every times he apparates. Most annoying.”

Rodney chuckled “That sounds fun. Doing it I mean, not being on the receiving end.”

Everybody laughed and set towards the lockers. After the team fell silent Roger asked “So what's up, Cap? Today's work-out was unusually light.”

“True” Jaden nodded, “I can still move and breathe freely so something must've happened.”

“Fishy” their keeper agreed.

Saeko laughed “I just love how you perceive me. But you're right, I kept it light since we need to strategize for our match.”

“Okay?” Caitlin narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“Potter got a new broom. I'm actually surprised you haven't heard yet” the Uchiha hummed.

“What did he get it's worth mentioning and planning for?” Roger asked.

“A Firebolt” Saeko dropped the bombshell.

“No!”

“You're kidding!”

“No way!”

“How did Wood managed to keep it quiet?!”

Saeko cleared her throat to gain her team's attention “Potter got it for Christmas. Since his prominent title there is fear the broom was sent by one of his enemies. So just in case the broom had been confiscated by McGonagall and will stay in her custody until it's thoroughly examined.”

“But it's probable he will get it back before our match” Cho bit her lip.

“Yes” the scarred Raven nodded.

“Shit” Jaden summed up the sentiments of the team.

“Indeed. That is why we need to plan around it” Saeko nodded.

Roger frowned “Well, we have three general options I guess.” The Captain smiled and nodded, letting her chaser speak. The fifth year grinned and elaborated “We can pummel Potter with bludgers. We can outscore them with chasers. Or we can count on Cho's talent and a little bit of luck.”

“Or a combination of all three” Rodney nodded.

The team entered the lockers and took over the boy's section. They sat on the benches and looked at their captain. Saeko crossed her arms and officially began the meeting “Well, one good thing is that Potter focuses only on the snitch and doesn't usually brakes chaser plays and the like.”

“Wood might order him to do so now that he has such a speed advantage” Caitlin remarked.

“True” the Uchiha shrugged, “Still, it is imperative we build a point cushion. 160 should suffice.”

The team chuckled. Jaden nodded “We'll take care of that.”

Rodney hummed “So first we concentrate on the chasers.”

“Yes” Saeko agreed, “Our main focus will be points. We need to score as fast as we can. Potter will not end the game since they already lost once, they need the points too. It will be a battle of attrition so we need to prepare for a long game.”

“And I need to catch the snitch as fast as I can too” Cho sighed.

”That would be preferable, yes” the ninja nodded, “We have the advantage here - we can end it at any time but the Gryffs have to wait.”

“Or” Roger countered, “They might leave the point-grabbing to their last game. We are the reigning champions so Slytherin might be an easier target.”

Saeko smirked “Two words: Oliver Wood.”

“Ah”

“Good point”

The Uchiha nodded “So, other than our usual training we will be focusing on stamina. We can't let up and let the Gryffs tire until they just give up. Also, we can't leave Cho do all the work for us.”

“Stamina” Jaden whined.

“Indeed” Saeko grinned, “Prepare for intense physical training. That's the price of victory.”

While the Team acknowledged the Captain's point they still commiserated their fate. Only James and Roger, the two work-out enthusiasts, seemed unperturbed. Saeko in turn had a sudden urge to shout about 'YOUTH!' It's good to be Captain.

* * *

**Unused Classroom on the 4 th floor**

Lauren was stretched out on her stomach nearly boneless with Saeko half-lying over her, one hand tracing down Lauren's spine. Bending her head she pressed her mouth to the red-head's shoulder blade and the Snake smiled with contentment.

“You know, this is rather comfortable for basically being just a conjured mattress” the Slytherin said after a while.

“It's a futon, not a mattress”

“My bad, it's a mattress with a cover”

“It's traditional Konoha bedding. And, as you have already admitted, very comfy”

Lauren chuckled and turned on her back “I did.”

As the Snake leaned up for a kiss Saeko smiled widely. She could only wonder how Lauren became surprisingly affectionate even since they got together. Even more so after sleeping together. Well, in private only, of course. She was pretty sure the Yamanaka would launch a long spiel about lacking attention and such things but Saeko was content in basking in her happiness.

“You have so many scars” Lauren said softly as she traced one of them on the ninja's shoulder.

“I have a dangerous job”

The Brit nodded “Somehow I did not expect it.”

Saeko laughed “I'm glad I have successfully convinced about my absolute genius. Despite my dashing face scar.”

“Dashing” Lauren said dryly.

“Yup”

“I guess” the red-head smirked, “Mind telling me how you got it? You always evaded.”

“Because it's embarrassing” Saeko sighed.

“Cut yourself shaving?” Lauren laughed at her joke.

The nin chuckled “No.”

“So?”

The ninja sighed again “I got the scar by being an idiot. A cocky idiot. I flew through the academy at record speed, hailed as a genius and prodigy, the best genin in the village. Just like my brother was before me. I never lost a spar at the academy and when we moved from D-ranks to C-ranks I faced thugs, bandits. Adult, buff, armed civilians and I danced around them. They were so slow, so weak.”

“I got the scar facing my first higher ranked foreign ninja. An Iwa nin. I was so sure I could take him. I was an Uchiha and we are the best, and I was just pain awesome. I didn't care he was older and more experienced. I was Uchiha after all.”

“The Iwa nin knew that too so he tried to blind me. To take my sharingan.”

When Saeko paused in her story Lauren prompted her “You got him since you're here, obviously alive and your eye intact.”

“My sensei saved me and we managed to get him together,” the jounin sighed, “I was so ashamed. Sensei didn't even reprimand me - she just handed me the bandages and told me to let the scar be a reminder.”

“And it is. A permanent reminder for which I am very grateful.”

Lauren smiled “Well, it makes you look roguish.”

“I know, right!”

“But if you think you're not cocky anymore because of it, think again”

“Oh no, I know I'm an arrogant shit. But less reckless now.”

Lauren bit her lip, obviously wanting to ask something. The Uchiha nodded, prompting the question “I assume this was before Fugaku died?”

“Indeed”

“How did he react at you nearly losing your Clan's precious eye?”

Saeko grimaced “Not well.”

“Ah” Lauren nodded, “Well, I know you wouldn't go for it but I know a spell that reduces scarring. Might even erase it completely.”

“I love my scar” the Uchiha chuckled, “I think not one of the ninja of Konoha would ask for such a spell.”

“Of course” the red-head chuckled even as she rolled her eyes, “Macho soldiers.”

“Hey, we're tough for real”

“I believe that” Lauren grinned. Then with a look full of mischief she reversed their positions and straddled the brunette “I love tough.”


	112. 6- 112 Conquering Fear

 

Saeko eyed her team, their slumped shoulders and dispirited attitude. Sternly she started her usual pre-game speech “You all have seen the Firebolt in Potter's hand at breakfast. So worst case scenario is on. That of course doesn't mean we are losing. It's just a broom. A single broom. We have made plans for this eventuality and we will execute them perfectly. We WILL win!”

“Is that only me hearing the 'or else'?” Roger chuckled.

“Not just you” Caitlin smirked.

“We'll just have to compensate” James said calmly.

“We'll just have to kick ass as usual” Jaden stood straighter.

The ninja nodded “Indeed! Now, remember, when we fly out there we are going to do so confidently and without doubt. Fake it if you have to. Especially you, Cho.”

Chang sighed and nodded. Rodney smiled at the petite seeker “Potter's super-speedy broom will be useless to him if you just spot the snitch first.”

“Easy then” the girl remarked sarcastically.

“Don't stress, Cho” Saeko patted her seeker's shoulder, “You aren't alone in this.”

“Thanks” Cho smiled gratefully.

_“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first quidditch match of the new semester. Today we will witness a glorious battle between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Once again I must remind everyone the shift in schedule for quidditch is due to Mr Malfoy's need to be a drama queen.”_

“Jordan!” McGonagall reprimanded gently the commentator as always.

_“And now without further ado give a big applause to the Eagles! Uchiha, Halder, Carter, Davies, O'Shea, Byrd aaand Chang!”_

_“Their opponents flying in scarlet are Wood, Weasley, Weasley, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet aaand Potter!”_

While Lee Jordan continued with his commentary the fourteen quidditch players arranged themselves in a semi-circle around Madame Hooch. The referee eyed them all sharply with her unusual yellow eyes “Behave yourself. I want a nice, clean game. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Madame Hooch” the players chorused.

“Captains, shake hands” Hooch ordered.

Oliver Wood practically strutted to meet Saeko, grinning like he and his team had won already. The Raven in turn gave her most typical Uchiha arrogant smirk and nearly crushed the Gryffindor's hand with her handshake.

Hooch rolled her eyes with but seemed amused nonetheless “Mount your brooms! On my whistle. Three… two… one…”

True to the Firebolt's advertising Potter had by far the fastest takeoff. The seeker immediately started circling high above.

_“They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt which Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to_ Which Broomstick _, the Firebolt is going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year_ 's World Championship…”

“Mr Jordan!” McGonagall reprimanded, “The match, if you please!”

Saeko chuckled and tuned out the commentary, only to listen when points were called out.

Gryffindor was the first to score - Katie getting around Carter with a quick maneuver. While the fans and Wood took it as a prelude to a swift victory, Saeko and her Ravens took it as an incentive to unleash the storm.

Caitlin, Jaden and Roger moved seamlessly together, slowly building up the points. According to plan Saeko and Rodney focused mostly on the Gryff chasers, only detouring to hit the Weasley twins when they were distracted enough.

The first true test for the Eagles came soon enough. “ _Potter has seen the snitch! He dives for it, putting his brand new Firebolt thought its paces!”_

Rodney didn't hesitate and instead of Spinnet he aimed the bludger in his possession to Potter. He already has excellent aim when Saeko started with him but now he had the strength behind each swing to match.

Harry evaded the bludger at the last moment by doing a barrel roll, forcing him to take his eyes off the elusive gold orb.

Cho dived right after her counterpart but was similarly distracted by one of the Weasley twins. While disappointed, Saeko took her revenge by getting a clean hit said Weasley.

The crowd cheered at both maneuvers but also sad their teams did not manage to secure victory.

As the beaters and seekers had their little interlude, Jaden managed to steal the quaffle to bolster their score. Currently the Ravens had managed to secure a very generous cushion of 70 points. Quite a lot but not enough to counteract a seeker flying a Firebolt yet.

In one of a brief lull in the game Saeko looked up to her seeker. She was most pleased to note Cho was distressed but focused.

“ _And Ravenclaw scores once again!”_ Lee's amplified voice announced, “ _Lions, get a move on! After a brilliant maneuver O'Shea brings the score up to 80 to 170. And now… WAIT! The snitch is in play again!”_

True to his words Cho has spotted the snitch near the Gryffindor goalposts. Potter flew right after the petite girl, his Firebolt allowing him to overtake her without much fuss. Harry tried to cut her off but Cho trained diligently and unorthodoxly.

_“Do you see it! Merlin! Chang is flying upside down and right under Potter!_ _Speed up Harry!”_

Potter was stunned only for a moment and forced his broom to go faster. Seeing he had the advantage once more and that the seekers were racing deep in Gryffindor territory, the Ravens decided better to lose the snitch again than leave it in enemy hands.

All the Eagles converged towards the goalposts and wreaked enough havoc to force everyone to change course and focus on not falling off. In the chaos snitch flew away again.

Saeko grinned approvingly at her team for a job well done but her eyes still tracked Potter, as did Cho's. Suddenly The-Boy-Who-Lived nearly came to a halt, his attention on the crowd to his right.

“ _Expecto Patronum!”_ the seeker shouted and took off as fast as he could.

Everybody on the field and out of it was startled by the use of a spell during the quidditch match. As they turned to look they saw Malfoy and his goons trying to extricate themselves out a long black cloak.

_“Impersonating dementors! Just how low can the Snakes fall!”_ Lee shouted, starting off what was to be a long and quite vulgar commentary. McGonagall did not interfere, her being too preoccupied by her own shouting much similar to her Lion's. Well, not as obscene perhaps but in turn rendered in a surprisingly heavy Scottish accent than only showed up when she was absolutely _furious_.

The crowd went wild with outrage for quite a while, only calming down when Jordan announced the standing score. Saeko grinned when she heard they finally hit the 150 point cushion. The score was now 140 to 290. An immense score. On both sides.

One more goal later, courtesy of Roger, Hooch blew her whistle in response to Wood's request for a time-out.

When the Eagles landed Caitlin was positively beaming “We have them by the balls!”

Saeko laughed out loud by the suddenness of the statement “Yeah, but only in we don't let up.”

The entire team looked at their opponents. The Gryffs were all tired and sweaty. In comparison the Ravenclaws were almost fresh. Saeko was very proud of her team and told them so.

“We need to keep up the pressure” Roger said determinedly.

The Uchiha nodded “Yes. But you're doing an excellent job so far.”

Cho shook her head and took rapid, shallow breaths, clearly bordering on a panic “He's too fast.”

“Potter?” Jaden asked, “You managed really well so far.”

Saeko nodded and put a steadying hand on her seekers shoulder “It doesn't matter, just continue as before. Look at the Gryffs, they are about to drop. Potter is better off but we have the point advantage on our side. If you don't catch the snitch we can still win by outlasting them.”

James cawed loudly, startling the rest of the team. Then they all laughed and repeated the sound, until it caught on by the audience, giving them a loud seal of approval.

Madame Hooch called them all back, ready to resume the game.

The Ravens now in much better spirits mounted their brooms again, eager to prove their worth on the pitch.

After the whistle the match preceded much as before. The Gryff chasers tried to lessen the point difference but the Ravens countered and managed to do quite the opposite. After a while the scarlet-robed players slowed down - their throws became sloppier, weaker. So did the Ravens' but they still were in a much better shape.

The crowd seemed a bit bored now since the match lasted much longer than the norm, only the hardcore quidditch fans were still excited.

When the score reached 210 to 430 Lee Jordan exclaimed happily _“Finally! Both seekers spotted the snitch again! So what's it going to be? If that snitch is caught then it's the Ravenclaw victory either way.”_

Saeko just hovered in mid-air, watching the race. She signaled her team not to interfere - they had only to gain by ending the match.

The Gryffindors did nothing as well, already resigned. Something that Oliver Wood was not “Fred, George! Stop Chang! Now!”

When the Weasley twins did nothing the Lion captain himself flew away from his goalposts, still yelling at his team and seeker in particular. It was a bit sad, if Saeko was to be honest.

Lee Jordan sighed loudly into his speaker “ _And it's done, ladies and gentlemen. Potter catches the snitch, raising the score to 370 to 430. Ravenclaw wins!”_

Deafening roars erupted from the stands, both of displeasure and happiness that the match was finally over. And of victory, of course.

The Ravens landed, all of them happy but tired. Also, eager for the lunch they all nearly missed.

“I can't wait to collapse in bed” Jaden declared.

“Me too” Cho agreed, “I'm sorry I couldn't catch it though.”

“He _was_ a fast bugger” Saeko shrugged with a smile.

Caitlin's attention was at the opposing team “Look.”

The Eagles turned to see a red in the face Oliver Wood yelling at Potter. The rest of his team stood defiantly beside the seeker, clearly agreeing with his decision to end the match, even if in defeat.

“Ouch” Roger commented.

“Poor Potter” Rodney chuckled.

“Poor Wood” Caitlin smirked, “He was so sure they'd win.”

“I guess we showed them” Jaden laughed and high-fived the keeper.

“That we did” Saeko grinned, “Once again we proved that training can beat a simple broom.”

Rodney nodded “I'm glad we haven't wasted our hard work. Marlin, we trained almost every day! It was hell!”

“A nightmare”

“Horror”

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Buuuut?”

“We won” the team chorused.

“So?”

“Thank you, Captain” the team spoke again.

Saeko smirked “There you go.”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“You think Black really got into the Gryffindor Tower?” Ashley said in worry.

Caitlin scoffed “No way, Weasley junior just had a bad nightmare.”

“The portrait confirmed it” Peter countered.

“Ser Cadogan is nuts, everyone who met him knows that” Graham agreed with the Irish girl.

“Sure but Black managed to escape Azkaban! Getting into Gryff Tower must be easier than that” Paddy said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, he escaped Azkaban to attack Ronald Weasley, that makes sense” Helena said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“He was after Potter, no doubt” Daniel shook his head.

“I still say Ron made it up. Look at how much attention he's getting and loving it. If Black was really there they would all be dead” Caitlin arched an eyebrow to stress her point.

Saeko stayed silent, not participating in the discussion - she was angry and tired since she spent the majority of the night searching the castle. Skygge had a shadow clone of her follow Black but she lost him when he entered one of the secret passages, closing it tightly behind him. The jounin had the Hyuuga follow the passage but he too had been unsuccessful. It was infuriating.

The only other student who seemed as crushed as her was Neville Longbottom, but where Saeko was furious, Neville was ashamed. Skygge reported the massive chewing out he suffered at the hands of his Head of House for losing the passwords to the Gryffindor common room.

“Hey, Saeko” Ashley nudged the ninja, “Do you want some of my coffee? You look horrible.”

“I look perfect as always” said the Uchiha but ruined it by yawning.

“Ash is right” Peter nodded, abandoning the conversation about Black.

Saeko rolled her eyes but replenished her cup with tea “Then cheer me up. All this Black conversation is tedious.”

“Alright” Caitlin grinned, “I've got something for ya. Guess what Leroy Crow brought to last Divination?”

Graham and Paddy both chuckled, clearly hearing the story before. Saeko was intrigued “Whatever is was I'm betting Trelawney didn't appreciate it.”

Caitlin smirked “Spot on. He lost the Gryffs 20 points and got himself a detention.”

“So what did he bring?” Daniel asked.

“A muggle Magic 8 Ball” the chaser laughed. When the rest of the group followed Saeko arched an eyebrow at her roommate for an explanation which was swiftly given.

“Really? You don't know what that is?” Graham asked, “Even I know that.”

The Uchiha shrugged and returned to her tea. Catlin sighed “And here I thought that would cheer you up.”

“We have Herbology, maybe Lauren can help” Peter nodded towards the farthest table on the right.

“Or Konoha” Ashley pointed to a lone raven flying though the high windows.

“Hn” Saeko shrugged and put some pieces of roast beef on her plate as a treat for her summon.

Contrary to the group's belief the raven did not come from home but rather London in reply to a letter she sent Jamie. Other than boasting about her team's victory over the fastest broom on the market she asked the junior counselor about the Lewis family affairs. Naturally most of it was covered by attorney client privilege but every piece of gossip was welcome.

“Hello? Saeko, do you copy?” Graham waved a hand in front of the intently reading ninja.

“Hn”

“We need to go”

“Hn”

The group began their journey to the greenhouses, now arguing the security of Hogwarts. Something the nin really did not want to discuss.

Helena seemed bored as well so she looked at Saeko who was still reading the letter even as they walked “Important news?”

“Just news” Saeko hummed.

“Speaking of news” Caitlin suddenly exclaimed, “Guess who got tickets for the World Cup this summer?”

 “They already started selling?!” Patrick turned sharply.

“Ages ago?” Helena surprised everybody by contributing.

Paddy waved her off “I mean for regular people.”

Graham frowned “Doesn't matter, we need to get our hands on some tickets. I'm pretty sure dad's already on it but I need to confirm it.”

“Who else is going?” Peter asked.

Helena, Daniel and Caitlin all lifter their hands. Paddy pouted “I kinda hoped we could go together.”

“I'll ask dad. That would be awesome!” Graham grinned.

“Besides we can meet up in the camp beforehand. Some of the people have to arrive way before the match so the muggles don't get too suspicions” Caitlin shrugged.

Daniel nodded “Good idea. What about you two? Are you going?”

Ashley and Peter looked at each other and then shrugged. “I dunno” the pinkette hummed.

“We don't know where we're going yet” Peter agreed.

“Do you want to go? Even Helena is going and that's something” Graham jerked his head towards the blonde.

Helena shrugged “It's a social event, not just a sport one. Especially when it's here in Britain.”

Ash bit her lip in thought “It would be fun to meet up in summer but I don't think a mere quidditch match can beat any kind of ancient ruins.”

“Peter?” Paddy smirked, daring him to contradict his childhood friend.

Pater cleared his throat “It depends… But I might like going to the Cup.” When Ash shot him a betrayed look he put up is hands defensively “It would be rather interesting… from the sociological and anthropological standpoint.”

“Uh-uh” the pinkette said dryly while the rest of the group erupted in laughter.                                                                            

“Will Lewis be coming?” Helena asked, “As I said, it is a social event, she might want to start schmoozing in the earnest.”

“Well, I don't know” Saeko frowned, “I kinda wanted…”

“Yeees?” Caitlin said eagerly when the kunoichi stopped herself.

“Itachi-nii said he wanted to meet Lauren if I manage to keep her til summer” Saeko rubbed the back of her neck in slight embarrassment.

The little poker group stopped walking and looked at the Uchiha in speechless astonishment. Saeko cleared her throat and tried her hand at nonchalance “It's not that big a deal.”

“You're kidding” Graham said after a while.

“You're secretive as shit! And you're taking Lauren?” Caitlin's jaw nearly came off its hinges.

Daniel shook his surprise and grinned “That's amazing! And so romantic!” Helena nodded, for once not having anything acerbic to say.

“What did Lauren say to the invite?” Paddy asked, not even a trace of teasing in his voice.

“Nothing yet” the Uchiha shrugged.

“Ehm” Caitlin said after briefly consulting her friends with her eyes, “You might want to ask.”

The blonde pureblood nodded “Indeed. Besides, she might have plans already.”

“It might be almost march but it's way too early” Saeko shrugged, “Remember? Keep her from dumping me til summer?”

“But that's going well, right?” Daniel asked with a small smirk.

“Yes”

Graham smirked “Good. Feel free to give us detail.”

“We can manage graphic” Paddy chimed in.

“Aaaand sweet moment over” Ashley sighed.

“Hn”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I was tempted to let the Ravenclaws lose but… They trained so heard for it. I just couldn't let them down.


	113. 6- 113 Plan, Learn, Execute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Nope, she hasn't asked Lauren to visit Konoha yet. You'll notice when she does ;-)

 

Saeko moaned in contentment when she immerged herself into the hot water in the huge tub that was granted her by her Quidditch Captain title.

The prefects' bathroom truly was a marvel and after the last week it was a godsend. After the rather uneventful few months Potter came though once again - The-Boy-Who-Lived had snuck into Hogsmeade for the second time, only this time he got himself spotted by his school nemesis of all people. Malfoy immediately reported the incident to his Head of House. Since Potter managed to get out of it Snape had been far more irritable than usual, resulting in a school-wide distress. Joy.

It also didn't help that the House of the Ambitious lost their quidditch match against the Puffs, putting them firmly in last place.

True to the saying that bad thing come in threes Buckbeack, the now famous hippogriff, has lost his trial. Which of course meant Hagrid was a weeping mess and not at all the Care for Magical Creatures professor they deserved.

Well, at least the weather was more agreeable now.

As she lit up her pipe and took a first drag of her bad habit she thought that next time she had to bring Lauren here. Then it would be even more of a perfect relaxation moment.

Just to have some company she made a small suiton dragon out of the soapy water. As she sent him float over the bubbles the Uchiha grinned at her own silliness. She really needed a new project to work on. Something big.

Pity she pretty much already scoured the Library for anything of interest. Although sometimes true gems were found in books with questionable title she just wasn't in the mood for scavenging. Maybe she should visit Flitwick one of these days to ask for a recommendation. He always came through.

Or she could take a peek at Rituals, something she put off long enough since they seemed unnecessarily messy and dangerous.

She finally had the _apparition_ down even if it wasn't as useful as she hoped, the _patronus_ was still nebulous but large and imposing and things with Lauren were going well too. It truly was time to start researching something new. Surely Lauren wouldn't begrudge a geeky Ravenclaw a project to work on.

Saeko grinned when she felt a tug in her seal on her arm - the one that actually meant ravens in general and not the ones she had following Harry Potter. In response she shot out of the water and toweled down. Then she threw on her clothes and left the Prefects' Bathroom to summon the raven that would deliver her into the Summoner's Realm.

“Good evening!” the Uchiha greeted her summons happily, hoping the recall meant her ravens had something new for her. A task, a technique, anything.

Amongst the greeting caws Lykke spoke “Yo! The elders want to see you.”

“Which ones?” Saeko asked, it was well-known not all of the elders could stand each other and preferred separate residences.

“Huginn and Muninn”

“Ah” the girl nodded and set out in the appropriate direction. Those two particular elders were _really_ old and a bit of loners. This promised to be interesting.

Once Saeko climbed up towards their nest she schooled her expression into something more neutral and respectful “Good evening Elders-sama.”

The two ravens nodded and motioned for their summoner to sit. Huginn eyed Saeko with one eye and then spoke “We have heard from Skygge and young Zake that you have bees restless as of late.”

“And since your mission consists of tailing somebody we have decided we would teach you something that could help you” Muninn continued for his brother.

Saeko smiled widely and bowed her head “I would be honored to receive your teachings.”

“It is nothing explosive” Huginn informed.

“But highly useful” Muninn laughed at the girl's pout.

“I still thank you” Saeko joked, “In fact, I was _just_ thinking about…”

“We know” both old raven chorused smugly.

“You wanted to learn”

“And now you're ready for it”

The Uchiha nodded and sat straighter, eager to absorb any new technique the ravens might give her. Huginn cleared his throat “The technique we will teach you doesn't really have a name but it will allow you to see and hear what the raven you have summoned sees or hear.”

“Your senses will connect” Muninn continued, “But you will still be aware of your body. We think your Uchiha nature will allow you to handle this.”

As the ravens paused, waiting for a comment, Saeko obliged “Doesn't it sound more… Yamanaka-like?”

Huginn shrugged “Not our problem”

“You want to learn or not?”

“HAI!”

“Good” the elder on the right nodded, “For this to be successful you need a deeper bond than usual with the raven and have to practice this beforehand. This is why we are bringing this up only now.”

“We would advise to use Skygge and Zake first since you use them most and are in regular contact” his bother added.

Saeko nodded, the technique did sound useful for scouting purposes. It wasn't fire or flight but it still was very much worth learning.

As the raven elders explained the intricacies of the shared-senses technique, as Saeko dubbed it in her mind, she had a fleeting though that she would've expected something different from Huginn and Muninn, since their names translated as 'thought' and 'memory'.

And the fact the duo usually supplied magnificently wicked genjutsu.

“You called?” Unndra, Saeko's favorite combat summon, asked when she rose to the nest level.

Huginn nodded “Indeed. The fledgling will try the sensory technique.”

Unndra sighed but landed next to their summoner. Saeko smiled “Thanks for being my experiment.”

“Sure” was the sullen reply.

Muninn cackled “Won't hurt a bit.”

* * *

**Transfiguration Classroom**

“Human transfiguration is a serious matter” McGonagall said sternly, frowning at the Ravenclaws she asked to stay behind after her sixth year NEWT class, “While I am quite happy and proud you took to this art rather quickly I must remind you that this is a class, NOT a hair salon or a circus!”

While the little poker group really wanted to look contrite in front of the tough professor, they couldn't really keep their grins off their faces. This class had been a blast. They already had practice with the hair transfiguration last week when McGonagall had them change the color of their eyebrows and make them grow so they decided to have some fun with it.

When the class ended Paddy was sporting a neon blue mohawk, Helena an elegant silver pixie cut while Pater was proud of his brand new pumpkin orange afro. Graham now had long flowing pale green hair and a beard to match and had real fun shouting 'I'm a druid, I'm a druid!' Similarly Caitlin who had pitch black hair falling over her face enjoyed chasing a blonde ditzy-acting Saeko with transfigured pink robes, saying she's Samara, something only a few students understood. To top it off Daniel got himself a nice pompadour and was energetically mimicking an air guitar saying he's Elvis while completely ignoring Ash with spiky rainbow colored hair lecturing him on Elvis' style of music.

McGonagall continued her reprimand “If you ever disrupt class like that again I will see you in detention. Understood?”

“Yes, professor” the Ravens chorused.

“That said” the Scottish teacher smiled however briefly, “Thirty points for Ravenclaw for a flawless human transfiguration.”

“Thank you professor!” they chorused again.

“You're awesome!” Graham added. McGonagall's eyes narrowed and the rest of the little poker group face-palmed. Graham shrugged “What? It's a compliment!”

“Thank you” the teacher said dryly and made a shooing motion, “Now run along, so you don't miss lunch.”

The Ravenclaws nodded with a smile and left the classroom to join the rest of their House in the Great Hall.

As soon as they sat down Michelle and her two friends approached them with a clear air of gossip to them. Caitlin grinned “What do you have?”

“Yef, fpill” Graham said eagerly with his mouth full of chicken.

Helena pursed her lips “Disgusting.”

Graham turned to the blonde and opened his mouth to show the half-masticated food on his tongue. To prevent an argument from springing Michelle shared her news “Granger cracked!”

“Oho?” Ashley sat up straighter.

“Enough to fall to number two come exams?” Saeko grinned.

“That'd be great!” Peter's eyes sparkled.

“What happened?” Paddy said eagerly.

Joanne, Angela and Michelle all smiled. It was Joanne who answered “She left Divination.”

“Like completely. As a subject” Angela nodded.

“Yeah, professor Trelawney told her she's got no talent in Divination…”

“No, wait. First Granger told Trelawney she's full of shit” Michelle interrupted her friend.

“No!”everybody exclaimed in disbelief and poorly disguised glee.

“Ok, I was paraphrasing, but still” Micelle shrugged, “ _Then_ Trelawney told her she's too narrow-minded and 'mundane'”

“And Granger just said 'fine', packed her thing and left” Joanne grinned.

Angela nodded “And supposedly she missed a Charms lesson as well.”

“Crack, crack, crack!”

“Awesome!” Graham grinned.

“Poor girl” Caitlin said without any grief, “And just as the exams are nearing.”

“Such a shame” Helena agreed chipperly.

Ashley chuckled ”We're horrible people.”

“Indeed” Saeko grinned.

Daniel who stayed silent until then hummed “She seems alright. Just a bit stressed maybe.”

“The more she bottles her craziness in, the harder she will break” Peter smirked.

Helena shrugged “To be honest I can't really blame her for leaving Divination. Especially with Trelawney. She's…”

“Nuts?” Graham added.

“Not what I was going to say but I suppose it fits enough” the blonde pureblood nodded.

“Hey!” Michelle exclaimed and started defending the Divination professor since her class was one of the girls' favorite.

Saeko ignored the argument and she too looked at Hermione Granger eating at the Gryffindor table. She did look a bit frantic as she read from the Charms textbook but otherwise fine. The Uchiha was rather curious what her summon will say about it during their report. That said, much more fascinating was the behavior of her friends. Confronted with the Ravenclaw academic dominance even the most civic minded turned into unfeeling and downright malicious beings.

Saeko had often contemplated that the worst that could happen at Hogwarts would be Ravenclaws who were denied learning or the academic achievements derived from it. It was already bad enough that Hermione was consistently keeping them from achieving the seven out of seven number ones of the Hogwarts years.

Granger really didn't realize how much she owed Flitwick and the conscience and diligence of Ravenclaw prefects that kept her from a massive bullying and spiteful campaign.

And to say she actually _asked_ the Hat for Gryffindor and denied the offered Ravenclaw.

At least she had the presence of mind of telling that only to her friends, Harry and Ron, otherwise she might've ended up as a grease stain between two stacks of books in the school library.

Everyone knew Ravens could be vicious.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Daniel entered the Common Room with a big grin on his face and a piece of parchment in his hand. He skipped towards the Notice Board and pinned the parchment on in. Then he turned and searched for his friends with his eyes, eager to share his news.

When he noticed the little poker group lounging near the windows he immediately joined the “Hey guys! I… what's wrong?”

“Nothing” Catlin said in an uncharacteristically subdued manner.

Everybody looked at the bespectacled prefect, silently premising him to fill him in later. They had already planed a brainstorming session once Caitlin was out of hearing range. There was just no way they would let an idiot call their friend a whore slide. They all already decided they would make him pay. Dearly. They wanted it to _hurt_.

“Just a jerk from Slytherin. It will be rectified shortly” Helena waved him off, “What were you saying before?”

Daniel looked uncertain but replied “Flitwick just gave me the officially date for the apparition test at the Ministry.”

“Already?” Peter arched an eyebrow, “We should have about a month left.”

“Not really, the test's april 21” the prefect announced.

“Well, we're ready” Ashley shrugged.

Paddy gulped “Speak for yourself. I just did it once and I get super-nervous in the Ministry. It's creepy.”

“What were you doing there, visiting your cousin? What department does he work in again?” Caitlin asked.

“Improper Use of Magic” Patrick shrugged, then smirked “Although he did pick up several women by saying Department of Mysteries.”

“And they believed him?” Daniel arched an eyebrow.

“Morons” Helena shook her head condescendingly.

Graham grimaced “Have to agree, everybody knows they are called Unspeakables for a reason.”

“Hm. Hey, does anyone know how the apparition test looks like?” Peter asked.

Caitlin shrugged “I think you need to apparate perfectly three times into another room or something”

“Why doesn't Twycross help us practice that? Hoops are too easy” Ash sighed. She was right too, all of them managed to do it at least once. So far best out of the Brits was Daniel - after the _splinching_ in the first lesson he had to get over his fear but then he _apparated_ like a pro. It was no doubt tied to the fact he was so good at non-verbals since similar visualization and focus was needed. Only Angela, Michelle's best friend, had a problem at first but then Helena uncharacteristically offered advice. It seemed she unconsciously just wouldn't believe teleportation was possible even after six years of Hogwarts.

“Easy? Some people don't think so” Graham smirked, remembering several students who kept falling on their asses.

“Then they should stick to _floo_ ” Helena said without mercy.

Peter chuckled and then asked “Hey, Daniel, did you look which day is the 21?”

“Friday, I think” the prefect frowned in thought.

“So those who choose not to go or are underage get a free Friday? No fair” Paddy pouted.

“I think they still have to attend lessons” Ash hummed.

Graham smirked at the Konoha nin “Really?”

“They'll revise I'd wager” Daniel nodded.

Saeko sighed. Peter picked up on that “Right, you said you were going to register back home. Well, enjoy class.”

“Not to worry, Aaron will be with you” Caitlin grinned, “He's the youngest of us, right? Birthday in June I think.”

“Yeah. I think you two will be the only two staying. From Ravenclaw I mean” Ashley agreed.

“No, Eddy's birthday is the last of april” Graham corrected.

“Sucks to be him” Paddy shrugged.

Helena grinned positively evilly “Not only him. Who wants to bet somebody doesn't pass. And who might that be?”

At the appearance of the small black betting book all Ravens smirked and stated thinking on where to put their money. All in all they were rather confident in their yearmates but nobody had bet on a one hundred success rate.

“Can we amend bets after Saturday, we still have Twycross. I want to survey the pool of candidates” Peter frowned.

The blonde heiress hummed “I'll allow it. It's actually rather smart thinking.”

“Thanks” Peter chuckled.

“Do you thing they will find it weird if we bring a notepad to _apparition_ class?” Graham smirked, “I need to take thorough notes.”

“We're Ravens” Caitlin shrugged, “Nobody will question it.”

“Yeah” Saeko laughed, “I bet they will wonder how come we didn't bring one before.”

“Sounds right” Daniel chuckled.

“Nerdy and proud”

“Hell yeah!”


	114. 6- 114 Poof!

 

Saeko watched as her Slytherin girlfriend sorted out her correspondence with a very neutral look on her face. The Uchiha recognized the mask nearly all council members used during meetings. It was carefully crafted not to reveal anything about the feelings or thoughts of the wearer. Which was a pity since Saeko very much wanted to know what was going on in Lauren's head.

“You're staring”

The brunette smirked “No, see this scroll, I'm reading it.”

“Liar” Lauren smirked and went back to her pile of parchments.

After a moment Saeko hummed “Nee, Ren-chan?”

“Yes?” the pureblood sighed long-sufferingly.

“I was thinking about summer”

“Yes?”

“I'd like you to visit Konoha” Saeko said nonchalantly, as if it was not a big deal.

Lauren stopped writing and abruptly looked up “What?”

“Just think about it, yes?”

The red-head's eyes widened and then narrowed “You're serious.”

“I am”

After a beat of silence where one could practically see Lauren's wheels turning, she asked simply “Why?”

Saeko shrugged uncomfortably and deflected “You're not curious about Konoha?”

“I am” Lauren arched an eyebrow, “Still, why? And what does your super-secret assassin's guild say about it?”

“Itachi-nii wants to meet you” the Uchiha shrugged again, “And he said he smoothed it out with Hokage-sama.”

“Didn't you say I would get obliviated?”

“Not if the Hokage tries to pitch the recruitment speech”

“Recruitment” Lauren said dryly.

Saeko grinned nervously “Just come to check the Village out. Just in case you'll say 'fuck it' to all that official parchment you got there.”

The Brit frowned in realization “You want me to abandon my quest to reclaim the House of Lewis.”

Saeko didn't really know if she should lie or not. In the end she decided to go with the truth “I think you would be happier without the stress of your family. And you would fit in Konoha. I think.” Her defensive tone took on more of a pleading flair “Just come visit and keep an open mind. You would be actually valued! Not like now. And healers are really respected. Also the Head of the Hospital is somebody you'd get along fabulously. And…”

“No” Lauren said coldly, “You said you'd support me. Not push me to give up and leave.”

“It's just an option” Saeko said heatedly, “But for it to be viable you need to actually know everything about it. I really think that if you come to visit you'd realize…”

“So I'm stupid now? That I can't even determine what's good for me?” the red-head gritted her teeth. The she added snarked dramatically “Oh, thank Merlin I have the mighty Uchiha come to my rescue!”

“That's not what I meant!” Saeko raised her voice, frustrated with herself at her inability to communicate.

Lauren crossed her arms and sneered “And what did you mean?”

The nin deflated “I just… Since our first year here you have been telling me about your guardians. Hell, we sort-of-joke-but-not-really about poison and assassination! Both you _and_ them!”

“Please” the red-head scoffed, “We're rich and noble, stuff like that is practically the norm.”

“Yeah? And if we go by the _norm_ ” Saeko practically bit out the word, “You'd end up pawned off to some fat sleaze because he too is rich and noble. And that is if you don't have a mysterious accident sometime soon!”

“I can play the game” Lauren glared, “It's been _bred_ into me and I have been doing it for ages.”

It was Saeko's turn to scoff “Really? Is that why you don't really socialize in Slytherin? Associating with Malfoy for example would get you a long way and yet you hate his guts and actively ignore him.”

“I won't let them win and I will do it MY way!”

“That's the most naïve thing I have ever heard from you” the Uchiha said in disbelief.

Lauren went as red as her hair and stomped out of the room, pausing only to _accio_ her things. Saeko just speechlessly watched her leave.

“Aaaand I'm an idiot” the kunoichi rubbed her brow. That really wasn't how this was supposed to go. Saeko had been hoping… well, nuff said that her _patronus_ involved a fantasy where she was Hokage with Lauren by her side as one of Tsunade's staff.

With a sigh she too collected her things and set out to Ravenclaw Tower. She thought better of going after Lauren right now. Besides, she needed a plan for her groveling.

Saeko entered the Common Room and went right to the stairs that led to the women's side but was flagged over by Daniel. Not being rude she approached the boys “Hey.”

“Hey” Daniel said with a frown, sensing something was wrong.

“What's up?” Graham asked.

The Uchiha sat down on the carpet with a sigh “Got into a fight with Lauren.”

“Ouch” Paddy grimaced.

“Trouble in paradise?” Graham teased mildly.

“Oh, shut up” Saeko growled.

Graham nodded worriedly “I'll take as a yes.”

“Hn”

“What happened?” Daniel asked.

Saeko rubbed her brow again “I invited her to Konoha and didn't handle it well. Then things got a liiiitle bit out of hand.”

“But you're still good right?” Paddy fretted, “Ninja Snake is my OTP.”

“I think so” the Uchiha nodded, “Although I'm pretty sure I'll be spending summer alone.”

Graham sighed “That sucks.”

“Yeah” Saeko chuckled and shook her head.

Daniel arched his eyebrows “It's April, you've got almost three months to change her mind. It's not like you to give up.”

“Sure but she wasn't… wrong. I messed up. That said I still think I was right but she wasn't wrong either” the ninja explained clumsily.

“What was the problem exactly?” Paddy asked.

“That's personal”

Graham shrugged unapologetically “Well, I suggest you sort it out. We like Lauren.”

“Hn” Saeko rolled her eyes.

Daniel glared at Graham and then turned back to the jounin with a smile “Don't worry.”

“Hn”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The _apparition_ test was scheduled for Friday afternoon which meant all the sixth years had to attend the morning classes, even if the majority was a bit too stressed to actually pay attention. Once they were escorted to the Ministry after lunch Saeko, Aaron and Edward Wallace were left alone representing Ravenclaw in the remaining classes. All in all only ten students were left behind.

It was almost dark when the 17-years old returned triumphant to the Ravenclaw common room.

“So?” Saeko asked the obligatory question. The entirety of the little poker group smiled smugly. Saeko chuckled “Congratulations.”

“As if there was any doubt” Graham puffed up proudly.

“It really wasn't hard” Ash smiled.

Paddy nodded “Yeah, the worst part was the waiting. We were called alphabetically, like during OWLs, and it was a bit nerve-wracking.”

“NO, the worst part was that hag that supervised us” Caitlin grimaced, “Absolutely disinterested and patronizing as hell.”

“Yeah, she was a bitch” Ash agreed.

Saeko chuckled “So let me see this license of yours.”

Seven brand new apparition licenses were thrust under her nose. The ninja took Daniel's and looked it over “Shiny. Nice pic.”

The prefect pursed his lips “I didn't think those needed it. They really should've warned us in advance.”

“You'd have styled your hair?” Paddy smirked.

“I would've, yes” Daniel said unashamedly.

“So, what did you do today?” Helena asked as she pocketed her purplish license.

Saeko sighed “Did my Raven duty and tutored locusts.”

Graham chuckled “That sucks.”

“Speaking of” Helena said neutrally, “Lauren passed too.”

The Uchiha grinned “Of course she did.”

“Still on the outs?” Ashley asked sadly.

Saeko lost her smile “Yes. Doesn’t want to speak to me right now, wants 'space to think'”

“Ouch” both Paddy and Graham grimaced but were swiftly silenced by glare, courtesy of Caitlin.

Ashley frowned and then turned to Peter “I just remembered we still need to do that thing for History. I got an idea during the exam ad I really want to run it past you.”

“Wha? But we are…” Peter started but stopped himself, “Oooh! Of course. Yeah. History.”

Graham frowned as well “Ash? Pete?”

Saeko chuckled “I think Ash thought I had been moping quite enough and to let… hmm, perhaps Helena, talk some sense into me?”

The pinkette blushed. Daniel nodded “Good idea. Come on Graham, let's go.”

“Up, up, up” Caitlin said Paddy and left with the rest.

Helena sighed “Alright, so you want her to leave Britain for Konoha and so far anything you told her only landed you deeper into shit.”

“Aptly put”

“You _do_ know what you are asking of her, yes?”

“I do. That's why I'm giving her the 'space'. And it's not like I'm asking her to up and run away with me”

The blonde arched an eyebrow “Really? And here I thought that's exactly what you're doing.”

“Well, yes” Saeko rubbed the back of her neck, “But not right now.”

“Did you tell her you love her?”

The brunette chocked up a little on her saliva “No.”

“But you do” Helena said matter-of-factly “We saw you with that parade of girls and Faith before. They do not compare. You love Lauren.”

“I do love her” Saeko gritted her teeth with the admission, unwilling to admit something she still unconsciously considered a weakness.

“We know. To be honest I'm a little surprised _you_ knew” the blonde smirked teasingly.

Saeko shrugged with forced lightness “I invited her to Konoha, didn't I?”

“That you did. But a girl likes to be told explicitly. Speak to her again and lay it all out this time. Your plan. Just…”

The Uchiha interrupted her “I know, I know. I'll talk to her tomorrow after the match.”

“… Just grow some balls and go hug it out” Helena finished.

Saeko chuckled “What had gotten into you? You never swore this much, well ever.”

“You all are a bad influence”

The ninja hummed “Can't argue with that.”

“Just get it sorted with Lewis, the small talk during Runes is agonizing”

“Hn”

X

**Quidditch Locker Rooms**

“Caitlin told me I would find you here”

Saeko sat up from the bench she was relaxing on “Lauren! Came to see the inside scoop to you know where to pace your bet?”

Lauren rolled eyes “Everybody knows to bet on the Eagles by now.”

“That's right” the ninja smirked in self-satisfaction, “So, what are you doing here?”

“Can't I just come wish luck to my girl?” Lauren in slightly forced nonchalance.

Saeko grinned “Still?”

The red-head rolled her eyes good-naturedly and sat down on the bench opposite Saeko “Yes. Still.”

“So what changed?”

“Nothing really” Lauren sighed.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “So we're not talking about it?”

“I would prefer it, yes”

“I'm told that's not healthy. And I'd rather know where we stand” the Uchiha crossed her arms.

“What about as we always were and let the rest play out as it may” Lauren said even if she was pretty sure what the answer would be. The kunoichi just arched an eyebrow and waited. Lauren rubbed her brow “I just don't know, alright?”

“I'm sorry” Saeko chuckled, “I was actually planning to talk to you after the match and I didn't have anything prepared either.”

Lauren smiled “That was mean. Well, I missed you.”

“I did as well. Very much so in fact” the ninja smiled as well, “Also…”

“Yes?” the red-head said impatiently when her girlfriend failed to complete her sentence.

“I love you. That's why I asked you to come to Konoha”

Lauren was struck speechless at the admission. Then she smiled uncertainly “Really?”

“Yes” Saeko said uncomfortably, that was something she would have to get used to, “I do.”

The Brit smiled brilliantly “Really really?”

The Uchiha chuckled “Hai. And I don't expect you to say it right back but keep in mind if a super secret ninja assassin can allow herself, a paranoid heiress with trust issues can as well.”

 “Alright” Lauren laughed.

“So we're good?”

“Yes”

“And we play it by the ear and we'll see about summer once it comes?” Saeko proposed.

“Sounds good”

“Hug?” the ninja spread her arms and fluttered her eyelashes.

Lauren laughed again “I'll do one better.”

The kiss was hurried and sloppy at first, as if to make up for lost time as quickly as possible, but soon settled into something more sedate and intimate.

“Hell of a pre-game show, Captain”

Saeko looked over her shoulder to see her quidditch team standing there, grinning. The ninja chuckled and pecked her girlfriend's lips one more time “Then I hope it got you properly motivated because I fully intend to win the Cup today.”

“I dunno, Cap” Roger smirked, “We might need some more.”

Lauren smiled angelically “I dunno, I heard it's hard sitting on a broom after a swift kick in the balls.”

Caitlin laughed “That would be funny to see alas we need to prepare.”

“Unless you're the official cheerleader, then you stay as you like” Rodney couldn’t help himself.

“Swift kick” the Slytherin reminded. Then she turned to Saeko “Go win.”

“Of course” Saeko scoffed.

“The Puffs are history” Caitlin grinned.

Lauren chuckled and nodded “Find me later.”

“ _Love_ to”

The red-head smiled widely.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I considered making the Lauren situation stretch out a bit but even if both of the girls are a bit antisocial and generally not that great with people they wouldn't just stop speaking for any big length of time. Besides, it's not like it's all solved up, things are in a bit of a limbo.


	115. 6- 115 Quiet for a Change

 

It was usually around nine in the evening when the vast majority of Ravenclaws abandoned their books and gave up on studying. Of course that was tempered by which year the Ravens were in and the closeness to the deadline that was the exams.

The little poker group in turn decided to take the entire evening off and indulge in their signature activity. All except the two prefects who had been summoned to a meeting with their colleagues and counterparts in other Houses.

When the two remaining sixth-years returned the group looked them over. Peter summed it up “You look terrible.” Ashley and Daniel just shrugged and plopped down beside their friends, obviously exhausted.

“Bad meeting?” Saeko asked.

Both prefects growled in unison “Percival Weasley.”

 “Percy?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“He's Headboy now, isn't he?” Paddy hummed.

Ashley sneered “He is. He directed the meeting. Self-important, nitpicking little shit.”

Daniel nodded emphatically “He's gotten even more obnoxious now. I dread what he'll become if he ever gets that job at the Ministry he covets.”

“He wouldn't shut up about it” the pinkette continued.

“Is it petty of me that I'm kinda hoping he doesn't get the top NEWTs he needs for it?” Daniel sighed.

Helena smirked “It is but we don't blame you. Safe space.”

“Yeah, we're way worse” Graham chuckled.

Paddy nodded as he shuffled the cards “You want to be dealt in?”

“No, too much effort. Don't want to do any thinking” the bespectacled prefect sighed.

“I'll play for a bit. But Helena needs to get her infernal cat away from me” Ash declared, glaring at the feline that took residence on her thigh.

“I'll take him” Saeko grinned and lifted Balthazar from her roomie to put him in her lap.

Paddy chuckled. The ninja arched an eyebrow in question and Paddy chuckled again “It's just weird seeing you being so nice to an animal. You barely tolerate people.”

“That's because people talk. Balthazar here is a silent fellow” the Uchiha smirked.

“People don't _shed_ ” Ashley pursed her lips.

Saeko arched an eyebrow “Oh, really? The elves have to collect tons of your hair from our room. It's everywhere!”

“At least they're short, not that meter long monstrosities you leave behind” the pinkette crossed her arms defiantly.

“My hair is fabulous” the ninja frowned and caressed her braid.

“And dangerous” Graham interjected, “The quidditch players are afraid of your mighty braid. It's always so fun when you smack someone with it during a match.”

Paddy laughed “Yeah. You know, it is one of Helena's bets - if you'll use the move or not during a game.”

“It is?” the raven summoner turned to Helena who shrugged with a self-satisfied smirk.

“And Hooch likes it too!” Caitlin grinned, “We never get a penalty for it even when we really should.”

“Hooch is hardcore” Graham nodded sagely.

Daniel hummed “Does anyone know what she does when not refereeing the school matches? Because she gives flying classes for the first years, referees and…?”

“No idea” Peter nodded pensively, “That's a good point. Anyone?”

“Nope”

“Maybe she works at Hogwarts only part-time” Ashley proposed.

Saeko shrugged “That would work only every time I went to visit her office for something I found her there.”

“Well, I know to be the school referee she had to be considered by the Ministry's Department of Magical Games and Sports” Helena said without much interest.

“Really?” Paddy said in an impressed tone, “Cool.”

“Quidditch refereeing sound like an amazing job” Graham hummed.

“Coveted too” Caitlin reminded, “And it usually goes to retired pros.”

“Yeah” the bearded boy sighed.

Paddy laughed “Hey, being a simple spectator is great too.”

“When we have a winning team then yes” Peter grinned and looked at Caitlin and Saeko who high-fived.

“Will you two continue next year?” Helena frowned, fearing for her gambling operation.

Saeko nodded “I will for sure. But I'm going to train up Cho and Roger to take over for me.”

Caitlin shrugged “I might continue as well. NEWTs are hard but I think I can manage. I did so far.”

“Great!” Paddy and Graham said in unison.

“More Raven victories. I can get behind that” Ash smirked.

“Can't believe the next year is our last” Daniel said, prompting a long thoughtful silence.

After a while Caitlin shrugged “Well, we haven't even finished this year yet. We can leave reminiscing for later.”

“Right”

“True”

“Sure, but I'm still sad”

“Wine?” Helena came up with a solution.

“You're a genius!”

* * *

**Dungeons**

Saeko soundlessly disconnected from the ceiling in front of the unsuspicious dark wall in the dungeons that concealed the Slytherin Common Room.

“Dark scales” the ninja said the password she gleaned from the passing Snakes.

Once she was past the entrance she still concealed herself under a genjutsu just in case someone decided to skip the last match of the season and the last match of his House.

“I see you”

Saeko chuckled and dropped the simple genjutsu to reveal herself to Lauren “How?”

“ _Homenum Revelio_ ” the red-head smirked, “Been casting it ever since everybody left.”

“Intervals?” the ninja asked in interest.

“Every minute or so”

“Deliciously determined and paranoid”

Lauren smirked “Thank you.”

“I'll do better next time” Saeko smirked right back.

“I have no doubt you will. Any chance you tell me what illusion are you using?”

“We call it genjutsu, remember?”

The Snake sighed good-naturedly “So no chance I will be getting a new technique for myself.”

“Sorry” Saeko shrugged unapologetically, “So, this is your Common Room. Can't say I'm a fan.”

“Nobody really is” Lauren sighed.

“Mind giving me a tour?” the Uchiha smirked.

The Brit chuckled as she led Saeko though the Slytherin domain “So how did you get in here anyway? We've got a password.”

“A password every Snake says rather loudly to enter”

“You stalked the entrance” Lauren smiled widely.

“Yep”

“Nobody noticed you”

“Nope”

“You're good”

“Yep” Saeko said proudly.

“So how come you didn't go to the final match of the season?” Lauren asked.

Saeko shrugged “We won already. And celebrated it. The Slytherin/Gryffindor match is just a formality.”

“Yes” the Snake smirked in amusement, “You made that very clear to Aurora during Transfiguration.”

“That was fun” the Uchiha nodded, grinning widely, “She was so bristly. Couldn't help but provoke her.”

“Amusing indeed. By the way, won't you be missed at the Cup ceremony?”

“Got it covered”

“How? By a repeat of Luna Lovegood in her robes covered in feathers and a hat with small wings?”

Saeko grinned widely “That was awesome, wasn't it? Hands down the best fan support we ever had on out matches.”

“Well, it was certainly unique”

“Why?” the brunette asked, genuinely confused, “I saw weirder stuff. Like this one year I saw a Puff with body paint. A lot of body paint since he was wearing only a pair of shorts.”

“Hufflepuffs are weird as a whole” Lauren shrugged, “But Lovegood did not only have a costume but she actually behaved like a bird since breakfast that day.”

“Cool. Now I'm sad I skipped it” Saeko hummed, “Hey, how come Slytherins have single rooms? Not fair!”

“We had to be compensated for the dudgeons somehow” the red-head chuckled, “Besides, it's only fourth year up. Before that we have communal dorms.”

“So which one's yours?” Saeko asked, eyes twinkling.

“Last one on the right” Lauren replied and nodded towards the end of the surprisingly well-lit hallway.

The Uchiha grinned and flashed there at her full speed. She opened the door and quickly let herself in. “Very nice. Pity about the windows though.”

“Why am I not surprised you managed to open the door even if I locked it behind me” Lauren sighed good-naturedly.

“'Cause I'm a ninja”

“Still breaking and entering”

Saeko grinned and went back to observing the small room. Since there really wasn't a windrow, the place of prominence was occupied by a rather large mirror that helped make the bedroom more spacious than in was. Other than that the walls were several shelves filled with books and the standard table and closet. What was different from the Ravenclaw dorm rooms was the comfortable looking armchair in the corner and an oddly warm feeling emanating from the walls “Are the walls heated?”

“Sure” Lauren chuckled, “We are under the Lake somewhere so we would be freezing otherwise. We get more heat during winter though.”

“That's pretty clever” the ninja nodded and touched the decorative curtains. “Since those are emerald green I guess they are standard issue?”

“Indeed. Supposedly they help with giving the room a 'homey feeling'”

Saeko hummed “Well, they don't hurt. Do they ever catch fire with those candles and all?”

“Magic”

“Ah”

The Snake smirked “So what do you think?”

“Cozy for an underground dorm room” the brunette chuckled and sat onto the armchair to judge its comfyness. “Not bad”

Lauren looked around her place fondly. Then she smirked and slowly straddled the brunette “Not bad at all.”

Saeko kissed softly her girlfriend's neck “Better than watching quidditch, that's for sure.”

“I'm flattered” the red-head said dryly.

“Speaking of quidditch, how much time do we have?”

Lauren smirked “We're not on timer as long as you silence the room. I get to have an actual bed for a change and I intend to enjoy it.”

“You always enjoy it. I hope”

“Yes” the red-head chuckled, “But a bed is a bed. Walls, futons, etcetera are nice but a bed is civilized.”

Saeko hummed “You know, a bartender I know used to say 'if it's civilized, you're not doing it right'”

“Speaking of not-civilized” Lauren's eyes sparkled, “I have some ideas.”

“Oh, me too. Oh, so many indeed”

* * *

**Saeko and Ashley's Room**

As the exams were fast approaching professor Snape had really pulled all the stops and his students had barely any time for the other subjects. Still, it was a bit flattering that now, when he 'weeded out almost every dunderhead from his class', he trusted them with truly advanced potions, some of which had truly amazing properties. Even as busy as she was now Saeko was ecstatic about the amount of useful brews she'd get to deliver to Konoha.

When the Uchiha heard a very loud knock on her door she sighed, she was in the middle of her homework and Snape wasn't the forgiving type. “Go away!”

The door opened with a loud bang to let in Ashley and Helena. The pinkette smirked “No can do. This is my room too.”

“And Michelle and her crew took over mine” Helena shrugged unapologetically and plopped down on Saeko's empty bed.

“Make yourself at home then” Saeko said in a heavily sarcastic tone of voice.

The blonde heiress put down her tea cup on Saeko's nightstand and smiled “Don't mind if I do.”

“What are you doing anyway?” Ash asked.

“Potions”

“Merlin I'm glad I don't have that anymore” the half-blood sighed.

“It's an important subject” Helena said haughtily.

“It's glorified cooking” Ash countered swiftly, “And I'm glad the only brew I have to be concerned about is coffee.”

“Heathen!” the blonde heiress explained and caressed her porcelain teacup.

“Coffee is the drink of the gods”

“Tea”

“Coffee”

“Tea!”

“Coffee!”

“ENOUGH!” Saeko exclaimed and put her quill down, “If you insist on interrupting my work, do so without resorting to imitation of a three years old!”

“Sorry” both Brits murmured.

As the ninja turned to return to her homework Helena cleared her throat “You have to vote.”

“On what?” Saeko asked in a mix of confusion and exasperation.

“Which one is better” the pink-haired Ravenclaw nodded sagely.

“Tea or coffee”

The Uchiha closed her eyes and counted down from ten. Then she opened her eyes and smiled brittly “You can't be serious.”

“Utterly”

“Just say one or the other and we will stop bothering you”

Saeko shook her head with a sigh “Right now I'm in a mood for cocoa.”

“Well, that's not fair” Helena said in disappointment

“It's my answer and I'm sticking to it”

Ashley and Helena both sighed and gave up on the conversation. Helena pulled out her sketching notebook out of her bag while the pinkette simply closed her eyes and inhaled deeply the aroma emanating from her mug, snuggling into her pillows.

After a while Ash hummed thoughtfully and eyed Helena who arched an eyebrow in question. The prefect shrugged “Just wondering how come Saeko's so busy with Potions and you aren't.”

Helena smirked “Well, that's because instead of getting bitten by a certain Snake I did all the homework.”

“Snakebite?” the pinkette asked in confusion.

“I'll rephrase - Slytherin bite” Helena grinned slyly.

Ashley froze for a millisecond and then she was upon her roomie in an instant “Where, where, where?”

Saeko batted off Ashley's hands and growled. Helena stood up as well and laughed “I'd guess plenty of places but the one on her collarbone is quite visible.”

The pinkette tugged down the ninja's shirt and squealed in delight. Saeko growled again and brought her collar back up. Ash smirked “Why didn't you heal this?”

“She likes it” Helena grinned.

“Oho?” Ash said in relish, “I _so_ knew it's Lauren who wears the pants in your relationship.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Saeko asked grumpily.

The two Brits just looked at each other and smirked. When she saw that the ninja pointedly returned to her homework.

“Hey, did you hear about the latest Weasley prank?” Ash asked when she finished her coffee.

“Hm?” Helena prompted in mild interest.

The archeology enthusiast chuckled “They made speak Tristan and Isolde speak in verses for the whole day. It must've been a potion.”

At the mention of Saeko's favorite couple she looked at her friends “Cool. When was that?”

“Two days ago”

“That must've been fun” the ninja chuckled, “I always liked them together even if only because their names. Lauren's not a fan of Tristan though.”

Ash arched an eyebrow “Those two broke up.”

“No!” Saeko exclaimed in disappointment.

“Like a week ago” the pinkette shrugged.

The ninja pouted “How come Lauren didn’t tell me.”

Helena smirked “I'd guess she had better things to do to you.” Ash chuckled.

Saeko rolled her eyes “You're really stuck on that.”

“I might get a kick out of the fact that Lauren had tamed you”

“Hey!”

“And made you her little sub”

“HEY!” the ninja crossed her arms, “We don't play like this.”

“But if you did…”

Ash erupted in laughter. Saeko huffed while Helena smirked in a superior manner. Finally the pinkette calmed down and then smiled genuinely “You and Lauren are actually really adorable.”

Helena opened her mouth to add something, in a similar vein as before no doubt, but was silenced by a glare, courtesy of the other Brit. Then she shrugged “Fine. Yes, you two are adorable.”

Saeko eyed bother her friends in suspicion but said “Thanks.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: To those who recognized the quote from Mass Effect: I always loved Aethyta. To my shame I didn't actually notice she was voiced by Claudia Black until my third playthrough or so.


	116. 6- 116 I Dare You to Love Me

 

Saeko hummed in delight when she tasted herself of Lauren's lips and deepened their kiss fervently and pressed the red-head harder against the wall. She had just returned from her weekly spar with Itachi and she was _wired_. Lauren was more than happy to oblige but soon the ninja was overwhelmed by the need to _take_ rather than be taken and reversed their positions impatiently.

It took all Saeko's self-control not to just grab a kunai and slice open the Slytherin uniform. Instead she reluctantly wasted time on propriety and buttons.

“Eager are we?” Lauren taunted despite the breathlessness of her voice.

“Hn” Saeko said dismissively and dove straight for her prize.

It only took a few passes of tongue for Lauren to lose her smirk and to thrash above the Uchiha. The slight widening of the Brit's stance made Saeko even more eager, more hungry.

“Merlin, Saeko” Lauren mewled as she tried to brace herself on the wall behind her.

Saeko couldn't help smirking “What did I tell you about calling to some old dude when I am going down on you?”

“Don't be disgusting”

The ninja laughed briefly ad hooked her lover's leg around neck. With a firm grip on the witch's pale rear she helped her stabilize and went back to work.

It didn't take long to Lauren to reach her peak but the Uchiha did not relent, intent on repeating the feat at least one more time. The red-head's only reaction was to grip Saeko's head and grind herself  hard against the ninja's face.

When Lauren came for the second time she did so with a sharp intake of breath followed by a low moan. Saeko had to adjust her grip as her lover's body shuddered. She gazed up lovingly to see Lauren's flushed face and with a positively wicked grin she returned her mouth to the red-head's folds.

“No more” Lauren pled breathlessly.

Saeko looked up once more and pouted “Just one.”

“No. Please” the Slytherin said as she looked into Saeko's naturally black eyes that somehow still appeared darker than usual.

“Very well” the Uchiha replied, her voice betraying her desire.

When Saeko climbed back up Lauren nearly collapsed into her arms. The ninja smiled and brought them both to sit onto a hastily conjured blanket.

As Saeko was lying against the wall with her girlfriend in her arms she felt her pulse calm down even as her heat soared. She was struck with a sudden realization just how much she truly wanted her British lover to come to Konoha with her. The exams and the end of the year was nearly upon them but she was still scared to ask about the summer.

“Could you cover us with something?” Lauren said tiredly, “Feeling a bit exposed.”

“Sure. But this room in sealed, Konoha seal-master guarantees”

“Does this Jiraiya know what are using those seals for?”

“Indubitably” Saeko said with absolute certainty. She could practically hear the furious scribbling and lecherous giggling.

“Hmm” the red-head nodded and snuggled closer into Saeko. Then she lifted her head “You don't mind waiting for your turn, right?”

The Uchiha kissed Lauren's sweaty skin and shook her head “Not at all. Besides, I already got what I wanted.”

Lauren smiled “So, what were you doing that got you so fired up? Quidditch training?”

“I don't need a reason to be hungry for you”

“Nice line but I was actually interested”

Saeko chuckled “Ninja training. I had a spar with my brother.”

The Brit frowned for a moment but ten sighed in resignation “And of course you have a way for disappearing out of the Castle.”

“Of course. To be honest it's not _that_ hard”

“Dementors?”

“Yeah” Saeko grimaced, “Those are really annoying. I meant in general.”

Lauren chuckled “Annoying, yes. Horrifying creatures that guard Azkaban tend to be that.”

“Speaking of horrifying creatures,” the scarred ten grinned mischievously, “How was your shift with Madame Pomfrey?”

The red-head laughed “We were actually pretty busy. The Slytherin quidditch team had training and they beat each other up. Or that was the result anyway.”

“So bruises and lacerations? Mayhaps Marcus had another teeth episode?”

“Sadly no” Lauren smirked, “But the keeper had his hand broken. All in all nothing overly exciting.”

“Well, this is a school infirmary, hardly a hospital” Saeko shrugged.

“Weasley pranks are interesting. Always a challenge to undo”

The jounin hummed noncommittally and started playing with Lauren's hair.

After a few beats of comfortable silence the Brit asked “What's new with your little band of misfits? Anything good?”

Saeko smirked “Actually yes. Peter is going on a date! Graham and Paddy nagged him enough until they finally convinced him. I know Graham wanted to set him up with somebody but Pete declared he's perfectly capable of finding a date on his own.”

“What?” Lauren exclaimed and extricated herself from the ninja's arms to look at her “Isn't he dating Ashley?”

“No” Saeko arched her eyebrows and replied hesitantly.

“Huh” the red-head frowned, “I was so sure.”

“Why?”

“They are together like all the time, have similar interests and so on. I just assumed…”

Saeko chuckled “Yeah. Also Peter gets super jealous when Ash hangs out with the guys of her 'band'. Or any guy for that matter. It's fun to watch.”

“You _sure_ they're not together?”

“I am”

“Well,” Lauren hummed, “They should be.”

“True. They'll figure it out eventually”

“Does Helena have a pool on it?”

“Of course”

“Huh, I'll have to talk to her next Runes” the Snake nodded, “I am actually astounded you lot didn't do anything about it. You meddle.”

“We don't meddle” Saeko defended.

“Oh please” Lauren rolled her eyes. Then she smirked “Now that I'm thinking about it, it's mainly Weir.”

The ninja chuckled “Anyway, we determined early on to let it be. If it happens it happens. At first we just thought since they were friends since kindergarten their relationship was sibling-like. And then Ash got her first boyfriend one summer...”

“Ah. And did Peter ever date?”

“Nope. That's why Graham and Paddy…”

“Meddled”

Saeko sighed in admission “Alright. They meddled.”

“And what does Ashley say about it?”

“We are all waiting on her reaction with bated breath”

“Keep me in the loop”

“ **After** you place your bet”

“Well that's not nice”

* * *

**Astronomy Tower**

“You know, it's amazing up here in daylight” Daniel said with a smile as he looked over the railing.

“Yeah” Caitlin nodded, “Great idea Helena. Who would've thought.”

The blonde heiress gave her a superior smirk and returned to her Arithmancy textbook. It had indeed been her idea to camp out on the tallest tower of the school. They did usually go outside when the weather permitted to study for their exams but this year they were prevented by the dementors roaming around. And that was after last year which kept them inside by the Heir and his monster. So Helena came up with a solution.

“It was cool of professor Sinistra to let us up” Graham grinned from beside Daniel.

“Yeah” Paddy nodded, “Hey, I can see the hippogriff from here! The one that got Malfoy?”

“Buckbeak” Saeko added, “His appeal is actually the sixth.”

“I don't think he'll win” Ashley said sadly.

The ninja sighed “Well, they are bringing an executioner along so…”

“How do you know all that stuff?” Peter asked.

“I asked”

“An executioner!” Caitlin was exclaimed, “Isn't that premature. There is still that appeal!”

Helena shrugged “And the plaintiff is Lord Malfoy.”

Ashley grimaced “The wonders of our legal system.”

“I don't want to sound insensitive but Buckbeak's fate was sealed the moment Hagrid decided to defend the hippogriff himself rather than hire an attorney” Graham ventured.

Saeko nodded “I agree, he isn't the most eloquent of men.”

“He also isn't the richest of men” Helena commented.

“Dumbledore could've sprung for a counselor for school property” Caitlin frowned.

“I don't think he belongs to the school, he's Hagrid's” Daniel countered.

“Figures” Paddy shrugged, “Hey, Saeko, is Lauren coming?”

“No, she's busy with homework. Why?” the ninja asked.

“She could do homework here, it _is_ why we came here” Paddy arched an eyebrow.

“Nevermind we haven't started yet” Helena muttered.

Paddy shrugged “Anyway, I wanted to grill her about that Snake Pete here asked out.”

“Oooooooh!” the group chorused. Except for Peter, of course, who tried very hard not to blush but failed.

“Tell us!”

“Yeah, which one is she?”

“What are you going to do on your date?”

The group fired question after question, not even giving the man time to answer. Finally Helena cleared her throat loudly “We were meant to revise, not inspect Peter's love life!”

“I agree” Ashley nodded. Saeko noted the irritation and shared a surreptitious look with her friends. Helena smirked back and caressed her little black betting book.

Per their pact Daniel changed the subject and turned to the ninja “And how goes your quest to vacation with Lauren?”

“I don't want to talk about it”

“With us or with her?” Graham smirked.

“Both” Saeko said resolutely and unsealed her Charms book, pointedly showing it to the Ravens. The group sighed and decided to stop procrastinating with their exam preparation.

It took only about an hour of revision for the study session to devolve into a water gun battle - Flitwick had stressed the importance of the _Aguamenti_ charm and they all took it to heart. It was fortunate the weather was quite warm and no wind since the entirety of the sixth year Ravenclaw poker group ended up drenched. And tad neurotic in Helena's case - the blonde heiress nearly had a fit when the jets of water started flying and covered her books with her body, making her a stationary and tempting target.

“Okay, okay, enough!” the pureblood shrieked, “Let's assume we all know Charms!”

Graham laughed and sat down heavily “Yeah, enough. I'm nearly out of breath.”

“You need more exercise” Caitlin chuckled but sheathed her wand.

“Your books are safe Helena, you can get up” Saeko grinned.

The blonde shot them a glare from her lying position but slowly got up, her hands still clutching her precious tomes. “Juvenile delinquents” she muttered.

“All of us are of age, so just delinquents I guess” Ashley corrected.

“Pssst! Don't say that too loudly, Daniel will arrest us!” Paddy stage-whispered. The aspiring auror rolled his eyes.

Saeko hummed in thought “Hey, Daniel, since this is the last summer before finishing Hogwarts are you planning an internship or something?”

“The Auror Office does not do internships” Daniel sighed in disappointment, “But there is a recommended regimen for potential recruits, written by Mortimer Blake himself. So I plan on doing that.”

“Who?” Ash arched an eyebrow.

“A famous auror during the war. Nearly as famous as Mad-Eye Moody. Although unlike him he died soon after the fall of You-Know-Who” Helena informed them.

“Yep!” the bespectacled prefect nodded, “He wrote three books too - all about his experiences on the job.”

“And what does this regimen consist of?” Saeko asked.

“It's pretty much a preview of the first year in Auror Academy” Daniel explained, “Much of it is physical exercise but there are many exercises that help develop useful skills like stealth, observation and interrogation. It's actually quite fascinating.”

“Good for you” Graham shrugged, “I on the other hand intend to spend my last free summer relaxing, thank you very much.”

“Unsurprising” Helena scoffed.

“And what about you Helena?” Ashley asked quickly.

The blonde heiress smirked at Graham and then tuned to answer “The usual, travelling with father. Since little sis wants to stay in France we will be joining her there too. We are also going to Quiberon - for the quidditch exhibition and the annual fashion show. Father says that Madame Morel will be showing there this year.”

“Quiberon Quafflepunchers?” Paddy grimaced, “They cannot compare to the World Cup.”

“Sure, but that's at the end of summer” Caitlin waved him off and turned eagerly to Helena “Madame Morel? Really? I saw her last catalogue and her line is amazing!”

Everybody turned to the Irish chaser in surprise. Finally Ashley asked “You follow fashion designers?”

Caitlin huffed “Why not? Because I'm not overly girly I can't be interested in fashion?”

“Pretty much” Graham said but was swiftly silenced by an elbow to his gut.

“Of course not” Daniel said firmly.

“And what about you sparkle-boy, do you know who this Morel chick is?” Paddy asked and just as his best friend received a blow to his stomach.

Daniel smirked, not bothered in the least “Of course I know who she is! She is all the rage now. All the celebrities have their dresses. Of course all the noble families followed suit. I'm actually astounded you don't know who she is.”

Both Graham and Paddy shrugged.

“She has a line made entirely out of dragon hide” Caitlin smirked.

“And lingerie” Helena added airily.

The two boys looked at each other and hummed. Then Paddy fished out a piece of parchment and a quill and asked “It was _Morel_ , right?”

* * *

**Library**

With the exams around the corner the domain of Madame Pince was fuller than ever - students of every House furiously looking for more detailed explanations than the prescribed books gave or some novelty that would make for extra points. The most frenzied of them were naturally the fifth and seventh years, with the firsties right behind them.

Saeko who was foraging the Library with the rest of her 'Nerdy House' took note that even the usually unflappable James Carter, her calm and Zen keeper, was running around like a headless chicken. Roger and him were the only teammates that had OWLs but their panic has caused the quidditch practices to be reduced to one a week - the Uchiha refused to let them stop entirely.

When the ninja spotted a very familiar Hufflepuff sitting alone at one of the small study tables looking distraught she approached “Yo!”

Faith jumped up in surprise and turned to the brunette “God! Gah! I always hated when you did that!”

“I know” Saeko smirked, “Is this seat free?”

“Sure” the seventh-year shrugged.

“How goes the preparation for NEWTs? I see you're handling it better then my housemates but…”

“Still a wreck?” Faith finished wryly.

“Yep”

The Puff sighed “Well, I'm not at the same level as the 'Claws but yeah, I'm scared as hell. But to be honest I'm far more scared about after Hogwarts.”

“Any plans?”

“Not really. But I'll return to the muggle world for a while. Mum wants me to go to university and to be honest I want too”

Saeko nodded “Peter and Ash have a similar plan. Journalism like your mother?”

“And have to restrain myself forever about not reporting magic? No way! NEWTs come first and then we'll see”

“Good attitude to have” the ninja nodded, “So what subject are you reading on for the exams?”

“Runes” Faith replied and closed the book before her to show her ex the title.

“Oh I read that one”

“Of course” the older girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

“Saeko!” called a young voice as loud as could be allowed in the Hogwarts library.

The ninja looked over her shoulder to see a very nervous third-year “Yes?”

“Could you please, hmm, help me with something? It'll be quick, I promise”

Saeko looked at Faith who just shrugged and returned to her book. “Sure thing”

True to the third year's words it truly did not take that long, only a brief explanation on the mechanics of a particular transfiguration. When the boy thanked her and went away Saeko turned back to her ex “Sorry, locusts.”

“Locusts?” Faith arched an eyebrow.

“The first through fourth years” informed another newcomer.

“Hey, Lauren” the ninja smiled and angled up for a kiss.

The Slytherin obliged and sat down on the vacant chair. Saeko noticed the tired expression and the letters in her lover's hand but refrained from saying anything until they'd be alone.

Just as the ninja was contemplating a good excuse to leave Lauren spoke “Brennan.”

“Lewis”

“Uchiha” Saeko channeled Graham.

Both Brits rolled their eyes and looked at each other in commiseration. Saeko shrugged with a smirk but decided to withhold any further comments. After all speaking during the meeting between an ex and the current flame could get messy.

To the ninja's great surprise, and quite a bit of dread, the two women struck an effortless conversation about some scandal in the magical newspaper she had little idea about. She had expected some awkwardness but it seemed the only one to feel it was Saeko.

“ _Uncomfortable. Yes, that's the word I was looking for”_ the Uchiha thought under her stone face she used during council meetings. _“Veeeery uncomfortable”_

Finally Lauren took pity on her girlfriend “I actually wanted to speak to you, Saeko. If you have got everything you needed from here.”

“My books are all sealed up” the ninja nodded, relieved.

The two sixth years excused themselves and left Faith to her Runes studies. Saeko practically dragged them out of the library, much to Lauren's amusement.

“You can slow down now” the red-head chuckled.

“Hn”

Lauren laughed “She is not all too fond of purebloods, is she?”

“Faith? Yeah” Saeko nodded, “She considers most of them privileged stuck-up jackasses.”

“Well, Moreau is in her year so…” the Slytherin commented on her housemate.

“So what have you wanted to tell me?” Saeko asked with slight trepidation. Actually now, after talking with Faith again, she pondered just how much those two relationship differed from one another. They were almost perfect opposites - now with Lauren she was the one insecure, especially about the future.

“I have decided to take you up on your offer to visit Konoha”

“What!” the Uchiha stopped walking at the bombshell.

“Is it still open?”

“Hell YES!” Saeko grinned widely and nearly knocked Lauren over with her sudden embrace. And the subsequent kiss. When she had enough her grin dropped “The letters?”

“Letters?” Lauren said, a bit dazed from the kiss.

The ninja would smirk and compliment herself but she was too worried and curious “Yes, the letters you had in your hand when you came to the library. Bad news from home?”

Lauren seemed to deflate “Yes.” Saeko looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate. The red-head finally sighed “I'll let you read them afterward. What I want to talk about is Konoha. How do we do it?”

Saeko sighed “I know you deemed your family a topic we now don't talk about too much but I think we should…”

“I promise we will talk about it” the red-head interrupted, “Here, you can have my letters, but wouldn't you rather be celebrating? I have decided to grace your village with my presence. Yaaaay!”

The ninja rolled her eyes good-naturedly but took the offered letters “Alright, I'll hold you to it.”

“Yes, for one so secretive you're quite insistent on 'opening up'”

Saeko crossed her arms “Visiting Konoha, ring any bells?”

“Yeah, sorry” Lauren looked down, “That wasn't fair. Am I right in assuming that me coming to Konoha means I'll get all the secrets?”

“Minimum clearance, sorry” the jounin shrugged, “But that concerns the Village operations, not the stuff I imagine you'll want to know and see.”

“And an Unbreakable Vow not to reveal anything I imagine?”

“Something like that. I'll brief you once I get in touch with nii-san” Saeko smiled brilliantly. Then after a beat she asked uncertainly “Are you sure? If it's based on the mail you received…”

“I am sure” Lauren nodded decisively, “I wanted to go anyway, just wasn't sure about my obligations here.”

Saeko decided not to ask right now and instead she nodded “Alright, I'll tell Itachi-nii. This is going to be amazing! So amazing. You'll love Konoha! I hope so at least. I can't wait! I need to go, so much to do, organize, and not to mention…”

Lauren silenced the babbling ninja with a heated kiss. The Uchiha lost her trail of thought as she lost herself in the feel of her lover in her arms. She also ignored the whistling and cat-calls from the students passing them by.

“You needed to stop talking”

“I won't say another word”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So Lauren will be coming to Konoha. I already have some scenes ready but tell me what would you like to see - I already got some mail about it but I´d like more suggestions.


	117. 6- 117 Non-Verbal Nightmare

 

It was that time again. The time that the Ravenclaw House put aside everything that didn't have to do with books. Well, more than usual that is. Exam time. It was a time when every Raven was somber, nervous or otherwise preoccupied. With few exceptions of course. Like Saeko for example.

“You are disgustingly happy” Graham glared at their resident ninja, “I don't like it.”

“She has been for a few days” Paddy whispered conspiringly.

Saeko smirked “I already told you why.”

“I still don't like it” the bearded teen shrugged, “And it doesn't help that Caitlin keeps disappearing with Tom, was it? And gets back all smiling and shit.”

“Don't be jealous Graham” Helena said airily. Her eyes never leaving her Potions book.

“I'm not” Graham defended, “It just grates on my nerves.”

“Roger is way worse” the Uchiha sighed, “Just this morning we were sparring and he got picked up from it by some Puff. From quidditch practice too, that was a Gryff for a change.”

“I suddenly feel like a loser” Paddy fake-sobbed.

“Suddenly?” Helena asked with a smirk.

“Ouch” Patrick brought a hand to his heart.

Daniel chuckled “Concentrate on studying, exam time is not the most opportune time for romance anyway.”

“Who said anything about romance?”

“Pigs” Helena and Ash said in unison.

“Well, I'm fairly sure deLuise is dating Hallivell now, so you missed your chance there” Graham smirked.

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes “Maybe now you'll stop pushing him on me. He's a snob and a prick.”

“Who's Hallivell?” Saeko asked in interest.

“An older Gryff I think” Paddy hummed.

“Which one?”

Ashley grinned “Brown hair and glasses. Prefect.”

Everybody except Daniel erupted in laughter. The boy too off his glasses and buried his red face in his hands. Even Helena was roaring in laughter with the rest of them “That's precious.”

“Please stop” Daniel whined.

Nobody took mercy on him for a long while. Only when Daniel threatened to leave Ashley moved to other gossip “So I heard Joanne decided to go on a diet.”

“Wonder how,” Saeko hummed, “Hogwarts serves only proper British food and you all know my opinion on that.”

“We're leaving soon, I imagine she wants to start at home” Daniel latched to the new topic eagerly.

Helena scoffed “Knowing her she'll overdo it and pass out of hunger during exams.”

“Shit, that does sound like her” Graham nodded.

“Don't swear” the blonde reprimanded.

“I bet McGonagall would just love that” Paddy chuckled.

Saeko shrugged “I bet that would be far from the first time somebody passed out during her exam.”

Ash nodded “That's for sure. Also I noticed Snape's always watching Ravens more carefully come exam time.”

“If anybody drowned in his cauldron it would be inconvenient” Graham smirked.

“More like caused the potion to explode” Helena pursed her lips.

“He already thinks we are all idiots” Saeko shrugged.

Daniel sighed “Can't fault him too much, we did have several… incidents even in NEWT class.”

“Can't say I envy you another Potions exam” Paddy said in relief, “It was always torture.”

“It's not so bad” the kunoichi waved it off.

Graham chuckled “Better you than me.”

“Well, let it begin anew”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“Awesome!”

“I admit, it's a great idea”

“Fun!”

“Deirdre is still on top of my best DADA professor list but Lupin is coming damn close” Saeko grinned as she surveyed the site designated for their Defense test.

Lauren who decided to stand with her lover and the rest of the sixth-year Ravenclaws rolled her eyes good-naturedly “Always with Deirdre. Should I start buying leather?”

“Yes, please!” Saeko, Graham and Paddy exclaimed in unison.

Helena shared a look with the Snake and shook her head “Pigs.”

“Head back in the game” Ashley admonished, “We have an obstacle course to go though.”

Daniel nodded “Agreed. It might be fun but it's an exam still.”

The Ravens nodded and returned their evaluating gazes to the obstacle course. Saeko on the other hand inched closer to Lauren and whispered in her ear “We'll talk about this again later, yes?”

Lauren chuckled “Very well.”

Professor Lupin who had fallen silent in lieu of letting his students study his planned exam cleared his throat loudly to silence them up “I will be calling you one by one, alphabetically. Naturally you won't be able to see your friends' exams since it's based on quick thinking for the application of what you have learned in class, so if you could follow Mister Filch. If miss Myra Allen could stay behind. You're first up.”

The sixth years nodded and followed the grumpy caretaker, mostly discussing what might be waiting for them on their turns. When Filch indicated a large picnic basket near Hagrid's hut they all groaned - if they were provided with snacks it meant a looong wait.

It took much of the afternoon until Saeko's name finally came up. The ninja stretched her legs after the long wait and then went through a short version of the pre-spar routine, just because.

“Are you ready miss Uchiha?” Lupin asked.

“I am”

“Excellent” the man nodded, “This is the starting point, where to go after should be evident. It is an obstacle course but it is _not_ timed. I can't stress that enough.”

“Everybody ran?” Saeko chuckled.

“Yes” Lupin sighed, “Some got a lesser mark they should've deserved because they rushed too much.”

“Well, I won't run”

Lupin arched an eyebrow skeptically.

Saeko smirked “A brisk jog is hardly a run.”

The professor nodded “You may start.”

True to her word Saeko took off in a sedate pace. First up were some of the more benign dark creatures she had to work around - _grindylows_ , _red caps_ , a _boggart_ among others. Then there was a spell barrier, a rather potent illusion, some cursed objects to most definitely keep distance from and finally the path took her back to Lupin himself.

“En guarde” the man smiled and set into a dueling stance. Saeko smirked and did the same. Before they could begin Lupin amended “And please keep in mind I still need to do this four more times after you.”

The Uchiha pouted theatrically “Of course.”

For someone who already had to duel almost the entirety of the sixth year professor Lupin was still remarkably fresh and quick on his feet.

The duel did not take long. Lupin mainly fired the spells that he taught about during his tenure, checking both offensive and defensive capabilities, as well as the most basic of dueling charms to see how well his students remembered the basics.

“Stop! That's enough” Lupin stood down.

Saeko sheathed her wand “Do I pass?”

“You'll get the results with the rest of your marks” the teacher chuckled.

“Aww”

Lupin laughed “If you could call mister Edward Wallace, he's next.”

“Sure thing sensei”

After relaying the message Saeko slowly started walking towards the Castle's entrance. It seemed her friends had a similar idea because they all camped right on the stairs to the building.

“How it went?” Daniel asked.

The ninja smirked confidently “How do you think.”

“Is Lupin still copacetic?”

“Of course, I played nice” Saeko chuckled, “As did all of you I'm guessing. He was still chipper.”

Lauren hummed “Well, I know for a fact that several of my housemates did not. He's not exactly popular in Slytherin.”

“It's the clothes right?” Graham leaned on his elbows, “He looks shabby and poor.”

“Plus former Gryffindor with an attitude to match” the red-head shrugged.

“Bold and brash?” Paddy asked.

“I always thought him rather neutral” Saeko countered.

Lauren tapped her lip “There is some prejudice against my House but it could've been worse. He does like to take us down a peg whenever possible though.”

“Ah yes, dearest Aurora was rather pissed at him after one such lesson” the Uchiha grinned.

“And there is something between him and Snape” Peter reminded.

Helena grimaced “Ugh.”

“Not like that!”

Daniel chuckled “We know. Snape hates his guts, even more than he did Lockhart or any other professor.”

“They are of similar age, I would wager they know each other from before” the blonde heiress speculated.

Graham shrugged “I don't really care. What I do care about is next year - you think Lupin will last?”

“A Defense teacher that would stay for more than one year? It sure would be a novelty” Caitlin spoke for the first time.

“A welcome one” Helena nodded.

Paddy sighed “Yeah, Lupin is good. I don't want to go back to the likes of Lockhart or Quirrell.”

“On the other hand - Deirdre” Graham smirked and shared a high-five with Saeko.

Peter chuckled “Sure, but I'd rather go safe and keep Lupin.”

“We'll see I guess” Daniel sighed.

“About what?” Ashley who just joined them asked.

“Whether Lupin stays for next year”

Helena put down her Arithmancy book and drew her betting book instead. She smirked “Well?”

“It's on!” Graham grinned, “Five gallons on him leaving.”

“Are we betting on the why as well? Because I'd bet on Snape”

“Poison?”

“Something more subtle. Like framing him for murder for example”

“Eloping with Vector?”

“Slipping in the shower”

Helena laughed maniacally and started scribbling.

* * *

**Saeko and Ashley's Room**

“No, no, no, no, no” Saeko repeated, shaking her head.

Zake looked amused and let his summoner vent while he snacked on a strip of meat he got.

“Prophecies. **Fucking** prophecies!”

“Not a fan?” the raven sniggered.

“Fuck no!”

“You think this is for real? Will it happen?” Zake asked.

Saeko sighed tiredly and sat on her bed “I have no idea. But since Divination is a viable subject I guess there must be something to it.”

“You'll be watching Potter yourself tonight then?”

“Is he planning on going somewhere?”

The raven chuckled “I'd bet my feathers the trio will not want to miss Buckbeak's execution.”

“Morbid”

“For Hagrid” Zake admonished.

Saeko lied down and put her arm over her eyes “In theory The Fat Lady could have an accident tonight. Nobody could get out of the Common Room.”

“Or in. And what about the other students - there will be celebrating after the exams”

“Knock the trio out?”

“Saeko” Zake reproached, “You know damn well you'll let them do whatever and just keep an eye on them as usual. Besides, there is no guarantee the prophecy will have to do with anything with Potter.”

The sharingan user chuckled bitterly “Yeah, right.”

“Then alert Hayama and let him catch them. His Hyuuga shouldn't have a problem spotting the under their Cloak”

“Well…”

Zake made a clicking sound “But you won't. You like this little bit of adventure that comes following The-Boy-Who-Lived around. You're bored without a mission and a little action.

“Alright, you got me” Saeko sighed and put her arm back over her eyes.

The raven chuckled and went back to his dinner. The ensuing silence was interrupted by frantic knocking, courtesy of Ashley “Hey Saeko! Why are you not downstairs? We got a party going on. End of exams and all?”

“I'll be there in a sec. Got some mail” the kunoichi replied. Zeke turned o the pinkette and cawed.

Ash looked at the raven in interest “Am I dreaming or did he sound amused just now?”

“Alcohol induced hallucinations?”

“You're an ass” the Brit rolled her eyes, “Come on, Graham just started singing and it's awkwardly hilarious.”

“I'll be right down”

Ashley shrugged and left, closing the door behind her. Zake sniggered “Remember, no drinking. You have work to do tonight.”

“Hn”

“Since you know, tonight before midnight…”

“Zip it, now you're just rubbing it in”

“Yup, it's fun”

“Hn”

 


	118. 6- 118 Who Let the Dogs Out

 

It was nearly dark when the trio of third-year Gryffindors started on their journey under the invisibility cloak. Saeko was already on the school grounds, waiting for them, enjoying the warm night.

Independently of Potter and his company Saeko reached Hagrid's hut, passing the condemned hippogriff in the process. On a whim she bowed to the creature and when Buckbeak did so in turn she gently rubbed the feather on the top of his head. It truly was a pity about him.

Saeko casually leaned on the wooden wall near one of the windows to keep tabs on both the groundskeeper and the three students. Hagrid was a mess and not even his teenage students could cheer him up.

“Yer need to go” Hagrid said heavily, “They, they'll be comin' soon”

“ _About time_ ” Saeko peeled herself from the wall and once more petted the proud hippogriff, _“Sorry buddy.”_

“SCABBERS!” Ron exclaimed loudly from within the hut.

“What is he doing here?” Harry said, bewildered.

Ron ignored his friend and cooed to his pet rat that seemed distressed “It's alright. No cats here. There is nothing here to hurt you.”

“They're comin'” Hagrid said faintly, looking out of the window overseeing the path from the Castle.

The Gryffindors hastily threw the Cloak over them and let Hagrid usher them out of the back door that led into the garden. “Get goin', go quick”

Harry didn't move “Hagrid, we can't…”

“Yeah, we'll tell them what really happened”

“They can't kill him…”

“GO!” Hagrid said fiercely, “It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all. Go quick, don't watch and don't listen.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione reluctantly obeyed and hurried away, Saeko right behind them. Hermione urged them to go faster, really not wanting to witness the poor hippogriff's execution.

They were just passing the lake when Ron stopped moving. Hermione pled “Ron, we need to go. I can't…”

“It's Scabbers!” the Weasley grunted, “He, won't, stay, PUT!”

“Put him in your bag then”

“Scabbers, it's you idiot. It's Ron!”

The rat squealed and thrashed wildly. Saeko took her eyes off the invisible spectacle and instead looked back down towards Hagrid's hut. Her group was on a little hill with the prime view of a very large man with an axe slung over his shoulder. _Any minute now…_

THUD!

“They've done it” Hermione breathed out incredulously, “I can't believe they've done it.”

“Hagrid…” Harry made to turn back but was restrained by his friends.

“We can't. We need to go”

Finally the group began moving again. The sun has already set and Saeko was quite eager to get her charges back to the school even if she was entirely sure it wouldn't be so easy.

“Scabbers!”

The rat suddenly appeared from beneath the cloak and scurried into the night. Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, too appeared out of nowhere and ran right after the rat.

“He must've scared Scabbers! That's why he was so upset. We need to catch him” Ron decided and threw the cloak off himself to ran after his pet.

“Ron!” Hermione shouted as loudly as she dared.

“Let's go after him”

The duo took off their protection in lieu of running faster. Saeko's invisibility wasn't confined to any device or artifact so she was able to sprint while keeping her cover. That's why she was a professional and Potter and his friends mere amateurs.

The Whomping Willow came as an unpleasant surprise but that was where the chase had led them. To complete the trio of sudden animal appearances a rather large black dog chomped on Ron's leg and dragged him under the magical tree.

Harry and Hermione immediately made to follow but the tree that so far had been unnaturally still resumed in his tell-tale aggressive behavior.

_“Lumos”_ Harry murmured to get a better look, completely killing everybody's night vision.

As Harry and Hermione discussed their next move Saeko hesitated - she could easily sneak under the moving braches and into the tunnel where the youngest male Weasley vanished into but… well, her assignment was Potter and Potter only.

“Crookshanks?” Hermione shouted in worry after her cat which ran towards the trunk of the tree.

“Wha-“ Harry breathed out as the ugly pet did something that caused the Willow to became calm again.

Saeko went in first to clear the surroundings but it seemed the tree was just an entrance - the tunnel was dark and long, no end in sight.

When she felt the light from Harry's wand on her back she moved forward in a moderate pace, to keep in contact with her primary charge. As they went Saeko fished out her mask, the one she commissioned exactly for such business and put it on. It would do no good to let Potter see just who his guardian angel was.

“Harry! I think I know where this leads!”

“Where?” the scrawny teen asked.

“You were right, it leads to Hogsmeade and I think specifically the Shrieking Shack”

“Why?”

“Look”

Saeko only nodded, Hermione's deduction was spot on. She was already in an old and torn up basement that indeed signalized the Shrieking Shack.

The group quietly went up the stairs, Harry having even the presence of mind to extinguish his wandlight. Ron was on the second floor and so was the dog.

_Well, I'll be…_

“Ron, are you alright?”

“Harry! The dog! He's not a dog, he's…” the red-head exclaimed from a four-poster bed he was laying on.

“… an animagus” Harry and Hermione finished for him when confronted with the grim-faced Sirius Black.

_“Expelliarmus!”_ the escaped prisoner rasped out, using Ron's wand.

Saeko nearly laughed, why do bad guys have this urge to monologue? It gave other ample time to kill them flat out or gather intel. Come to think of it, some 'good guys' enjoyed talking too, Naruto for example. Maybe it was a _guy_ thing only. No, wait, Guren talked too and she was a badass kunoichi. Crazy, sure, but good.

As Harry confronted the traitor to his parents Saeko was still stuck on the animagus thing - how did not Hayama's Hyuuga teammate not pick up a dog with fully developed magic. It must've been seen. She determined to ask her compatriots later.

_“Wow, Potter can be vicious too”_ Saeko hummed when she saw the absolutely livid Boy-Who-Lived actually winning against Black. Which was rather suspicious but it sure beat the opposite scenario.

“YOU KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!!” Harry yelled desperately and pointed the stolen wand on Sirius. Saeko herself was rather curious if Harry would pull the metaphorical trigger. He sure deserved it, to avenge his family. She would not stand in the way of it.

A light thump echoed from downstairs and the Uchiha sighed, the ninja team she alerted must've arrived _“Sorry gaki, I told them to be merely on standby but… I guess reinforcements are here and we do have a contract on Black.”_

“Professor Lupin?” Hermione exclaimed in surprise which quickly morphed into relief “Black is here!”

“I see that, miss Granger” the teacher said curtly, his attention on the criminal. Saeko frowned and readied herself to any action after this unforeseen variable took the stage. “ _Expellairmus!”_

“Where is he, Sirius?” Lupin said in an odd voice. Sirius slowly pointed straight at Ron who seemed to shrink under his sunken gaze. The DADA teacher gulped “So that means…”

_“What an interesting turn of events”_ Saeko thought from her shadowy corner and studied the injured Weasley.

Potter didn't seem to think so “What's going on!”

Lupin didn't answer and instead lowered his wand. The he helped Black on his feet and the two embraced “I'm so sorry Sirius.”

“It's my fault. I underestimated him” Black shook his head.

“I DON'T BELIEVE IT!” Hermione bellowed, “You and him!”

“Hermione…” Lupin started.

“NO!” the muggleborn bared her teeth, “I covered for you! All this time. I knew! I trusted you!”

“I…”

“And all this time… you and him!” Hermione continued.

“You're wrong!” Lupin said both firmly and defensively, “This twelve years I…”

“Harry, you can't trust him! He's a werewolf!” the girl bit out angrily.

The DADA professor chuckled bitterly “I see. You truly are the smartest with of your year. How long have you known?”

Saeko felt a brief flash of pity for Harry. He looked so lost, his anger had bled out of him and now he was just so confused. Lupin was somebody he trusted, learned from and been one precious tether he had to his dead parents.

The Uchiha decided to let it play out. It seemed that neither party truly meant violence so she could accommodate her curiosity. Hm, gathering intel. Yes, that sounded more professional. She really wanted to know what Weasley had to do with everything.

It took a long time but finally Saeko had her answer _“Peter Pettigrew?”_

Sirius' revelation was followed by stunned silence. Harry was the first to regain his voice “Pettigrew is dead! _You_ killed him! Twelve years ago!”

“I meant to” Black growled, “but like the coward he is, he escaped.”

“Harry deserves an explanation” Lupin restrained his friend who brought his wand to point at Ron, “And I want to know too!”

“Twelve years!” the dog animagus growled again, “I have waited twelve years for this moment!”

“So what's a few more minutes”

“Very well” Sirius stood down, “You explain the first part, I'll add the rest.”

Lupin smiled tightly and turned to the three Gryffindors and started his tale. How he and Sirius were friends with Harry's parents, why they all decided to become animagi and how they fought Voldemort during the war.

Saeko listened along with the rest. Even she had to admit Sirius' defense wasn't bad. If he truly was buried by the chaos in the courts after the end of the war a renewed trial might even set his free. If both him and Lupin weren't lying thought their teeth that is. She was still waiting for the big proof - Pettigrew himself.

Scabbers was terrified - squealing, biting, trying to escape Black's clutches. The former prisoner grinned and looked at his friend “Together?”

“Thank you” Lupin gripped his wand tightly “Three, two, one…”

A flash of blue-white light erupted from both wands. Scabbers became frozen in mid-air, his small form twisting madly, and then the rat fell on the floor. Ron yelled but fell silent when another, bigger, flash of light came from the rat's body and then…

“Hello Peter” Sirius grinned predatorily.

Ron whined “I can't believe it…”

Peter Pettigrew looked horrible, like a fat man who lost a lot of weight in a small period of time due to stress. He had bags under his eyes and a truly frightened expression on his rather ugly face “S-Sirius… Re-Remus… My dear friends…”

Black's wand arm rose but Lupin seized his wrist with a warning look. Then he turned back to his old school friend on the floor “We will be having a little chat, Peter.”

The aforementioned chat was quite illuminating, especially Black's take on dementors. Saeko filed the information away, in case she ever needed it. And of course the fact that Pettigrew had been the spy all along.

Finally all the people in the large bedroom looked at harry who was prompted to decide Peter's fate. Harry looked at the man disdainfully “He can go to Azkaban. If anyone deserves that place, it's him.”

“Very well, Harry” Lupin nodded and used his wand to bind their prisoner, “We'll take him to the Castle and Dumbledore.”

“But if you transform, Peter, I _will_ kill you. Understand?” Sirius bared his teeth.

The group prepared for their journey to the school. Sirius guarded his target while Lupin secured Ron's busted leg. All the while Harry and the now proven innocent godfather bonded. It was rather heartwarming.

“Let's go”

Having a prisoner and an injured party meant they were progressing rather slowly. Saeko was rather cheerfully following them - she knew that the Konoha contingent was waiting for them on the other side of the tunnel. Hayama will take custody of Black, take Weasley to the infirmary and everything will be dandy.

What she didn't count on was the full moon. And the fact that tonight, out of all nights, Lupin had forgotten to drink his potion.

Just as the group exited the tunnel back into school grounds Lupin stopped talking mid-sentence and looked to the sky in horror. As the moon had just emerged from its cloud cover Lupin became deathly still and then, suddenly, his limbs began to shake.

“Run” Sirius whispered and positioned himself in front of the teens, “He's transforming. Run!”

Before the students could obey, Saeko ran from the shadows and tackled the shaking teacher.

“Who…” Harry started but just then watched jaw hanging as Saeko was followed by other strange men in uniform who joined in on the dog pile.

Lupin roared and with the sudden strengths given to him by the transformation stood up, shaking the ninja off him. Black once more turned into the black dog, both have a better chance at the werewolf and to conceal his identity.

Hayama who was going thought hand-signs lightening fast ordered “Yuuto! The dog!”

One of the nin disengaged the giant wolf-man to obey his captain and engage the convict but Saeko did not pay much attention - her eyes were on Lupin who destroyed the _doton_ wall that formed around him with one mere swipe of his paws. It seemed they would be hard-pressed to deal with him with physical means without injuring or outright killing the man.

_“Genjutsu then”_ the Uchiha thought and attacked with the strongest calming illusion she knew. It was better not to tempt fate and that the rabid werewolf within something terrifying or similar.

Lupin whimpered but seemed to stop. Hayama and his team took the opportunity and captured the creature's limbs in _doton_. Hayama turned to one of his cadre “That won't hold! Use one of Jiraiya's seals!”

The tallest of the ninja nodded and went fishing though his pouch but was interrupted by Hermione “The dementors!”

Saeko who had been ignoring the three Gryffindors in lieu of keeping them out of danger, which meant Potter's demands to know what was going on as well as his attacking the ninja that was tasked with dealing with Sirius Black, turned away from the werewolf and couldn't help but swearing.

A veritable sea of dementors came flying over the grass and firmly towards their group. Just like during that quidditch game they probably just couldn't resist all the emotions.

The Hyuuga, who also doubled as the team medic, flashed towards Harry, Ron and Hermione and urged them to leave with him. When they hesitated he simply grabbed them by their robes and dragged them always while his fellow Konoha ninja formed a defensive line.

Ignoring the feeling of cold and dread the defenders attacked. Saeko as the only magical used the patronus who to her astonishment fully formed and emanated a powerful white light. She had used that fantasy as fuel to the charm before, but just maybe now with adding a certain Uchiha Ren to the mix it finally was enough.

To assist the silvery raven Hayama and his team launched fire jutsus which they must've realized worked against the Azkaban jailers somewhat. The dementors disengaged the Konoha troops and flied wildly just out of reach. Circling, like hungry wolves just waiting for the injured hunter to give up and die.

“ _Expecto Patronum_!” Harry shouted from not far away. When Saeko turned to see the silvery mist erupt from his wad she cursed and ran towards her mission objective just when Hayama's Hyuuga teammate fended one of the dementors with a well-timed _kaiten_.

“ _Expecto Patronum_! _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!” Harry shrieked panicked. Saeko raised her wand to try one of her own patronus but was outrun by a stag, brilliantly pulsing with silver light.

The dementors fled, letting them all to breathe easy. But it also meant the werewolf who was deathly still during the confrontation began thrashing wildly again. One of the ninja finally found what he was looking for and slapped a sealing tag over the wolf's muzzle. Also, Potter fainted gain, as he was prone to do when the dementors were near.

“We are here on behalf of the Ministry. We will escort you to school” Hayama cut the silence with his firm, yet not un-gently voice.

The two conscious Gryffs weren't looking well so they just nodded. Only when the Hyuuga began securing Ron's leg Hermione remembered “Sirius Black is innocent! You have to trust me! It was Pettigrew….”

“Pettigrew?” Hayama arched an eyebrow.

“The rat! He was a rat!” Hermione looked around frantically, “Where is he?”

The Hyuuga activated his bloodline and then reported “No one else but us is within my range.”

“No, no, no. It can't be. He couldn't have escaped” the girl shook her head and began tearing up.

Hayama squatted near the sitting Hermione “You can tell all about it when we get you to the infirmary. Come on, up, up. We need to go.”

“What about…” Hermione looked towards the sleeping werewolf and the immobilized Sirius black, once again a human.

“Black must go with us but we'll take professor Lupin somewhere to sleep it off”

“No!” Hermione exclaimed, “Black is innocent! We need to…”

They Hyuuga medic went over her and put a hand over her brow “You can tell everything once were at Hogwarts. Now sleep.”

When everybody who wasn't a Konoha ninja was out under Saeko sighed “Well, what a clusterfuck.”

Hayama shrugged “Everybody is alive and relatively well. I'd count it as a victory.”

“Hn” the Uchiha nodded and slung the unconscious form of Harry Potter over her shoulder, “We better go.”

Hayama nodded, instructed three of his team to take of the werewolf and took Black while the medic carefully took Ron. Only Hermione was left. Finally Saeko took her on the other shoulder since Hayama was handling a full-grown man and convicted criminal and the Hyuuga an injured party.

The group made their way back to the Castle, their eyes still alert for any signs that the dementor would course them further trouble. Saeko had also sent a raven ahead meant for Dumbledore.

Just on the steps to the school proper they were met by the Headmaster as well as the Heads of the four Houses. Also a small contingent of aurors and the Minister of Magic himself. Saeko arched an eyebrow questioningly towards Hayama who shrugged “Sent for them when I spotted Black.”

A wave of excited murmurs run though the British group when they spotted their unconscious prisoner. Fudge was jubilant “Excellent! Most excellent!”

Sprout and McGonagall seemed more interested in the three Gryffindors and immediately demanded to know what happened. Dumbledore shook his head “I'm sure we'll find later. If you could take them to the infirmary?”

“Of course” professor Sprout nodded seriously and used her wand to levitate the Lions into the castle.

“The girl seemed to know something about Black” the Hyuuga healer spoke up, “The students had a brief interaction with the target, you might want them to testify.”

“yes, she seemed to think Black was innocent” Hayama reported stiffly.

Snape who was previously smiling gleefully turned to glare at the Konoha jounin. Fudge waved Hayama's words off “I'll handle it, I'll handle it. We can take him from here.”

Two of the aurors stepped closer and took Sirius black into their custody “Minister, we'll take him inside and secure a room.”

“Yes, that would be prudent indeed” the man nodded. The he turned towards the Konoha nin, this time smiling brilliantly “I knew Konoha would come though. I will contact you tomorrow with the rest of the payment. Most excellent.”

Taking it as the dismissal it was Hayama bowed slightly “Call us if you need us to testify. Good night.”

Saeko went together with her two colleagues to maintain her cover in front of those not in the know. Once they were out of sight Hayama spoke “I will join the rest of my team with guarding the werewolf. You'll be making your report to the Headmaster?”

“Yes. As soon as he is alone” the Uchiha nodded.

Hayama nodded and he and his Hyuuga teammate took off. Saeko took off her mask and rubbed her eyes - this night went worse than expected. She felt a bit defeated even if her mission was still going well - Potter was alive and that was pretty much the only thing she was getting paid for. Plus Hayama finished the Ministry's mission as well. But still, tonight has left her a bad taste in her mouth.

Saeko quickly infiltrated the school and called one of her ravens to tell her which way to Dumbledore. Once she found him she resigned herself to a long wait - he was meeting with his teachers, then the Minister and back to Snape and McGonagall.

Finally when Saeko spotted her opportunity she appeared before the Headmaster. Dumbledore actually smiled “What can you tell me, miss Uchiha?”

Saeko gave him a brief report, highlighting the important parts as well as the fact the dementors were truly a menace to the school. The headmaster listened and when his ninja finished he frowned “This warrants further investigation. On my part, I'm afraid.”

The duo fell silent for a while - Dumbledore clearly thinking what to d from here. Finally he sighed “Well, go to sleep miss Uchiha. I'll handle thing here.”

“You sure?”

The Headmaster chuckled “Yes.”

Saeko shrugged, it really wasn't her business “Very well. Nonetheless I would welcome if you could update me tomorrow. Good night sensei.”

“Good night”


	119. 6- 119 In Preparation

 

Saeko listened slack jawed to her raven's report. Skygge had taken over the surveillance of Potter once her summoner went back to the Ravenclaw common room and it looked like Harry decided his day was simply not over. Apparently after she had gone to sleep Harry and Hermione took a trip though time.

Yes. Through time.

“Saeko-dono?” Skygge asked in a slightly worried tone when the kunoichi did not speak for a while.

“Well, that's something else” Saeko said faintly “At least Potter didn't get himself killed on this adventure.”

“I must say I am uncomfortable with the level of information we get from our client” Skygge uncharacteristically grumped, “Also he sent two of his students on a dangerous mission. Untrained children. Without any backup what-so-ever.”

“Hn” Saeko agreed with her summon. The raven eyed her, shrugged and then dismissed herself.

The Uchiha sighed and decided to let it go. It's not like it concerned her and she had some greater matters to handle - she was meeting Lauren shortly after all.

After a short knock Ashley entered her and Saeko's room “You missed an eventful breakfast.”

“Hn?”

Ash sat down on her bed “There is this rumor flying around - that professor Lupin is a werewolf. It would match his vanishing every month. Always on the full moon. Plus Lupin resigned.”

“Oh” Saeko frowned, “Which means we're getting another teacher for DADA again. What a pain.”

“Indeed. Not surprised about Lupin?”

“Not too much”

“If you want to know who won the bet, Helena is downstairs”

“I know I didn't win, besides I need to meet a certain Snake”

“Sure”

Saeko sighed and stood up to reach her wardrobe. She picked up one of the scrolls she had there and unsealed herself a cup of instant ramen. She would never tell it to Naruto but she enjoyed the unhealthy treat from time to time. Plus it was a quick meal.

“Noodles?” Ashley arched an eyebrow.

“Hn” Saeko nodded and without stopping her eating she left the room.

Once the Uchiha reached her and Lauren's usual haunt her meal was finished. She vanished the trash stepped into the unused classroom to greet her lover.

“Skipped breakfast?” Lauren looked up from her book.

“I made my own”

“Heard about Lupin?”

“I did”

The red-head chuckled “Alright. So Konoha, how do we do this?”

Saeko eyed her girlfriend and then asked neutrally “Still positive about coming.”

“Yes” Lauren rolled her eyes, “You know I put a great deal of thought into every decision I make. I made it and I'm sticking to it.”

“Oh thank Kami” the ninja sighed in relief and then smiled brilliantly.

Lauren chuckled “So you promised to brief me? I'm really curious.”

Saeko sat down comfortably and started explaining what would Lauren need to know to blend in the Elemental Nations. She started with the basics - how a Yamanaka would give her the language, how she would use the name Ren with no last name, her cover identity and how they met in Mist, how to bow properly and to whom and many other things.

“And if anyone gives me trouble?” Lauren asked.

“Just tell them you're under the Uchiha Clan's protection” Saeko shrugged.

“The escort you told me about wouldn't help me?”

“Only if the situation was dire” the brunette hummed, “The ANBU is only there to keep track of you and to see if you're a danger to the Village.”

“Bloody fantastic”

“Also make it clear you're a civilian, ninja harassing or even injuring a civilian is a grave offense. Not many would risk the chuunin military police going after them for it. Also you're a medic, nobody touches the medic”

“Except the T&I of course,” Lauren grimaced, “I think I never actually wanted to know what that stands for.”

Saeko smiled apologetically “You'll just be scanned for intent and then some benign questions. I assure you it won't get to the T part.”

“Sure hope so”

“Me too. Not only for personal reasons but also you have to keep in mind that your behavior will also reflect on the Clan since we had extended you our protection”

“Your concern for me is touching” Lauren said sarcastically but without any real heat.

“Hn” Saeko smiled her most charming smile.

“Cute”

“I like to think so”

The red-head smirked and changed the subject “So, those Yamanaka sound scary.”

“Just legilimency on steroids. Now the Uchiha on the other hand…” Saeko smirked.

Lauren chuckled “I bet you’re the toughest, smartest, whatever. Stop advertising.”

“Well, better than being called 'those psycho pyros” the Uchiha grinned proudly.

“You love it”

“Of course!”

“I'm kind of looking forward to it” Lauren hummed, “Which makes me at least a bit crazy - I have heard enough about your friends and colleagues.”

“I had to warn you” Saeko shrugged, “Meeting Gai without being forewarned would be funny but I'd rather you didn't stop talking to me. You can be very vindictive.”

“I'm a Slytherin, dear” the red-head said with a sweetly dangerous grin.

“I know, hence the warning”

Lauren laughed “Smart.”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

Most of the school was outside, taking full advantage of the fact the dementors 'mysteriously disappeared'. Quite a chunk of Gryffindors decided that the warm weather was best kept at bay by diving into the Black Lake while the rest of the students looked on in interest - Helena started a betting pool on whether or not anybody would be eaten by the giant squid.

“Looks like we managed another year” Caitlin commented.

“Yeah,” Paddy nodded, “Hard to believe, heh.”

“I don't want to finish actually” Peter sighed and laid down on the warm grass.

“You do know we are coming back next year, right?” Ashley arched an eyebrow.

Graham shrugged “Sure but that's the seventh year. We will be freaking out about NEWTs.”

“Yeah, we're getting old,” Paddy said sadly.

Helena rolled her eyes “You sound like my grandmother.”

Patrick huffed while the rest of the group laughed. Graham chuckled “No, Paddy's right. Just think about it - Saeko here is practically married…”

“Hn”

“… Daniel can't wait to do his Sherlock exams…”

“Hey!”

“… Helena's been schmoozing with those tea dudes forever…”

“At least I have a plan for the future”

“… Peter almost jizzed his pants when he spoke about some ruins in Peru or wherever…”

“Shut up! I did not!”

“… and after next year we will all scatter in the four winds, more or less losing contact with each other. All of us will be chained to our jobs and…”

“Stop being depressing” Paddy turned on his friend.

“Yeah, quit it”

“Besides, didn't you say that now that you can legally drink and apparate anywhere you couldn't wait to travel the world?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

Daniel nodded “You did talk about it quite a lot.”

“That's this summer” Graham crossed his arms, “The doom comes later.”

The little poker group looked at each other, silently agreeing to ignore Graham and change the subject. Ashley took the lead “So I hear the Weasley twins are in cahoots with Peeves to finish the year with a bang.”

“Just how literal that bang is going to be?” Helena asked dryly.

“Wouldn't put it past them” Daniel nodded.

The pinkette shrugged “I have no idea, just heard this from a Gryff. Still, better be warned.”

“We're paranoid about them enough as it is” Caitlin waved it off.

“With good reason” Helena pursed her lips in an uncanny imitation of professor McGonagall, “The blue teeth incident was hardly forgettable. Or forgivable.”

Graham snapped out of his funk and grinned “Blue went marvelously with your blond hair.”

“Do shut up”

“Besides,” Peter shrugged, “We were all afflicted.”

“All except Saeko” Daniel reminded.

Saeko smirked “I have the presence of mind to check my food beforehand. Something you mister auror should learn as well.” Daniel huffed but didn't refute the statement.

“I myself am quite looking forward to the holidays,” Helena said dismissively, “Peeves and the twins being prime reasons why. But mainly I can't wait to go shopping somewhere that isn't Hogsmeade.”

Ashley nodded in a serious manner while Peter looked terrified “I hate shopping for clothes! Ash here and our moms take forever!”

“You and our dads always skip off somewhere” the pinkette said angrily, “You come back in the evening and uncle always stinks of liquor!”

Peter blushed and cleared his throat “Somehow we…”

“And don't you dare say you get kidnapped!” Ashley crossed her arms and glared icily at her best friend, “You three tried that the last time, never mind you were all drunks as skunks.”

“Way to go man!” Graham offered his hand for a high five but promptly put it down when Ashley's glare turned to him.

Daniel was clearly amused “And what would that Snake of yours say to that.”

“It was just a few dates” Peter shrugged, “Not going anywhere.”

“Good”

Everybody turned to Ashley with an arched eyebrow. The pinkette huffed “She was a shrew anyway.”

Peter opened his mouth to counter but then regained his wits and swiftly closed it. The rest of the group hid their mirth with varying degrees of success but they all nodded their agreement to a much vindicated Ash.

“What I am looking forward is the Quidditch World Cup” Paddy grinned, “Especially since we're all going! Well, almost.”

Saeko shrugged “I have something better.”

“Lauren coming to Konoha could not turn out like you want it to, you know” Daniel cautioned.

“It will. Lauren's tough”

“That she is. Only it's not really reassuring that's what she needs to be”

“Hn”

* * *

**Hogwarts Express**

“There you are!” Lauren exclaimed as she opened the doors to the last compartment on the train, “You disappeared after breakfast and not even your little poker friends knew where you went.”

Saeko looked away from the window and onto her girlfriend “A friend of mine died.”

“When? Who?” the Slytherin gasped, closed the door and waved her wand over it to prevent any intruders.

“Just yesterday. It was supposed to be a comparatively easy mission, strictly recon and he was a high level ninja. And then some freaks Konoha had been tracking just happened to decide to cash his bounty” Saeko said angrily, “Asuma was good. Damn good! But it wasn't enough.”

“I'm sorry for your friend” Lauren said quietly.

“Things in Konoha are a bit hectic right now, we are in the middle of an operation so I might not be with you the whole time” the Uchiha explained.

Konoha truly was in the middle of an operation - Akatsuki had made the first move by kidnapping the Kazekage and in the spirit of the alliance between their two villages, Leaf had taken up arms. Besides, the less operatives Akatsuki had, less danger to Naruto, the jinchuuriki as a whole and thus the whole world.

Itachi had updated Saeko on the Akatsuki's movements and also warned her as one of the top A-rank ninja she would be required to participate in Konoha's retaliatory action. The criminal organization was already two members down - one got killed by a Suna kunoichi together with Sakura of all people. Also Saeko counted herself an assist since taking down Sasori was quite facilitated by her bezoars. The second Akatsuki was terminated by Itachi's ANBU team - Deidara lured away Naruto and Kakashi but the two ninja actually herded him right into the Uchiha's arms.

It had been a big victory but now Akatsuki evened up the score.

“Saeko?” Lauren said worriedly when her lover fell silent for a long time.

“Hn?”

“Was he a better ninja than you?” the Slytherin chewed her bottom lip.

Saeko laughed loudly “Didn't expect that. Don't worry, I won't die on you so soon. Besides, I have some tricks up my sleeve that Asuma did not.”

“Good” Lauren said and snuggled into the ninja.

“I… I might have to go on a mission. Very soon”

“You mean right as soon as you step into the Village, right?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“Maaaybe”

“Should I cancel my visit?”

“No” Saeko shook her head vigorously, “There is always something going on in Konoha. This might be big but hardly irregular.”

“Good, because I really don't want to meet the fam right now. They are a tad pissed at the moment”

“Well, you _are_ disappearing for the whole summer”

“Will you be too?”

“It shouldn't take too long I hope” Saeko said tightly, hoping she was telling the truth. After all the Akatsuki was formed from S-class ninja. They needed a good team, a good plan and a healthy dose of luck. That all took time, even the luck if you have to make it yourself.

“And your brother?”

“I don't know” the Uchiha bit her lip, “Except the Sannin and the Hokage he's the strongest fighter we have. Maybe even better. He will be probably deployed as well.”

Lauren was surprised “I knew he was a big deal but really? The strongest?”

“Hai” Saeko nodded proudly, “He is. That's also why he did not retire to be Clan Head but is in active service. His identity is concealed while on missions to avoid him being targeted specifically but he takes the most difficult ones. Along with his team, of course. Konoha doesn't really do solo.”

“Wow”

“Indeed”

“Do you have a team?” Lauren asked after a while.

The brunette shrugged “Usually one is assigned to me but there are ninja I request when able. Neji and Shika for example, I told you about them. Also Yuuko when interrogation is needed. But most often than not I either lead a heavy hitter team or act as a guard to a specialized one.”

“Heavy-hitter, huh?”

“Of course. I'm an all-around bad-ass” Saeko smirked but then admitted “Jounin usually are. The specialized are the tokujō. Or chuunin.”

“I'm starting to get lost in all those terms” Lauren sighed, “Chuunin and jounin I remember, but the last one was what?”

“You'll get it along with the language by the Yamanaka” the ninja waved it off.

“That is still creeping me out a little”

“Only a little?”

“A lot then. I don't want get my brains scrambled”

Saeko nodded, Yamanaka missing nin were the worst. Fortunately she knew only about two and those were neutralized long ago “You won't, they can be professional. Blond pansies otherwise.”

Lauren chuckled, appreciating the lightening up of the topic “If I meet Yuuko, I'll tell her you said that.”

The Uchiha paled and shook her head vigorously “Please don't. I beg you.”

“Hm, we'll see”

“You, Yuuko and Anko, possibly even Mihane, will be ganging up on me. I can feel it already” Saeko whined.

”They do seem like wonderful ladies”

“Oh, sweet Kami”


	120. 6- 120 Knock, Knock

 

POOF!

Both Saeko and Lauren staggered minutely as was customary during _portkey_ travel. This particular _portkey_ , an owl's feather, took the duo into the Elemental Nations. A meadow in the forest surrounding Konoha to be precise.

Just as agreed, Jiraiya of the Sannin was waiting for them. He would both provide a cover and an escort to the village's gates.

“Yo!”

Saeko bowed slightly and Lauren swiftly followed suit. The Uchiha motioned to the elder and started “Lauren, this is…”

Before she could get any further music started playing out of nowhere and Jiraiya struck a kabuki pose and started hopping on one leg on the toad that poofed under him “Men are in awe of me! And women always want more of me! I am the one… the only… Jiraiya, the Gallant Toad Sage!”

When there was silence once more Lauren moved her gaze from the grinning shinobi to her lover. Saeko smiled uncertainly. The red-head slowly arched an eyebrow “Is this some sort of test? See if I run for the hills after… whatever this was?”

The Uchiha laughed at Jiraiya's theatrical pout “If it was, you passed.”

The Sannin chucked but then his demeanor turned serious as he straightened himself up “Welcome, _Ren_. I assume you have been briefed?”

“Yes, Jiraiya-sama” the red-head said, using the proper honorific.

Jiraiya nodded approvingly “Konoha is not far but it will take a while to get there in civilian pace. We better depart.”

The two girls nodded and fell into step beside the tall man. Immediately Jiraiya started a very light and subtle interrogation that might even be classified as 'getting to know each other'.

Lauren followed Saeko's instructions and answered swiftly and truthfully even if it went against her nature. During one of the Brit's longer answers Jiraiya used the witch's inattention to flash Saeko a thumbs up and a salacious wink. The Uchiha smirked proudly.

Once Konoha gates were in sight Saeko could not wait any longer “So what do you think?”

Lauren hummed “We are somewhere completely different. Not Japan, that's for sure.”

“Oh. Yes. Yes of course” the brunette blinked in confusion.

“I'm a bit pissed you forgot to mention that”

“Other data seemed more important”

“I guess”

“So?” Saeko prompted again.

“The colors are different here” Lauren sad as she took in her surroundings, “More… vibrant. It will take some small getting used to. Also I feel lighter. I'd bet gravity is lower here.”

Jiraiya nodded “I noted that too when. Maybe that's why Brits are so slow.”

The red-head glared at him, trying to gauge if it was meant to be a jab or not. Then she continued “And the air… Like it hums with energy.”

This time the Gama Sannin was surprised “That would probably be natural chakra.”

“Hm” Lauren shrugged, “I like it.” Saeko beamed, hoping it would last.

Jiraiya hummed and looked behind them to spot a genin team and their client on the road “Looks like your introduction to Konoha ninja will start out mellow.”

“ANBU are less obnoxious then genin” the jounin shrugged.

“True. Less scary though” the man commented.

“Ren's tough” Saeko grinned to Lauren's smile.

“Good” Jiraiya said honestly as they approached the gates, “Welcome to Konoha.”

Saeko smiled softly and squeezed Lauren's hand quickly. The she withdrew her hand and fell into her usual Uchiha mask. The red-head's face went impassive as well, only her eyes darting around full of curiosity.

Kotetsu and Izumo seemed to have gate duty as they almost always did. The spiked-haired chuunin smiled “Welcome home Jiraiya-sama! And Saeko-san as well!”

“Name and identification number. And please register the guest” his colleague said professionally.

Jiraiya made a motion for the clipboard while Saeko immediately noted the ANBU squad hiding nearby. To be honest she was a bit confused as to why her brother wasn't here to greet them as well.

“Thank you Jiraiya-sama” Kotetsu bowed and passed the paperwork to Saeko who quickly logged herself in.

Once the paperwork was completed and the small group made their first step into Konoha proper four masked ninja appeared. “Jiraiya-sama, Uchiha-san, guest-san, the Hokage has requested your presence” Boar announced.

Saeko nodded and murmured to her lover “Just like _apparition_.”

Lauren nodded as well and did not fight when one of the ANBU placed a hand on her shoulder to whisk them away in a _shunshin_.

Utilizing the ANBU-only permission to appear right into the Hokage office the group took only a few moments to come face-to-face with the leader of the village.

Sarutobi was clearly expecting them, not even pretending to do his paperwork. Itachi was sitting on the chairs provided for guests, as well as another ANBU, this one with pale blond hair typical to the Yamanaka clan members.

The ANBU who brought Jiraiya and his group blended into the background while the rest bowed to the Hokage. Sarutobi smiled and asked Saeko to translate “Welcome to Konoha, Ren-san.”

“Thank you for permitting me to come” Lauren answered properly.

The elder nodded “I wanted to talk to you before the Yamanaka, mostly to assure you that this is standard procedure. We do not usually allow visitors outside of clients requesting missions but when we do we always vet them and ultimately I personally decide whether to allow them to stay or not.”

“I understand” the Brit replied when it was clear a response was wanted.

“Excellent” Sarutobi smiled again, “I will talk to you again once the admission process is complete. It will most likely take some time - Yamanaka techniques are highly useful but time consuming and tiring. But no worry, if you bear Konoha no ill intent you will be able to roam the streets in no time.”

This time Lauren only nodded, too nervous to speak. She sneaked a look at her girlfriend who smiled reassuringly.

“I am Uchiha Itachi” the Clan Head introduced himself and stood up, “I will be sponsoring you and be with you during your stay at T&I. I'm also looking forward to speak to you later, Saeko-chan speaks highly of you.”

Lauren smiled slightly and bowed again “An honor to meet you, Uchiha-sama.”

Itachi showed the smallest of smiles, he had a reputation to keep after all. Sarutobi nodded approvingly “If you would, Sparrow-san.”

“Good luck” Saeko whispered as the blond ANBU placed a hand on Lauren's shoulder and whisked her away.

Itachi patted his sister's shoulder and disappeared as well.

“I'm sure everything will go fine” the Hokage said comfortingly but then turned serious as he changed topic, “But now we need to talk about the Akatsuki threat.”

“Yes, sir” Saeko turned serous as well, “Also, my most sincere condolences for your son.”

Sarutobi sighed tiredly “I never thought I would out-live him too. There is not a worse fate than lose your children.”

“Asuma was a good one” Saeko said somberly, “Even if he got me into smoking.”

Hiruzen laughed and fished out his pipe “Heh, runs in the family.”

* * *

**Memorial Stone**

Asuma's funeral was a quiet and somber affair as it usually was. Namiashi Raidō said a few words about his teammate while the rest of the attending ninja looked on. Chouji and Ino, Asuma's students, stood beside a crying Kurenai and a positively bawling Konohamaru. Shikamaru was notably absent.

As the people began to disperse Saeko approached Kurenai to give her condolences. The genjutsu mistress just nodded absently while Ino told her to 'find Shika and drag his sorry ass down here'. The Uchiha nodded, already planning on finding her friend.

“Hey, Saeko! Wait for me!” Naruto caught up with the jounin as she was leaving.

Saeko greeted back and added “I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier, I just arrived and then this…”

The blond gritted his teeth “Those Akatsuki bastards are going to pay! Asuma was a great guy, even gave me tips about fuuton chakra.”

“You trained in fuuton?”

“During my trip with ero-sennin” Naruto nodded, “But Asuma-sensei was the one that helped me the most with it. Taught me to channel it into my sword.”

“Sword?” Saeko asked with interest.

“Picked it up in a village somewhere around Lightening. A jian”

“Hn. I'll ask for a spar some of these days”

“You're on. But I'm training hard now” Naruto said definitively and closed his fist tightly, “I need to get better if Konoha has such enemies.”

“What are you working on?” the Uchiha asked.

“A wind powered rasengan. It's not going so well though”

Saeko hummed “I am sure it will be powerful. The technique in itself is really strong so adding nature transformation to it will make it into a devastating move.”

“That's what I'm hoping for” Naruto nodded, “Jiji said the guy Asuma-sensei fought was immortal, shrugging off damage without any problem. The fuuton rasengan could be powerful enough to take him out in one shot.”

“Wait for Shika, I'm sure he will have a plan”

“I'm sure he will. And once he's ready to depart I will be ready. Believe it!” Naruto said with his usual exuberance even if it was tad forced.

“Hn” Saeko smirked.

“I need go back to my training now” the blonde said in determination, “I can't waste any time.”

“Check in with Konohamaru first, I hear you two are close” Saeko advised.

“Yeah, he's taking it hard. I will”

As the two split Saeko went to look for her friend. She checked the usual places first but he was nowhere to be found. Not even his parents knew where he was hiding. Finally the Uchiha asked her summons for help.

“Hello Shikamaru”

The Nara looked up at his friend “Mendokse.”

“Hn” Saeko said and sat down on the roof beside Shika.

They sat in silence for quite a while, only hearing the sound of playing children nearby as well as the usual noise of vendors and customers.

“When did you come back?” the chuunin finally spoke.

“Just yesterday morning”

“How was your mission?”

“Great. Brought someone with me”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. We'll see how that turns out”

“Sounds good”

Another long silence followed. Saeko wasn't really sure what to say. Asuma had been a friend but she was nowhere as close to the man as Shikamaru. Also she wasn't the best at comforting people. The usual phrases sounded so empty to her. Besides, it was clear Shika wasn't ready to hear anything like that yet.

“You know,” the Nara started, “He spent ages to come up with a new bet for you two once you returned.”

“I hope it didn't involve Tora again”

Shikamaru chuckled “He loved to tell the story how you got your ass kicked by a cat.”

“Hey! At least I caught it! He got his ass kicked too”

“Sure”

“Hey, it's true! Just ask… Kurenai”

At this both ninja fell silent once more. The relationship between Asuma and Kurenai was something of an open secret in Konoha. All their friends pretty much knew about it but it was not spoken about. When sober, that is.

“I'm back so please use me in your plan” Saeko said vehemently.

“My plan?”

“To take them down”

Shikamaru didn't even say his usual 'mendokse'. He just nodded and turned his gaze back to the playing kids. Saeko decided to leave him alone, to mourn in peace. And to plan.

The Uchiha stood up, she needed to pack for when she would be called as well as plan as well - Jiraiya had given her a scroll about the Akatsuki some time ago, to see if she could find some magical countermeasures. Now it was time to dust it off.

Also she wanted to pester Anko about how Lauren was doing in the T&I.

“I'll leave you to it” Saeko announced.

Shikamaru didn't respond, just laid down on the roof tiles to look at the clouds above.

* * *

**Konoha Gates**

It didn't take a day and Konoha was ready to deploy a team in response of Akatsuki killing one of their own.

Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, Kakashi, Saeko and Raidō met at the gates. They had already thoroughly discussed the Nara's plans and were ready to depart. At first Shikamaru planned only on Team 10 to avenge their sensei's death but that notion had been promptly squished by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself.

Also Naruto insisted on coming but the Hokage countered that his 'big jutsu' wasn't finished yet and a jinchuuriki running straight into Akatsuki's arms wasn't the smartest thing to do. But he acquiesced eventually although he stipulated a condition - only after Yamato deemed his training complete.

Besides, the current team was powerful enough. Shikamaru declared that with high probability he would be able to take Hidan, the one that had killed his sensei, by himself. That left Kakashi, Saeko and Raidō, all jounin, to take on Kakuzu with Ino acting as a medic and Chouji as her bodyguard.

And that was only the worst case scenario.

Kakashi, the nominal leader, asked his squad “Ready?”

Everybody agreed, only Shikamaru instead of replying reached into his pouch and withdrew two capsules for blood. He handed one to Kakashi and the other to Saeko “You know what to do with those.”

Both jounin nodded and pocketed them.

It was on.


	121. 6- 121 Dawn of the Hunt

 

Kakashi took point, after all he was the tracking specialist of the team. As soon as they arrived to the last know location of the Akatsuki team Kakashi summoned Pakkun to catch the scent.

The team ran in silence, all of them focused on the impeding fight. They had already discussed strategy before even setting foot out of Konoha so there was no need to speak. The only sound was the occasional clicking of Asuma's lighter as Shikamaru kept fiddling with it. Once the landscape changed, barren except for enormous near-dead trees, he closed the lighter with a definite click and put it away.

Pakkun hummed in agreement “They're close.”

“I could get a visual if I put a bird under my jutsu” Ino proposed.

“There are none” Raidō said quietly, looking around.

“Should I summon a raven? I can do the same as Ino” Saeko offered.

Kakashi nodded “Do so. I want their position, which way they're going and any discernible weapons.”

The Uchiha nodded and swiftly summoned Skygge, her best infiltrator. The raven nodded at her instructions and flew away. Saeko took a deep breath and closed her eyes, casting the sensory-sharing technique.

“They're actually heading to Konoha!” the brunette exclaimed.

“Anything else?”

“Silver hair and three-pronged scythe - Hidan. And the other gray-ish skin, covered head - Kakuzu. Nothing new” Saeko reported.

“Let's go” Kakashi nodded, “Thank you Pakkun, we'll take it from here.”

The small dog eyed them and before dispelling he huffed “Good luck, pup.”

They resumed running but this time it was in a sort of formation - Ino and Chouji were a bit behind while Saeko and Shikamaru took point. Kakashi and Raidō had most stealth experience, especially the latter being the best assassin out of ANBU, and had taken the flanks, ready to disappear at a moment's notice.

Hidan and Kakuzu came into view.

Shikamaru crouched behind one of those massive trunks and made a familiar hand seal for the _Kagemane_.

The chakra infused shadow darted forward. Both Akatsuki jumped out of its reach, but that had been expected for ninja of their caliber. When both were in the air several kunai zeroed on their position. Hidan used his scythe to deflect it while Kakuzu used a doton technique to harden his forearm. And again this was expected so the third layer of the attack was the explosive seals tied to the kunai's handles.

Both exploded, enveloping the missing nin in smoke.

The Nara shadow didn't relent and chased the Akatsuki. Both men skidded to the side, not even singed, careful of their steps.

Again two kunai flew in their direction, this time from above. This time Hidan and Kakuzu noticed the paper seals sooner and dodged gracefully. But no explosion followed.

Underestimating the Nara ingenuity both Akatsuki were astonished to find themselves paralyzed when Shikamaru used the chakra conducting knives to channel his jutsu.

“ _Kagemane shuriken no jutsu_ : complete” Shikamaru said with deep satisfaction.

Waiting for no speeches Kakashi and Raidō launched their attacks, both from behind. The copy-nin pierced Kakuzu's heart with his _raikiri_ , while Raidō did the same on Hidan with his chokutō. Remembering Jiraiya's file the assassination specialist withdrew his blade and swiftly cut Hidan's head clean off.

“You cocksucking motherfucking Konoha…” the silver-haired head began shouting obscenities. Everybody paused for a millisecond to process the head was still talking.

Kakashi terminated his lightening jutsu and let Kakuzu's body slide off his arm with a disturbing squelch.

Nobody moved for a little while. Well, except for Hidan's lips.

“Saeko, torch them. I want nothing left of them” Kakashi ordered.

Before the Uchiha could comply a disgusting, pulsating mass of wires erupted from the ground. Both Raidō and Kakashi flung themselves backwards, out of danger.

“No way” Chouji breathed out from behind his cover when Kakuzu stood up again and the mass of wires brought both pieces of his partner to him.

“Ksō” Shikamaru muttered as the strain of holding his shadow possession was increasing and then finally snapped.

The former Taki nin rolled his shoulders “Sharingan no Kakashi, I'll look forward to collecting your bounty. And then Ebony Blade and the Amaterasu.”

“Seems Konoha dickwads think we're dangerous” Hidan chuckled. The wires sew the man, if he still could be called that way, back together. Along his neck there was a row of thick and ugly stitches, but against all laws of physics it seemed to work.

“That can't be” Ino whispered.

Saeko hummed “That's S-rank for you.”

“Let's get this over with, shall we” Hidan smirked at his partner.

Kakuzu brought his hand to the Akatsuki coat and slowly unzipped it “That's the plan.”

The cloak was thrown away with a flourish to reveal Kakuzu's bare torso. What was unique were four white mask protruding prom his back. One appeased to be destroyed from Kakashi's jutsu, presumably what had kept him from dying.

Then his skin rippled. Kakuzu hunched forwards and the Konoha nin watched as the stitches, that ran all across his body, strained as they tried to contain something from inside the man's body. When finally the stitches tore the same mass of wires came out, this time taking the masks with it, forming four large humanoid forms behind him.

“Wait” Shika breathed out when Saeko tensed in preparation for a lunge forwards, “The one with the broken mask.”

Indeed the black wire monster seemed to struggle and then finally collapsed, before sort-of liquefying.

“Target the masks then” the Uchiha murmured when the monster lied immobile.

“There goes our number advantage” Shika murmured.

Raidō wasted no more time and ran at Hidan with his chokutō drawn, drawing the missing nin into an intense kenjutsu fight. Since Kakuzu could use the doton technique to harden his body, Raido's chances were better with his partner.

Saeko broke into a run, flying though the hands seals for the classic _Fūton: Daitoppa_ to try to get the wire monsters away from their master, leaving Kakuzu to Kakashi who had the element advantage.

It did work but then Kakuzu chuckled “You call that a fūton? Let me show a real one. _Fūton: Asugai_!”

The girl expected the jutsu top come from the man himself and was surprised when one of the monsters glowed for a moment and then opened its mouth. Saeko's sharingan caught the intention but there was nowhere to dodge - the scale of the technique was _massive_.

It swept _everybody_ out of their way, even Hidan, leaving only devastation behind. Fortunately the jutsu used the pushing characteristic of wind and not the cutting one.

The wind brought all the dust into the air obscuring their view but Kakuzu seemed content to stay where he was, towering menacingly.

Konoha nin rose up from the rubble and splinters shaken but unharmed. Apparently Hidan found it hilarious as his maniacal laughter reverberated through the dead forest.

And then again, sword against scythe - Raidō leading Hidan away from his partner while Kakashi and Saeko went against the ninjutsu specialist.

They all quickly realized that each mask represented an element - yellow for lightening, red for fire and blue for wind. Since Kakuzu kept using doton to harden his body and to deal devastating amounts of damage everybody assumed the 'doton mask' was somehow still inside him. The only element missing was water which corresponded to the dead monster.

Another useful observation was that each mask used only one jutsu. Even if that sounded great and predictable the sheer amount of damage each could cause rendered variety redundant.

Despite an inferno, a hurricane and what could be used as a laser beam the Akatsuki pair had still more to offer. When Hidan managed to kick Raidō far enough to return to the reserves of the Konoha contingent he smirked “What about you kiddies? Are we too much to handle? Why are you here, are you _his_ students? No wonder you're cowering then.”

“What did you say!” Chouji went red in rage.

“Pussy students for a pussy of a teacher” the missing nin shrugged.

“Chouji” Ino said cautiously when her teammate started shaking with fury.

“I really had high hopes for him,” Hidan continued, “But in the end he was worthless.”

“Don't talk about Asuma-sensei like that!”

Shikamaru who returned with Raidō reengaged the silver-haired man who took great pleasure in continuing his taunting “Why, what was so great about him?

“Bastard!”

“Did I make you mad, you… fat… fuck?” Hidan enunciated with a big grin.

That had been the last straw for the Akimichi who tore himself from Ino's grasp and took off running, right at Hidan.

The outcome was obvious - just as Saeko and Kakashi managed to take down Kakuzu again, Hidan tore into the young chuunin with glee, only stopped from finishing the job by Shikamaru's shadow.

Ino quickly took her downed teammate away while Shikamaru unleashed a torrent of water onto Hidan. It served for a dual purpose - to give a better setting for their ninjutsu specialists to combat the fie mask and, most importantly for Team 10, to clean Hidan's scythe of any blood.

From the obscenities the zombie man was shouting, he wasn't happy.

Raidō took the opportunity to try to decapitate Hidan again but the only thing he got was another battle. As Ino was taking care of Chouji, Shikamaru joined this battle - Raidō was already quite tired and he had been caught up in one too many of the masks' techniques.

Kakashi was in a much similar shape - his implanted sharingan had been active since the fight started and it was taking quite a toll. He was exhausted and lagging behind, letting Saeko take the brunt of the assault.

But the damage to Kakuzu was done - his doton heart took another _raikiri_ and was no more.

The Taki missing nin didn’t stay down though. His lightening heart stopped harassing the jounin duo and replaced the heart in Kakuzu's body, making him stand again.

“Lightening for lightening. I will take your heart to replace what you took” the Akatsuki said gravelly to Kakashi.

“Sorry, mine is not good for doton” the Team seven's sensei said good-naturedly.

“I'll inspect it personally” Kakuzu said dryly and began moving again.

Fire, wind and lightening were left but that changed, sort-of, when fire and wind merged together into one entity with two masks. Saeko who had the same affinities knew exactly what that meant. And it didn't bode well.

A blazing hurricane of unseen proportions erupted in Kakashi's direction. The man used a wire to fling himself out of the way but since his gloves had been long burnt off he didn't manage to go far before his hands were all slippery with blood. Saeko, who was a bit insulted her opponent kept favoring Kakashi, rushed to the rescue with the Uchiha essential fire-sealing method. Not many would dare to use what appeared a flimsy sheet of paper against a fire that size but since it stopped even _amaterasu_ …

“Thanks” Kakashi said breathlessly while quickly trying to wrap the mess that was his left hand.

Saeko nodded “His main heart is lightening and I've got wind. My turn now.”

“Got any more of those?” the copy nin pointed to the scroll that was still sucking up the flames around them.

“Beneath the tantō. Take both of them, I have something for quick escapes” the Uchiha declared while mentally crossing her fingers that _apparition_ was fast enough. She honed it to be near instantaneous - the side-effect was that it was still loud and could be sensed fairly easily. Plus it went quicker if she was in the line of sight of her arrival area.

Once it was relatively safe Kakashi went right while Saeko went left. The senior ninja used the water left over from Shikamaru's seal to launch weak attacks at the fire/wind monster while Saeko drew her tantō and created a fūton edge to it.

Lightening arched between Kakuzu's fingers, a clear sign of an imminent raiton release, but Saeko with her sharingan was miles ahead. She used her sword to cast several wind blades in her opponen't direction and after a burst of speed she did the same to his flank.

Kakuzu jumped to evade but Saeko used her first attempt of apparition in serious combat to bring herself closer to him. The Uchiha was elated it had worked. With the wand she had in her left hand she cast the full body-bind spell. It only needed to work for the briefest of moments…

It had. And Saeko used that small window of opportunity to deliver two deep slashes to the surprisingly sturdy body of her enemy. And for the heart she reserved a deep thrust.

“Saeko!” came the warning

The brunette didn't hesitate at Kakashi's warning and apparated away, leaving her weapon behind. Just in time to evade another fire attack of the dual-natured monster.

“Couldn't keep it away any longer” Kakashi apologized, covering the red of his sharingan with his headband.

“It worked” Saeko exhaled loudly at the near miss, “Got the lightening heart.”

“Only two more left. I hope”

“Don't jinx it”

Kakuzu stood up again, the third time already. This time it was a bit different - the man was _furious_. They guessed nobody had pushed him as far in a long time.

“This. Is. ENOUGH!” the Taki missing nin bellowed as he absorbed both the remaining masks. His skin rippled again. All the stitches tore - on his arms, back, even the mouth - and those organic-looking wires came out. A true monster. It was rather disgusting.

Saeko and Kakashi didn't stay to admire Kakuzu's new look, and as a multitude of wires shot towards them they jumped away into safety. It was time to reevaluate.

But in the end Kakuzu's tactics didn't change - still wires, fūton and katon. Unless it was a trap, of course. The only real difference was that now they only had one body to attack to which coming near would be very, very difficult.

“I bet he uses those wire for sensing as well” Kakashi remarked.

Saeko nodded. Those wires were beginning to be quite the obstacle. She had already tried transfiguration on the off-chance it worked but no good. They would need to cut though them.

Or burn.

She really didn't want to do this. For one: it felt like cheating, for two: it hurt like hell afterwards and long-term effects were even more severe.

The Uchiha's three tomoe sharingan morphed into the Mangekyō form.

“Don't get caught up in it” Saeko cautioned her partner.

Kakashi eyed her for a brief moment but shrugged “Sure. The others are to the left of us so full speed ahead.”

“Hn”

Saeko jumped from the tree they had been hiding behind and with a burst of speed she sought to enter the mid-range. Kakuzu seemed eager to let her - they had proved that against them the wires were actually the better choice of a tool than the element. Only, Saeko didn’t have the faintest intention of actually coming close enough for him to use them.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Then her right shot open and she muttered “ _Amaterasu_.”

The black, cursed fire appeared of nowhere, quickly consuming the much lighter black wires. Kakuzu's eyes widened but it was far too late - the only option against _amaterasu_ was evasion and he had already missed that window.

An inhumane howl erupted form the Akatsuki nin as the flames ate away his wires, his flesh and his precious hearts. The process was surprisingly slow but that only amplified the utter horror of the technique. Once something, _anything_ , caught those black flames it burned until there was nothing left. No water could quench those flames or any other normal means.

Kakuzu thrashed, howled, but it was of no use. He was already dead. It didn't take long for his body to catch up to that truth.

When Saeko canceled the Mangekyō technique Kakuzu was a just piece of coal in the shape of a very small, broken person.

“Damn” Kakashi said quietly beside her.

Saeko nodded and closed both her eyes. The sharp pain in her right, only punctuated by the trickles of blood, was a bit comforting. A reminder not to relay on those cursed flames and those cursed eyes.

“You alright?” the copy-nin asked.

“It will pass” Saeko shrugged, “Hidan?”

“Dead and buried” Shikamaru's tired voice said from behind her, “Eh, maybe just buried.”

“Won't be causing any more trouble” Raidō nodded, finally collapsing from utter chakra exhaustion. He was soon followed by Kakashi and Shikamaru.

Saeko waved Ino's attention to her eye and only took the professed clean tissue “Chouji?”

The blonde Yamanaka bit her lip “He's… stable. Won't be mobile for a while though.”

“We aren't either” her Nara teammate said from below.

Ino nodded “But at least it's over, right?”

“Yes” Kakashi said resolutely, “Both Hidan and Kakuzu are definitely dead. And this time forever.”

“Good” the chuunin nodded resolutely even if her eyes became glossy, probably for her sensei, “I… I'll get Chouji. So we are in one place.”

When she left silence reigned. It had been a taxing battle and all of them were in need of rest. Saeko sat down as well and fished her water canteen and after a sip she passed it around. Then she opened one of the field rations which prompted the others to do the same.

“Pity we didn’t get to use that blood-switch plan” the Uchiha said after wolfing down her meal.

“It was ingenious” Raidō nodded sluggishly - in addition to chakra exhaustion he took a nasty hit to the head.

Shikamaru made a small motion that might've been an attempt at a shrug “Wasn't needed. You are all just too efficient.”

“You say it like it's a bad thing” Saeko chuckled.

“I know somebody who will think so” Kakashi said with a smirk clear in his voice.

Before anyone could ask him who he meant they all felt a familiar chakra signature running towards them. Then they all nodded and chorused “Ah.”

“You're late!” Kakashi said loudly at the newly arrived Naruto who only stared gob smacked at the role-reversal. Usually it was him yelling his sensei was late. Saeko laughed loudly while Shika and Raidō chuckled.

“Naruto!” came the reproaching screech for the blond's team, courtesy of Sakura. With her came Sai and a jounin Saeko didn't know.

“You got them?” Naruto asked, ignoring the pinkette.

“Indeed”

Saeko yawned and stretched, she was quite achy after the fight. She was glad that the copy-nin dealt with their 'reinforcement' and nothing was required of her.

She eyed Kakashi - the brunette never had much interacted with the man, being an acquaintance at best, but they made for a really good team. Even at half sharingan he was much better at anticipating her moves than many of her clansmen and had a nice set of abilities that complemented her nicely.

“Saeko-san?” the silver-haired ninja arched an eyebrow.

“Just thinking I need a new tantō”

Kakashi shrugged and returned to the conversation with his admiring kouhai.

Saeko turned her gaze to herself - no major injuries, mostly scrapes. She was glad she didn't end up needing the hospital - thank wouldn't look too good to Lauren, medic or no.

She hoped they would get moving soon, she really wanted an update for the T&I about her girlfriend.

But maybe a little nap beforehand wouldn't hurt.

With that she imitated Shikamaru and dozed off, they plenty of fresh guards to keep watch now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The Hidan and Kakuzu fight, ladies and gentlemen. I always found the canon one full of holes - I mean sending Team 10 + Kakashi alone? I know, I know - they would've gone anyway, but alone? Kakashi - and elite of the elite jounin: ok; Shikamaru: genius strategist who actually managed to catch the Akatsuki off-guard: ok. And then two pretty much useless tag-alongs. So basically Kakashi against TWO S-ranked ninja while Shika formed up new plans.  
> NOT ENOUGH  
> In this fic Sarutobi actually made a squad with a chance.  
> Well, I hope you liked it - it was one of the hardest chapters to write.


	122. 6- 122 Uzumaki Revival

 

“It wasn't _that_ unexpected” Itachi said calmly.

“Hn” Saeko replied in a despaired tone.

“Actually it was rather obvious now in retrospect”

“Hn”

“I mean, flaming red hair, skill in Runes that everybody just sees as a self-made style of fuinjutsu and magic which is basically weird chakra”

“Hn”

“All the hallmarks of a true Uzumaki”

“Hn”

“MOVE ASIDE YOU PINK-EYED BASTARD! I WANT TO SEE MY NEE-CHAN!” came a very loud voice from outside the Clan Head's house. Saeko put her head into her palms and began to fake-sob.

“And the situation with Naruto is a natural escalation” Itachi continued in a neutral tone that was betrayed by a poorly concealed smirk.

“GO AWAY NARUTO! I TOLD YOU I'M NOT YOUR SISTER!” a very irate voice shouted in reply to the blonde menace.

“BUT…”

“FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, FUCK OFF!”

Itachi could not hold it in anymore and began to laugh. When his sibling shot him a heated glare he only started to laugh harder.

“If you are quite finished” Saeko said frostily when Itachi's laughter finally tampered down and he began wiping his eyes of tears of mirth.

“Not by a mile” the Uchiha lord grinned, “But maybe you should go to Lauren, it seems you are needed.”

Saeko nodded and _raced_ in the most dignified manner she could, which wasn't much, to her lover. True to both Uchiha siblings fear Lauren was livid, having passed the irritation stage not long ago. Saeko smiled her most charming smile “I am not interrupting I hope.”

Lauren growled “No. Come here and deal with him!”

“Naruto?”

“How can anyone be so fucking cheerful. And annoyingly insistent”

“I love when you swear”

“Get rid of him or I'll be doing that a hell of a lot more”

“Not really an incentive” the ninja grumbled but obediently hopped out of the window where the local blond menace was still waiting. “Hey, Naruto.”

“Saeko, finally!” Naruto exclaimed, "Tell the guard...”

“Naruto” Saeko said long-sufferingly, “Could we have some quiet and privacy, my _lover_ and I?”

“Wha- oh” Jiraiya came though as Naruto's shishou.

“Besides, you already talked to her and you'll have plenty more opportunity to do so again” the jounin assured.

Naruto sighed but surprisingly relented “Ok. And you better not break her heart. She's my nee-chan!”

“Naruto...” Saeko started but stopped by the absolute brightness of expression. Naruto was smiling so wide “I didn't even know that Uzumaki was a clan! Jiji told me about them when I asked. I'm a bit pissed that Ren gets recognized right away and I...”

“Your bright blond hair doesn't match the clan traits” Saeko informed him mildly, “I guess people just assumed the orphanage gave you the name to honor the last known Uzumaki that fell to the Kyuubi.”

Naruto deflated, sad all of a sudden “Yeah, I guess. But that doesn't matter now! But how...”

“Saeko!! Get in here!" Lauren called from up high in a voice that tolerated no rebuttal.

The witch grimaced at Naruto “Did you have to annoy her so? For future reference she likes solitude and quiet. You're the exact opposite and in a big dose.”

“I was just excited” the blond pouted but then grinned once more, “She'll come around! I won't stop until she likes me dattebayo!”

Saeko shrugged, Naruto was annoying but eventually grew on people “I need to go.”

Naruto surprised the Uchiha with a fierce hug. When Saeko hn-ed he showed her the big grin he was famous for “You're dating my nee-chan. You're family now!!”

The kunoichi gulped but didn't reply. She really needed to go to Lauren lest she grows even more angry. With a wave in goodbye she climbed to the window and hopped back in.

“Saeko” Lauren warning growl, “You encouraged him.”

“I... Didn't?”

“Well, you didn't discourage him” the red-head put her hands on her hips, looking fairly menacingly. A bit like Yoshino when she scolds Shikamaru.

Saeko resisted the urge to say 'mendokse' and instead she ventured “He's gone, isn't he?”

“For now” Lauren sighed, “He'll be back.”

The brunette shrugged “You know, once Naruto gets something in his head it's nearly impossible to discourage him. Besides, there are worse things than Uzumaki Naruto having your back. He's fiercely loyal. He'd be willing to move heaven and earth for his friends - imagine what he would do for family.”

“But I'm not family” Lauren reminded.

“You're now” Saeko said with a small smirk.

“And now I feel like I'm deceiving him” the pseudo-Uzumaki sighed once more, “Even if I repeatedly said I'm not his long lost cousin or whatever.”

Saeko half-joked “Go to ramen with him a few times and that will be enough.” Lauren raised a skeptical eyebrow to which the ninja only shrugged “You acknowledged his existence, you're in whether you like it or not.”

“Great” Lauren said sarcastically.

“Sorry” the Uchiha apologized, “I didn't expect that.”

The red-head finally chuckled “Sarutobi-sama told me about the Uzumaki clan. I'm actually rather flattered on that front.”

“They were rather powerful” Saeko admitted grudgingly.

Lauren smirked and stroke her lover's ego “I noticed the Uchiha are regarded rather well in the Village.”

“We _are_ the founding clan" Saeko said proudly. The she deflated a bit “But we are also known to be a little antisocial." The kinslayer part went unspoken.

“Really?” Lauren's eyes sparkled mischievously, "I heard arrogant, cold, stuck-up, uptight...”

“Alright, I get it" the ninja chuckled, “But I'm not too bad, right?”

The red-head chuckled and kissed Saeko on the cheek “You aren't. At least to me. But otherwise full-on Uchiha.”

“Hn”

“Yes, just like that" Lauren laughed, "I find you all use that far too often.”

“Hn” Saeko repeated, “Did you speak with a lot of clansmen while I was away?”

“Your brother mainly,” the Brit shrugged, “Then Mihane, Shizune and some of your elders.”

“Hn” Saeko nodded to herself.

“I want to meet your friends as well though” Lauren continued, “And also take a peek at the hospital.”

“Sure” Saeko nodded, “I want you to meet them too.”... “Still can't believe that you met Naruto before any of them.”

Lauren shrugged “Itachi took me for a stroll around Konoha and the next day that infernal blond was dragging me off to ramen.”

The Uchiha laughed “Did you go?”

“No, for all I knew he was a weird creep”

Saeko laughed again “He was supposed to be our back-up at first but arrived late. I thought he would sneak after us but now I see what captured his attention. Stalking nee-chan.”

Lauren turned serious in an instant “He was supposed to back you up?”

The jounin shook her head “He insisted on going but that wouldn't have been a good idea before his jutsu was finished. Wasn't a good idea anyhow. The Hokage and pretty much all of us wanted to keep him out of it. Him being back-up was in emergency only.”

“Still, I don't like it. What if you got injured?”

Saeko nodded, not wanting to mention the scrapes and fatigue Ino had to heal so she changed the subject and asked hopefully “So, all in all a nice stay so far?”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “Hasn't even been a week yet.”

Saeko pouted but acquiesced the point.

“What is this ramen thing anyway?”

* * *

**Konoha Streets**

“Sorry, I had to deal with...” Saeko started when she jogged back to Lauren after speaking with an Uchiha clansman but let her voice trail out when she noticed her girlfriend petting a cat in her arms.

“It's alright” Lauren shrugged, her attention on the feline that luxuriated in her touch.

Saeko looked more closely and then exclaimed incredulously “Is that Tora?”

The cat hissed dangerously and showed Saeko its claws. Lauren hummed, resumed her petting and Tora started to purr contentedly “You know him?”

“Sure” the ninja said acerbically, “Quite intimately, the claws especially.”

“Who's a good boy” Lauren cooed when Tora snuggled closer to her, completely ignoring her girlfriend.

Saeko watched the spectacle slack-jawed. Soon she was joined by a young genin team that had clearly been assigned the dreaded Tora mission.

The jounin that came with the team laughed “Can't believe it! Team, you better thank...”

“Ren” Lauren said absentmindedly, still preoccupied with the purring animal, “Just Ren.”

The jounin's gaze flickered to her red hair, then to Saeko, and his eyes lit in recognition “Of course. Now please Ren-san, if you could hand Tora over. Our mission is to return him to his owner.”

Lauren seemed sad but before she could comply Tora realized what was imminent and climbed the girl's clothes, used her shoulder to propel himself forward and in a flash he was gone.

The three genin groaned. The jounin chuckled “Well, what are you waiting for, team? In pursuit!”

When the genin team left, Saeko turned to her lover “You're amazing, you know that?”

“Of course,” the red-head nodded, “But why in this instance?”

Saeko squeezed the Lauren's hand affectionately “Come on, Neji's waiting for us.”

“Sure. Hey, why are we meeting him in a tea shop? I also wanted to meet his teammates you spoke so much about"

“Baby steps, darling, baby steps. Gai-sempai is for experienced users”

“I saw you training your quidditch team, he can't be much worse”

“Oh believe me, he can”

“Is that him?” Lauren pointed to her left.

Saeko looked around in mild panic “Gai?”

Lauren rolled her eyes “Neji.”

The Uchiha sighed in relief and surveyed the people casually sitting at the small tables “Oh, he is.”

Neji, having noticed them as well, stood up and bowed.

“Yo Neji!” Saeko ruined the atmosphere.

“Saeko” Neji said long-sufferingly, “And you must be Ren-san.”

“Neji-san” Lauren bowed right back, “Nice to meet you.”

“And you as well”

The trio sat down and swiftly ordered. Neji knowing that most information about Lauren was classified took the lead and struck a light conversation about Konoha which Saeko mostly stayed out of.

After a while both Lauren and Neji got each other's measures, mainly that they were not as stiff as they appeared, and turned the conversation to another subject that had in common - Uchiha Saeko.

The brunette suffered through all the 'funny stories', bearing it for the sake of her best friend and lover getting along. In way of revenge she resigned herself to merely stealing their sweets.

Then, at their second cup of tea, apparently Lauren just _had_ to try that particular brand, Saeko felt a sudden shiver running down her spine.

“What is it?” Lauren asked as she sipped Neji's favorite blend of tea.

“Something bad is about to happen” Saeko answered.

“Well, that's not nice” an all too familiar voice spoke from behind her.

“Anko, Yuuko, how are you?” the Uchiha said in forced neutrality - she intended to have this meeting slightly more prepared.

Both T&I kunoichi grinned toothily. Yuuko was the one to speak “Great. Great indeed!”

“And you must be Ren we heard so much about” Anko said with a predatory grin.

“Hn”

Before Lauren could greet them and bow politely, Yuuko took her by the shoulders “Hmm, beautiful. I can see why Saeko-chan doesn't want to play with us anymore.”

Anko joined her colleague “Did she take you with a strap-on yet? Quite a treat, let me tell you.”

Neji coughed uncomfortably and looked at his Uchiha friend who was pointedly looking at the horizon. "I am needed at the Hyuuga Compound soon. Please excuse me."

“Coward" Saeko murmured towards the shinobi.

Neji shrugged lightly and bowed to Lauren “It was nice to meet you. I look forward to speaking with you again.”

“Likewise”

Anko grinned "Ara Neji-San, are you sure? Any proper orgy needs at least five people.”

“Bye!” Neji fled.

The two tokujō laughed, Lauren chuckling with them “I can see why Saeko likes you.”

“So, what did she say about us?” Yuuko asked in curiosity.

“Quite a bit actually” Laure smirked.

“All bad I hope” Anko grinned even wider.

“Most definitely” Lauren nodded with a grin to match.

* * *

**Uchiha Compound**

“Heeeey!” an utterly drunk Lauren greeted a jounin vest hanging by the door.

Saeko who had been anxiously waiting for her girlfriend exclaimed “Ren! Thank Kami! Where have you been?”

Itachi and Mihane who have been roped into worrying along Saeko chuckled at the scene. The young jounin shot them a glare as she helped the wobbling witch “You were supposed to be at the hospital.”

“I was” Lauren nodded, “And Merlin! The blonde in charge is such a _bitch_! Can hold a drink though.”

“Tsunade-sama" Saeko said, realization setting in.

“Yeah! Her” Lauren agreed loudly, We might have had a small competition of sorts.”

“In drinking?” asked an amused Itachi.

“No, that was later” Lauren replied him seriously and studied the glass of water Mihane fetched for her, “In healing.”

“Who won?” Saeko asked, exasperated but curious.

Lauren shrugged unsteadily “I can't remember, it's all blurry.”

“I think it's safe to say that Tsunade won the drinking part” Mihane smirked.

“I showed her!” the red-head struck a dramatic pose but almost fell over.

“Really” Saeko said dryly.

“Yeah!” Lauren laughed, “She has to call me by name now. Ha! This upstart brat out healed her! Mwehehahaha!”

“Let's go lay down” the Uchiha witch proposed.

“And that apprentice of hers, pretentious little shit with pink hair. I mean who has bubblegum _pink_ hair?"

“Ashley” Saeko shrugged.

“Oh” the healer was taken aback, "Weir is alright. Sakura, ugh! She actually wanted to lecture me on Potions. Me! Potions! Shut her up real quick."

“You didn't tell her anything, did you?” Saeko asked worriedly.

Lauren huffed, offended “Of course not! Who do you take me for?”

The scarred witch shrugged “I dunno, getting drunk isn't really in character for you either.”

“Bollocks!”

“You almost never drink at Hogwarts”

“Sure, but there I didn't have a squad of valiant ANBU to haul me out of trouble”

“You didn't...”

“Nah"” Lauren shook her head, “Plus I might've been a teeeeeny bit nervous about Konoha and all and sake helped.”

“Well, I think you got along with everybody who's important to me so I think you don't need to be nervous anymore” the kunoichi looked at Itachi who nodded.

“Great!” Lauren grinned, “I celebrated then!”

Mihane chuckled and handed the drunk red-head another glass of water "”You were rather... rigid. You can relax around us you know.”

Saeko sighed “After this? For sure. At least she isn't throwing up.”

“Darling?”

“Yes?”

“I'm not feeling so hot”

“Oh for fuck's sake!”

X

**Morning later**

“I think I'm going to die” Lauren groaned.

“Serves you right” Saeko mumbled from beside her, “You were piss-drunk last night.”

“Oh Merlin” the Brit put her throbbing head in her palms.

“I'm going to fetch you some water”

“Oh Merlin!” Lauren repeated, this time more alert “Your brother! And Mihane! Tsunade. The ANBU! What will they say to Sarutobi-sama!”

Saeko chuckled “That he should keep an eye on his student before she corrupts all the medics.”

“Ugh”

“at least now you know better to drink with Tsunade. She's got decades on you of practice”

“Ugh” the Slytherin repeated, “Never again. Besides now I can't show my face anywhere.”

“Really? You know that if you don't show at the Hospital today Tsunade will have won”

“… Saeko?”

“Yes?”

“I need a potion. You will fetch the ingredients”

“Hn”

* * *

**Nara Compound**

The clacking sound of shougi tiles moving on their board was one of the most typical sounds of the Nara Compound. That along with soft snoring and rustling of leaves. Saeko and Shikamaru were pertaining in the Nara's favorite pass time as well.

“So I hear Akatsuki went silent for the moment” Saeko spoke as she moved her lance piece.

“They lost four members in a short span of time” the shinobi inspected the board, “It would make sense to regroup and maybe recruit.”

“Or attack head-on in desperation” Saeko countered worriedly, “And we still don't know how powerful their leader is to command respect of so many S-ranked ninja.”

“Mendokse”

“We need to find their base of operations”

“Jiraiya-sama is working on it”

“If their movements ceased he'll have a harder time doing that”

“True”

“Nii-San said the three-tails is to reform soon”

“Shikaku said so as well”

“If we tried to take it the other Villages would take it as a sign of aggression”

“Yes”

“It's risky but Jiraiya could try to tail them after they get the turtle”

“Mendokse” Shikamaru repeated, “Let the higher-ups worry about it.”

Saeko huffed in annoyance, after all she wanted to be one of those higher-ups. Changing the subject she asked “How's Kurenai?”

Shika eyed his friend “The rumors are true.”

“She's really pregnant then?”

“Yes”

“How far along? She's not showing yet”

“I didn't tank to ask”

Saeko sighed in exasperation “You're such a guy.”

“I didn't really want to bring up Asuma” the Nara defended, “She's not taking it well.”

“It's only been a short while. Plus the baby...” Saeko trailed out, “I hear you're godfather.”

Shikamaru's eyes glinted proudly “I am.”

“You'll do well” the Uchiha said confidently. She wasn't lying too - Shika might be lazy but he knew what was important. Also since his teachers demise he really went all out, both in training and taking care of Kurenai. Even Yoshino, his mother, had only praise for him lately.

“Mendokse” said the Nara, not really meaning it.

“How's Chouji and Ino? Haven't seen them in a while?

“Clan training”

The two played in silence for a while until Shika asked “How's _Uzumaki_ Ren?”

“Just Ren” Saeko corrected, “I think... I think she rather likes it here.”

The Nara hummed “She did say it's crazy here but a good kind of crazy.”

“You spoke to her alone?”

“Of course”

“What else did she say?” Saeko asked eagerly.

“She seems to like the Hospital”

“Of course,” the girl chuckled, “She's a sought after novelty with her unusual yet effective methods.”

Again both ninja fell silent, concentrating on the shougi board.

“She's a civilian” Shika said after a while.

Saeko shrugged “She could take a genin. A chuunin or a really fast genin could take her out. Her fighting is as unorthodox as her healing, so going against her would be tricky though. But she's slow.”

“And she'd use the same techniques as your new ones?"”

“Indeed”

“Hmm”

“Hn”

“You didn't learn these in Mizu no Kuni where she's supposedly from” Shika didn't even bother to phrase it as a question.

“Hn” Saeko shrugged.

“I like her” Shika said with his final move that won him the game.

The Uchiha scowled at the board before his words registered “Ren?”

“Yes” Shikamaru stood up with his hand in his pockets.

Saeko smiled brilliantly.

“I promised I'd bring Kurenai some dango” the Nara shrugged.

Saeko nodded and stood up as well “Ren should be back from her Hospital shift in a few moments anyway.”

The two parted without saying goodbye, both intent on their destinations. Saeko took the rooftop route, arriving to the Uchiha compound in a few moments.

“Ren, you here?”

“Upstairs”

“You hungry? I can either make something or pick something up” Saeko proposed.

“Not right now”

The ninja shrugged and skipped toward her, turned theirs, room.

Lauren had obviously been writing something at the table but was now standing in the middle of the room with a sinful smirk on her face. “Your brother and Mihane are still out” the red-head informed.

“They are” Saeko voice dropped to a lower register.

“Excellent” Lauren sauntered closer, “Family and all is nice but what did you do when you were in the mood?”

“Seals or their place”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Lauren's eyes glinted wickedly, “Put those seals on.”

Saeko nodded and hurried to do just that. When she was done she turned to see Lauren sitting on the bed “So I heard some tales from the girls.”

“Which ones?” Saeko licked her lips in anticipation.

Lauren pulled her hand from behind her back to reveal a strap-on harness dangling from her fingers.

“Oh”

“Oh indeed” the red-head smirked.


	123. 6- 123 As Usual but Better

 

**Konoha Hospital**

Lauren stepped into the examination room, closely followed by Sakura who was acting as her guard/chaperone for today, and promptly rolled her eyes.

Saeko grinned as she swung her legs over the exam table and presented her bleeding forearm.

Lauren surveyed the minor wound and clicked her tongue “Did you do that on purpose?”

“Of course not” was the chipper reply.

“It's a scrape and you are perfectly capable of healing that yourself”

“But it huwts”

Sakura who so far surveyed the spectacle incredulously, face-palmed with a groan. Lauren on the other hand grinned wickedly, mainly at how uncomfortable her keeper looked, and took the wounded arm in her hand.

“I do so love when you pay Doctor” Saeko smirked.

Sakura turned red.

“You know,” Lauren's grin widened, “If I were Anko I'd probably lick the blood off.”

Sakura made a strangled noise.

“Lick away” the Uchiha shot her an answering grin.

Sakura cleared her throat “I'm sure you have this well in hand so I'll be outside.”

When the pinkette left Saeko and Lauren laughed. The red-head swiftly wiped off the blood with an antiseptic pad and healed the injury with a wave of her wand. "What happened?" Lauren asked, merriment in her eyes.

“Spar with Kakashi-sempai” Saeko shrugged, “He was free and wanted to escape Naruto for a while.”

“Kakashi... Kakashi...” Lauren hummed, “You didn't mention a Kakashi when you spoke about your friends.”

“We're acquaintances at best” the brunette shrugged, “But I respect him immensely. He truly is among the best what Konoha has to offer.”

There was a knock on the door and a young ninja poked his head in “Excuse me, but Sakura-san said you should be done soon. Will this room be available?”

“Shortly” Lauren nodded sternly.

“Of course, Ren-Sama”

After the door closed Saeko arched an eyebrow “Sama?”

The red-head shrugged “He's fascinated by magic.”

“And you” Saeko corrected a touch accusingly.

“He might have a small crush on me”

“Small?” the ninja chuckled, “Saw his adoring look. He practically had stars in his eyes.”

Lauren rolled hers “Don't be jealous.”

“Hn”

“Now shoo”

“Wonderful bed-side manner”

“The more bitchy you are, the more points you get”

“Really?!”

“No, but Tsunade is winning”

“No doubt” Saeko laughed and hopped down from the examination table, “I'll pick you up later?”

“Sure”

The Uchiha left the room and waved to the scowling Sakura when she passed her. When she got to the Hospital's lobby her confident stride faltered - a very loud Gai was supporting his favorite pupil, his leg very obviously broken, both shouting about the youthfulness of training. Saeko smirked, she wondered if Lauren would get the case, that'd be fun.

Saeko was almost thought the doors when Gai's voice reverberated through the lobby “Aaaah! The blooming flower form Mist!”

Question answered.

Seeing as her people-hating lover would have her hand full, Saeko resolved to get her some kind of reward. The newest _Icha-Icha_ was finally in and Lauren would be able to read it now without the language barrier. Jiraiya _did_ hint the new book was really heated and had a hint of lesbian romance in the background. Maybe they could read it together. Or act out some scenes.

The sex ones, not the murder ones.

* * *

**Training Ground 12**

“Well?” Saeko asked eagerly.

Lauren smirked “You're a pyromaniac.”

“I'm Uchiha”

“Playing with synonyms now?” the red-head chuckled, “But yes, it _is_ really impressive what you ninja can do. I think magic is more versatile but there is no denying chakra has the combat edge. And a sheer destructive potential you have fully realized.”

“Hn” Saeko smirked proudly.

“No wonder you could wipe out the floor with anybody during dueling class” Lauren hummed.

“Hn” Saeko said s even more proudly.

“Yo, Uchiha!” a gruff voice called.

“Kiba” the sharingan user greeted, “Shino, Hinata.”

“You got time to catch up?” asked the Inuzuka, “We haven't seen you for months.”

“Sure” Saeko agreed, “Were you on mission?”

“Yeah, just got back” Kiba nodded, “And we heard you found yourself a mate.”

Lauren arched one of her delicate eyebrow in Saeko's direction. The Uchiha only shrugged.

“We would be happy to get to know someone important to you” Shino said in his usual monotone, “Why? Because you are a trusted comrade.”

“Thank you Shino”

Kiba nodded “Plus we want to know all the dirty details. Especially Hinata.”

“Eeep!”

“Hinata-san _has_ exhibited an unexpected amount of enthusiasm and interest at the topic” the Aburame commented.

“At you dating!” Hinata exclaimed, beet red, “Not... anything else!”

“I'd be interested” Kiba smirked lecherously.

“Bad dog” Saeko chuckled and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. The Inuzuka shrugged unrepentantly.

“Perhaps we could go to lunch together Shino proposed.

Saeko nodded “That's a good idea.”

“Meat!” Lauren exclaimed unexpectedly.

Saeko turned towards her lover “Excuse me?”

“I don't want anything that has rice in it" the red-head shrugged, “I'm a bit fed up with it. Pure meat would be preferable.”

“Yakiniku Q?” Hinata proposed.

“Seems so” the Uchiha chuckled. As they slowly walked out of the training ground Saeko whispered in her lover's ear “I have fed you a wide variety of meals. You can't say it's been monotonous.”

Lauren was incredulous “Rice for every fucking breakfast. And all the snacks are either onigiri or a bento, ergo more rice.”

“Hn”

“I'm not complaining” Lauren shrugged “At least not as much as you do in School.”

“Hn”

“And I did end up loving ramen”

“Don't remind me” Saeko grimaced

“Hey!” Kiba called, “Will you introduce us properly to your girl?"

Saeko obliged and until they reached the restaurant Lauren had to answer questions about herself as well as how she likes Konoha - things she had to repeat several times already. When a slightly annoyed tone sneaked into the red-head's voice Saeko thought that Lauren did indeed deserve a treat in whichever form Yakiniku Q had to offer. Lauren really came through for her, being polite and even semi-voluntarily speaking with people even if it was far from her comfort zone.

When the witches and Team 8 parted ways, Lauren arched an eyebrow in mild disgust “ _Dynamic Marking_ , really?”

“It is a legitimate part of a jutsu”

“Peeing” the red-head said dryly.

Saeko smirked “Inuzuka nin are a bit peculiar.”

“No kidding”

“Uzumaki-sama!” a voice shouted from behind them.

Lauren's face tightened. Saeko tried not to show her amusement “I think he means you.”

The Brit glared but turned to face the older man that spoke earlier, her glare only intensifying. The elder didn't flinch “I am on the committee that presides over the Academy. It is my understanding that you have expertise in fuinjutsu. Duty to the Village…”

“I'm sure Sarutobi-sama will consider the matter on the next Council meeting” the Uchiha interjected tersely, “Besides, Ren is a civilian, not a ninja of Konoha.”

“I see. We'll revisit the issue at a later date then” the man said coldly and left with the most minuscule of bows.

Lauren's eyes narrowed “Charming fellow, pity he didn't introduce himself.”

“Yukimura, one of the old crowd” Saeko frowned, “One of Danzō's faction. Caution advised.”

“I'm a Slytherin, we're practically paranoid”

“Sure, but the 'war hawks' have been Slytherins for longer than you're been alive”

“Veteran snakes, always a blast”

* * *

**Uchiha Compound**

Ren and Saeko were lounging in bed, both not really wanting to get up since both were free for the day. The silence was broken by a sudden burst of laugher form the Slytherin.

“What is it?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“Just comparing Konoha to DC comics” Lauren was still chuckling.

“What do you mean?”

“Here I met like all of the Batman villains,” the red-head smirked, “Pity Poison Ivy is a man. Bit of a bummer.”

Saeko racked her brain for what she knew about the Brit's reading choices and then suddenly laughed “Yamato?”

“Indeed. Thinking back to my stay at T&I it was like being in Gotham Asylum”

“Asylum, huh? It fits” the brunette hummed, “Hey, is Ibiki scarred enough for Two-Face?”

“He isn't that scarred”

“He didn't take off his bandana, huh?”

“He was scary enough” Lauren said dismissively, “And just yesterday I saw a kunoichi with a war hammer like Harley. And I heard that umbrellas are pretty popular too. Like Penguin.”

“And do you have a persona for me?”

“Nah, but you could lump the rest of you in the League of Assassins”

“Sounds good” Saeko chuckled.

“Not wanting to be the superhero lead?” the red-head teased.

“You're saying I am not a superhero?”

Lauren laughed at the dramatic pout “Of course you are.”

“Because I can prove it”

“How would you go about that?”

“Easy way, hard way or sexy way?”

Ren cocked her head to the side “I'm actually undecided.”

Saeko's pout became more pronounced.

Lauren laughed “Ok, the sexy way.”

“Excellent choice”

Things were just starting to get heated when a loud voice interrupted “NEEEE-CHAN!”

“No, no, no, no” Saeko whined.

“Just ignore him”

“NEEEE-CHAN! BAA-CHAN SAID YOU'RE FREE”

“Tsunade did this on purpose, I just know it”

Lauren growled “I'm going to kill her.”

“I'LL TREAT YOU TO ICHIRAKU!”

“NEEEE-CHAN, YOU THERE?”

“Shhh, maybe if we stay quiet he'll assume we're out”

“One can only hope”

“NEEE-CHAN!”

Saeko whispered “ _Kuchiose no Jutsu_.”

“Hi- mpf!”

“Pshhht” the Uchiha said as she caught Lykke's beak, “He'll hear you.”

“Mpf”

“I need you to fly downstairs, stealthily, and find Itachi. I need him to send away Naruto. I'm begging”

“Mpf”

“Thank you, I appreciate it immensely” Saeko said elatedly and let go of her summon.

Lykke glared “Alright, but you owe me big for this. Big.”

“Anything you want”

“NEEE-CHAN!”

“Please” Lauren chimed in.

“Big” the raven reiterated and took off.

Both girls waited with bated breath, until big brother Itachi came through for them. When Naruto didn't continue to shout for a while they breathed in relief.

“Oh dear sweet Kami thank you”

“Indeed”

They still kept an ear out until there was a knock on the door. “Sister, Ren? He's gone.”

“Thank you, nii-san” Saeko replied gratefully.

“Much obliged” Lauren chimed in.

“No problem. I have to work and Mihane-chan is already out, but we have left breakfast downstairs. See you at dinner”

“Bye” the witches chorused.

After Itachi left Saeko sighed “We really need to find Naruto a girlfriend or get Hinata to man up. Then he could find some new entertainment other than bother us all the time.”

“I thought he had shadow closes for that”

…

…

“You just gave me nightmares. Horrible, horrible nightmares” Saeko shivered in disgust.

“Don't be dramatic”

“I suddenly don't feel well. And I think I hate you now”

* * *

**Konoha Onsen**

“Oh, this is great” Lauren hummed contentedly, the water was truly perfect.

“We have perfectly good Uchiha onsen back at the district” Saeko grumped.

“The nurses spoke highly of this one. Plus too many stone-faced Uchiha in one place is depressing. And I'm not in the mood to 'discuss the future in the Clan', thank you very much”

The brunette's jaw dropped “Nurses? You are nice to someone?”

“Being on good terms with the nurses is just good sense - they're gossips and they do all the support things. They can make your life hell if they don't like you” Ren said sagely.

Saeko's eyes narrowed for a moment as she thought it over. Then she hummed in understanding “Madame Pomfrey gave you this tip.”

“Yup”

“Smart. Oh, and I got that research on Konoha herbal remedies you wanted - I can be nice to nurses too”

“Thanks, the waiting list on that thing is really long”

“I know, I had to be extra sweet” the Uchiha winked.

The red-head smirked knowingly “An ex?”

“Yup” Saeko grinned brightly.

“Figures” Lauren chuckled.

“That's kinda weird” Tenten declared as she entered the water as well.

“Hey, Tenten” the jounin greeted.

“Hi” Ren nodded as well, she had met the kunoichi when she went to pick up Gai and mini-Gai from the Hospital.

“What's weird?” Saeko asked.

“Talking about an ex giving favors with the girlfriend right there” the weapons mistress elaborated.

“Eh” both Lauren and Saeko shrugged disinterestedly.

“Alright” Tenten shrugged as well and made herself comfortable in the water.

Surprisingly enough Lauren seemed to really like the bun-haired kunoichi, they bonded over being strong and ambitious women in a mostly male-dominated world. Whilst they were ranting about how having their genitals on the inside rather than outside didn't prevent them from being the best, Saeko summoned a raven and pled for it to bring her her pipe.

She was happily puffing away when the attention turned back to her “Hm?”

Ren rolled at her lover's inattention “I was saying you taught me weapons throwing and that I’m pretty good with throwing knives.”

“Oh, she is” Saeko nodded, “Really good. Although no ninja speed.”

“Yeah, what’s that about?” the sole kunoichi of Team Gai asked.

“I’m a medic. A civilian one. And content that way” Lauren said icily - some of the ninjas around, mainly the Uchiha ones, were condescending about being a civilian. Some downright pitying. At fist the red-head made the effort of curbing her tongue but that resolve lasted two days tops, then she brought out her Slytherin. Rumor was she made a chuunin cry. Saeko was **so** proud.

Since that day Ren became the true Lauren and to hell with anyone who didn’t like that. It was hot. And really comforting, Ren was getting more comfortable.

“You keep spacing out, you alright?” Tenten arched an eyebrow at Saeko.

The Uchiha smirked “Just letting my mind wander.”

“To a dirty place no doubt” Lauren smirked right back.

“Hn” Saeko was unapologetic.

“Wanna get out of here?” the red-head asked.

“Hn”

As the two witches scrambled out of the water Tenten sighed “How youthful. Kami, I really need to get laid.”

* * *

**Uchiha compound**

Itachi handed both girls a thick envelope “Your Hogwarts letters have arrived. I also have some more letters for you Ren in my office.”

Lauren's face scrunched in disgust but nodded “I'll pick them up later. Now let's see what Hogwarts has in store for us for our last year.”

“Hmm, all the usual except those dress robes"” Saeko said after she skimmed her copy.

“Dress robes” the red-head repeated in curiosity and looked over her letter.

“Maybe for some kind of graduation ceremony?” the ninja speculated.

“I don't know. I don't think any of the older Slytherins spoke about that”

“We'll see. The rest we can get from Diagon” Saeko shrugged, “The robes I have no idea. I think I will bring something Konoha traditional.”

“Sounds good”

“What about you?”

Lauren shrugged “I'll have to buy something new. I won't be caught wearing something I already wore.”

“Of course not”

“I know just where to go. We can _floo_ there from the Alley” Lauren hummed.

“I'll arrange the trip then” Saeko nodded.

“Very well” the red-head smiled, “Hey, apart from my letters did you get any more news from England?”

Saeko shrugged “I know Minister Fudge contracted us for providing security for the Quidditch World Cup. Hayama is taking it. Everything should run smoothly.”

“Big” the witch hummed, impressed, “How much is he paying you?”

“Lots” Saeko grinned widely.

 


	124. 7- 124 Hogwarts, for the Last Time

 

**Konoha Gates**

Saeko and Lauren were all packed, waiting for Jiraiya to 'send them on their mission'. Sake a bit sad - this vacation home with Lauren had been amazing. She really hoped Lauren would stay Ren permanently once school was over. She was also really curious as to what her girlfriend and Sarutobi talked about shortly before. Saeko hoped he was offering her a place in the Village and that he had a convince pitch.

Well, the fact Lauren still had all her memories intact was a good sign and a cause for hope.

“Ready?” Jiraiya asked when he joined the two girls.

“Hn”

Lauren simply nodded. She seemed lost in thought. Saeko decided against bothering her.

The trio journeyed in silence and once they were out of sight of all kinds the two witches gripped the offered feather that would shortly bring them to London.

“Bye and good luck” Jiraiya smiled, “It was nice to meet you Ren. I hope to see you come back.”

Lauren just nodded before the magical tugging feeling that meant the _portkey_ 's activation took them away.

Platform 93/4 was less crowded than usual since it was relatively early. Saeko turned to the Brit “Tea while we wait or do you want to go to the train already?”

“Train. I want to take a nap. I didn't sleep well last night” Lauren sighed.

Saeko nodded and the couple boarded the train. Only a few compartments had already passengers in them so the two had an easy time of choosing their own. This time they settled towards the front of the train.

As soon as the ninja put their huge sealing scrolls with all their things inside in the overhead compartments and sat down, Lauren snuggled into her with eyes closed.

The red-head fell asleep quickly, leaving Saeko with nothing to do but observe the few students and their families on the platform.

It was nearing ten o'clock when more people started arriving. The ninja spotted Helena arriving alone via apparition, flying her trunk behind her. Neither Saeko nor Lauren had put any wards on their doors so the blonde heiress found them immediately.

“Hey” Saeko mouthed.

Helena nodded back and silently levitated her luggage up. Then she sat down with a book, deciding against disturbing the sleeping Slytherin.

The slowly arriving mass of people intent on boarding the train was far less considerate and Lauren stirred. “Mnm”

“Ohayo, Lauren” Saeko greeted softly.

There was a loud bang followed by laughter somewhere from nearby which made the Snake flinch and slowly get up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned “Oh, hello Helena.”

“Hey” the blonde chuckled.

Saeko chuckled as well at the cute spectacle, Lauren reminded her of a large cat right now. Then the red-head stretched, her shirt riding up, and Saeko grinned. Definitely a cat.

Helena followed the ninja's gaze to her ogling Lauren's bare midriff and rolled her eyes. “How was your summer?”

The ninja only smiled widely while Lauren paused. Then she shrugged “It was interesting. And very foreign. But not bad.”

“Not bad?” Saeko pouted exaggeratedly to indicate she was joking.

“Alright” Lauren acquiesced, “It was rather fun.”

Helena was curious “What can you tell me about Konoha?”

“Not much,” the red-head shrugged, “I'm forbidden from revealing pretty much anything.”

It was Helena's time to pout “Not fair.”

Saeko smirked “You must've expected it.”

“I did but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed” Helena shrugged, “Six years of relative mystery. If you don't tell me I'm officially resigning myself to not knowing.”

“Sorry” the Uchiha said unapologetically.

“But not really” Helena chuckled.

“But not really” Saeko confirmed with a smirk.

“And how was your summer?” Lauren asked.

“Quite good” Helena shrugged, “But not as free as usual. Father fully immersed me in business. I was his partner, not his shadow. It was rather exhilarating.”

“Bet your father was proud” Saeko smiled.

“He was. Is” Helena showed a rarely seen unguarded full-on smile.

Lauren looked a bit sullen, envious most likely, but finally smiled as well “I heard you worked hard for it. He better be.”

“She has talent do it too” Saeko added, “If she really puts her back in it she can talk anyone into anything.”

Helena smirked proudly.

In that moment the doors of the compartment opened to reveal Paddy, Caitlin, Peter and Ashley. Pete and Ash were so tanned they were hard to recognize at first glance while the two Irish Ravens that followed them in were still pasty white but instead adorned in various shamrock paraphernalia, complete with green hats - Caitlin a bowler hat while Paddy sported a top hat.

Lauren smirked “I did hear Ireland won.”

“It was AWESOME!” Paddy took the started Snake by her shoulders.

“It really was” Caitlin agreed.

“Troy, Mullet, Moran!” Paddy shouted his chasers' names.

“So I take it you really enjoyed it” Saeko chuckled.

Caitlin and Paddy both nodded and took turns in describing their whole Quidditch Cup experience with Peter and ash chiming in once in a while.

“... leprechauns…”

“…Krum was amazing...”

“…the veela…”

“…thank Merlin for omniculars…”

“…and when we won…”

“…great game…”

“…the fans…”

“Some drunks tried to ruin it though” Peter grimaced when the narration was winding down, “All cloaks and masks.”

“The Ministry people intervened immediately though” Caitlin shrugged, “They _apparated_ away without doing anything.”

Saeko nodded, Hayama told her about the attempt at a disturbance and how he was a bit put out that they fled as soon as the Konoha ninja showed their faces.

“The Dark Mark though” Peter reminded.

“Yeah, some idiot cast it” Caitlin's expression turned sour, “I really don't know what he was trying to accomplish but it did dampen the euphoria of victory quite a bit.”

“Did they catch him?” Lauren asked.

Paddy shook his head “Nah. Took off as soon as he cast it I wager.”

“Hey, where's Graham?” Saeko realized, “He usually turns up when quidditch is discussed. It's uncanny.”

The four British Ravens chuckled. Saeko arched an eyebrow for an explanation. Ash grinned “Forget quidditch, he will talk your ear off about his all-muggle holiday.”

“Yeah” Paddy nodded, “Wouldn't shut up about it.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “Really?”

“Oh, yeah” Peter chuckled.

“By the way, make pirate jokes around him” Paddy smiled mischievously.

Both Saeko and Lauren looked at each other in confusion “Why?”

“He went sailing and ended up loving it. With his beard and stuff we somehow made pirates a running joke between us” Caitlin said in explanation.

“Talk about the devil” Helena pointed towards the door of the compartment though which Graham came barreling through.

“Ahoy matey!” Ashley, Peter, Paddy, Caitlin and Helena greeted in unison.

Graham huffed in annoy and rolled his eyes “Would you stop it?”

“What, started your day on the wrong peg-leg?” Peter smirked.

The bearded Ravenclaw was not amused. Ashley grinned widely “Nah, it's just that his favorite eye-patch is in the laundry.”

They continued like this for quite a while, Graham taking it with arms crossed, trying not to react even when a colorful parrot took residence on his shoulder.

It was almost 11 when Ash asked worriedly “Anyone seen Daniel?”

Helena shrugged “He's Head Boy. He'll be organizing things.”

“He's the Head Boy?” Graham exclaimed.

“How do you know?” Paddy asked.

The blonde shrugged again “He wrote me.”

“You?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow skeptically.

“Yes” Helena said not seeing the big deal, her slightly antisocial usual manner aside.

“Of course he is Head Boy” Saeko smiled, “He deserves it.”

“Do you know who the Head Girl is?” Lauren asked.

Helena shook her head in negative “No, but the majority bet on Irene Bass.”

Lauren spotted the black betting book and nodded “As long as it's not Aurora.”

“Rory?" Saeko grinned, “I don't think so. She already had far too much fun with her prefect's badge. Let the Gryff have it.”

Everybody nodded and as the train gently left the station they continued talking about their holidays and what would be their last year at Hogwarts.

Around noon they were joined by Daniel, who informed them that indeed Irene got the Head Girl spot, and they started playing poker as usual at this point. Lauren declined to be dealt in and instead took off to find her Slytherin friends to catch up with them.

All in all, the ride to school was very calm and pleasant, especially compared to the last year's one. No dementors at least.

As they approached their destination the weather got progressively worse. They were almost there when the storm developed in the earnest.

Among curses and water-repelling charms the older students raced towards the carriages that would take them to the Castle, silently pitying the first-years who had to take the boats across the Lake.

Once dry and seated at the long tables in the Great Hall everybody sighed in relief.

“Where is the DADA teacher?” Daniel immediately inspected the professors table.

“Maybe they didn't find anyone” Graham said tensely.

“Don't even joke about it” Daniel was horrified.

“He's just late I'm sure” Ash claimed him down.

Their wait for the sorting ceremony was a bit longer than usual, no doubt due to the weather, and when finally a row of drenched firsties strode towards the Hat the hungry students let out a loud cheer.

The Hat sang and once finished professor McGonagall called the first student forth.

“Finally” Paddy grinned when the last firstie went to Hufflepuff and Dumbledore commenced the feast.

For quite a while the Great Hall was filled only by the clinking of plates and drinks being poured rather than conversation, everybody too hungry from their long journey and unhealthy snacks.

Only when desserts were served, everybody calmed down in their frantic chewing, suddenly taking dainty bites of some gateau or other as if they had not been chugging down food like a pack of starving wolves.

“So!” said Dumbledore as he stood up now that his charges were mostly full and done. His usual speech about Filch and his list of forbidden items as well as the warning about the Forest was followed by an announcement that was very much _not_ the norm. “It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-House Quidditch Cup will not be taking place this year.”

The Great Hall fell silent for a beat but then erupted in angry shouts and protests. Saeko clenched he jaw in irritation but said nothing, with what would be taking place this year it was not completely unexpected. All her players immediately sought her with their eyes and she made a placating gesture. At least none of her Eagles make a scene like Oliver Wood at the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledore commandeered their attention once more and continued with his announcement unperturbed “...Which is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year. I am sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts...”

Clang

Everybody looked at the giant doors that lead to the Hall as they banged open.

“No way” Daniel breathed out in awe.

Helena was surprised as well “That's mad-eye Moody.”

“The auror?” Caitlin exclaimed.

Saeko surveyed the newcomer and was quite impressed - Mad-Eye Moody was the very epitome of a grizzled warrior. A veteran.

Dumbledore smiled “May I introduce you your new teacher for Defense against the Dark Arts, professor Moody.”

Silence greeted the man, the majority of the students were taken aback by his scarred appearance and his electric blue artificial eye that wouldn't stop moving. Slowly though a light clap started, waking up the rest of the student body. Moody did not seem to care much and sat down on the lone empty seat, taking a swing from his hip-flask in the process.

“No way” Daniel was still stuck.

“Shh!” Ash quieted him as Dumbledore turned towards his students once more. “As I was saying, we have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”

“You're JOKING!" Fred/George Weasley was the first to react.

Nearly everyone laughed. McGonagall pursed her lips as usual but Dumbledore took it in stride but his own attempt at joke was interrupted by his faithful vice-headmistress. The man cleared his throat and continued in a serious tone “Ah, yes. The Triwizard Tournament...”

Saeko's eyes glazed over, she knew all about the history of the event - ever since the Minister contracted them for security of the tasks she made a point to read up on the subject. Frankly it seemed rather exciting even if the quidditch matches were a better and more frequent break in school monotony.

“The Heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their shortlist of contenders in October and the selection of the three Champions will take place on Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand galleons personal prize money.”

“Awesome” Graham grinned.

“Right there with ya” Paddy nodded.

“Shh” Caitlin said harshly.

“Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts...”

“Not to mention the money” Peter whispered.

“... impose an age restriction. Only those who are of age, that is seventeen and older, will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration.”

Angry shouts and murmurs erupted from the younger crowd. The Ravenclaw poker group was silent and contemplating, after all they were all 17.

“So?” Caitlin prompted, “It would be cool but I'm out.”

“Wouldn't be caught dead competing” Helena scoffed, “Maybe even literal death.”

“I'm not in a rush to die...” Daniel trailed out, “But it _would_ be quite a boost to my resume for Auror Academy.”

“I'm in” Saeko announced. Dumbledore didn't say anything to her specifically so by default she assumed she was allowed to participate.

“Thought so” Graham grumbled.

“I'm out” Peter shrugged, “Will be too busy with NEWTs and muggle exams.”

“Me as well” Ash nodded, “But I still can't wait. It's going to be amazing!”

“History being made,” Peter grinned, “First Triwizard Tournament after a century.”

“I dunno” Paddy sighed, “I guess NEWTs take precedence…”

“Well” Caitlin hummed, “We've got two months to decide.”

Graham turned to Helena “How old is your sister? Will she be coming from Beauxbatons?”

“Too young, thank Merlin!” the blonde sighed in relief.

“Pity, I would've loved to meet Gray junior” Caitlin smirked.

“Yeah” Graham nodded

Helena frowned “I'm not letting you anywhere near my little sister. You'd corrupt her.”

“In what way?” Paddy asked but got such a seething look in response he changed the subject “Soooo, who do you think the Champion will be?”

Ash announced proudly “My roomie of course! Number One anyone?”

Saeko hummed “I'd love to but I have absolutely no idea how the Champion will be selected. And what criteria will he use to decide.”

“True” Helena nodded but also whipped out her black betting book, “Still, I'll give you good odds.”

“What about Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?” Daniel asked, “Does anyone know anything about their students?”

“Just that Durmstrang has a bad reputation” Caitlin shrugged, “At least in Britain. A bit biased I think but whatever.”

“Yeah, they got the dark Arts course instead of our Defense” Daniel nodded.

“Durmstrang is also more combat-oriented” Peter added, “The best duelers come from there.”

“Cool” Graham commented.

“Well, it's going to be fun” Paddy grinned, “Pity about the quidditch though.”

Caitlin sighed “Yeah. I exercised during summer and all.”

Saeko smirked “I will be training the Team still. For next year. Either Roger or Cho as replacement Captains, we'll see. You're welcome to come even if we are if we're in the seventh year.”

“We'll see” the chaser shrugged, “With the NEWTs coming…”

“It's going to be hell” Graham whined.

“We'll manage”

“Of course we're Ravens!”

“Speaking of, let's go up” Daniel proposed, “I want to check on things in the Common Room.”

“Oh, yeah” Ashley hummed and everybody stood up.

“Cho made prefect, right?” Caitlin asked, continuing with her previous conversation with Saeko.

The ninja nodded. “Good for her” Helena commented.

“Come on, let's go” Daniel urged them impatiently.

“At once Mr. Head Boy sir!” Graham mocked.

The bespectacled boy smirked “And don't you forget it.”

X

Lauren entered into her dimly lit room in the Slytherin Dungeons. Feeling something off, she flung a conjured needle into one of the darker shadows.

“Nice aim”

“Saeko” Lauren exclaimed half exasperated, half amused, “What are you doing here?”

The ninja shrugged as she stepped into the light “Got used to fall asleep beside you.”

“Hmm” Lauren smirked, “I guess I don't mind overly much.”

“Great! I brought jammies and all” Saeko grinned.

“You don't wear jammies”

“Yup! Well, not with you, I do with Ash”

“Good” the Slytherin nodded, “It wouldn't do for Weir to ogle you.”

Saeko chuckled “Still, it's very nice the Snakes get single rooms.”

“Indeed” Lauren nodded, “I guess you may visit from time to time.”

“Will do!”

“How do you feel about quidditch being canceled?” the red-head asked as she took off the coat of her uniform.

“Eh” Saeko shrugged and took off her shoes and gloves, “I think it was unnecessary. Hogwarts could've managed both the Quidditch Cup and the Tournament.”

“I'm glad you told me about it” Lauren said seriously, “Nearly everybody in Slytherin knew about it and who didn't lost face.”

“Happy to oblige”

“You'll of course be trying to participate” the Brit asked dryly.

Saeko smirked ruefully “You know I can't resist showing off.”

Lauren rolled her eyes “All too well.”


	125. 7- 125 Constant Vigilance

 

The seventh year class was the first to have their newest teacher on staff - professor moody. It was a mixed class since getting in required at least an E in the OWL exams and with Quirrell and Lockhart many of the students just gave up on the subject. This year though, they had a legend for an instructor. Mad-Eye Moody, the ban of Death Eaters, and everybody was curious about him, even if a tiny bit apprehensive.

Daniel was practically hopping from excitement in his seat in the first row.

“Calm down” Graham said, fed up with it, “He might curse you by accident. You know what they say about him.”

“I did hear he was rather paranoid” Helena nodded with a small smirk.

“That's just rubbish what that journalist wrote” Daniel said heatedly.

Peter asked “Skeeter?”

The blonde heiress nodded again “Sure, but his twitchiness is widely known.”

“Hey, didn't Skeeter write in the gossip column before?” Ash chimed in, “Over summer she started doing the frontlines though.”

“Maybe she got prompted” Paddy shrugged.

“Maybe she started sleeping with the editor” Caitlin shrugged as well. Everybody looked at her with a raised eyebrow. The Irish chaser huffed, “What? It happens.”

“Don't know, don't care” Daniel said dismissively, “Six minutes till the bell rings.”

“try not to drool when he come in” Graham rolled his eyes. The comment started an argument between the boys but the rest of the group ignored them.

Saeko sighed “Should've sat with Lauren.”

Helena nodded emphatically. After a beat of observing the bickering boys the blonde hummed as a though came to her “I did some rounds and the majority of Ravenclaw is behind you.”

The ninja frowned, not really understanding “Oh?”

“The Triwizard Tournament you idiot” Helena rolled her eyes.

 “Oh, cool” Saeko nodded, “Who else?”

“Hufflepuff is all about Diggory”

Ash got a dreamy look in her eyes “He would look good in the news.”

“Hn”

“Not that you wouldn't” the pinkette added hastily.

Helena chuckled. Saeko prompted again “Who else?

“All the Gryffs want in, no surprise there. The Slytherins are keeping it quiet, only Warrington is  definite yes.”

“Really?” the ninja said skeptically, knowing the man from the quidditch field - not the sharpest kunai in the pouch. Or skilled.

Helena nodded “Yes. Boasted about it rather loudly.”

“He's thicker than a box of hammers though” Caitlin chuckled.

“He is” everybody shrugged, agreeing but not really caring.

“Doesn't do any good to speculate I guess” Saeko sighed.

“Hogwarts is speaking of little else” Helena reminded.

Ashley countered “Not true, many lower years are thinking up ways to cheat the age restriction.”

“But we still don't know how the Champions are picked” Saeko reasoned. Ash just shrugged. The ninja wanted to say more but she felt the familiar tendrils of an illusion trying to worm itself into her conscious.

Saeko jumped up from her seat, wand drawn.

“Saeko?” Ashley asked uncertainly.

“Something's wrong”

While most of the class laughed the little poker group plus Lauren did not. Instead they stood as well and drew their wands, just in case. A beat later the rest of the Ravenclaws followed suit.

“Finally cracked, Uchiha?” Aurora Gallaher's snide voice tried to get the Ravens' attention.

“Hn” the ninja didn't even pretend to care.

There was some quick discussion between the Gryffindors before they too joined the House of the Wise in their defensive positions - it was exciting after all. Which left the Puffs to stand up to honor their famous loyalty. The Snakes were all alert but trying to look nonchalant.

Finally a disillusioned presence crossed the threshold of the room. Everybody was just waiting for this so the response was immediate.

“ _Stupefy!”_

“ _Explliarmus!”_

“ _Reducto!_ ”

“ _Revelio!”_

“ _Incarcerous!”_ were just some of the spells fired.

A brilliant golden dome of a shield appeared in the doorway and around the now visible Mad-Eye Moody. All spells impacted but were nullified.

“Well, color me surprised!” Moody sad gruffly but with underlying glee, “That wasn't half-bad.”

The class was still alert, holding their wands up, as their professor limped past tem and towards his desk at the front of the room. “Nice use of the _Homenum Revelio_ , I felt a few” Moody commented, “But your attacks were basic and predictable but I'll let that slide for now. At last you all noticed something or had the presence of mind to follow those who could. That said I still had plenty of time to kill you all, especially when caught by my illusion to make you complacent. Any dark wizard worth his salt could've done the same. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! is the key.”

The students were still a bit disoriented but promptly obeyed when Mad-Eye Moody barked “Sit down, quills out. Now, let's see who are we dealing with.”

Moody made attendance, his magical eye on his students while his normal one read the list. The ex-auror paused at several names, Saeko's too - the jounin figured she had been mentioned by his former colleagues in the DMLE.

The roll complete Moody eyed them all, with both eyes for a change “I went over the notes from your past teachers and it seems you have a solid base. You went over curses, dueling, dark creatures and basic defense. But what you all lack is the reality of facing the Dark Arts and their practitioners. You can read all you want, prepare and learn new spells but you can't survive without fast reflexes and experience. Instincts! And constant, never-ending VIGILANCE! Write that down.”

Saeko nodded in approval, these were the things you learned as genin in the field or you died once you got the chuunin rank. She could appreciate Moody's style.

Mad-Eye nodded when he got the student's full attention again “Now, let's go over your reactions to my illusion and cloaked entrance.”

Again Moody started calling out the name form the roster, this time questioning the students one by one on how they reacted and what they did and why. He was correcting, scolding, commenting and even praising few times, tossing his 'constant vigilance' in quite often.

When Moody turned to Saeko, the first responder he called her, she put on her best neutral Uchiha mask and answered his questions as vaguely as she could get away with. The teacher seemed both annoyed and proud at her secrecy - it went well with his constant vigilance motto.

Once he finished questioning his seventh years Moody smirked, a terrifying thing thanks to his deformed mouth “And now let me tell you what I would have done and go over some other scenarios. And if anyone mentions fetching a teacher as a valid option he or she's out of my class.”

Several people obviously wanted to say something but didn't want to try Moody's resolve too much. The rest of the lesson was purely theoretical and of strategy. All in all n interesting lesson, even if a bit less active than anticipated.

Or so they thought - when the bell rang Moody used his students' momentary distraction to cast a blue colored spell at Lauren who used all her Konoha instruction and her own gut instinct to roll out of the way and fire a spell in return.

“Excellent!” Moody exclaimed gleefully, “Constant vigilance! Very well done miss Lewis! Well done indeed. Now you all get used to it. You're seventh years, supposedly adults in our world, so you get the adult treatment. I'll be attacking you by surprise in my class. Lewis?”

“Yes?” Lauren said in a very unamused voice.

“Twenty point for Slytherin”

Lauren just nodded sharply in reply.

“Well, class over” Moody announced, “And miss Uchiha?”

“Hn?”

“Be so kind and put your sword away from my neck”

“Hn”

* * *

**Great Hall**

Both Weasley twins burst into the Great hall at lunch, grabbing everyone's attention. McGonagall stood up preemptively, already knowing the two will do something that will require her attention.

Fred hummed a short fanfare while Gorge made a big sweeping gesture towards the doors “Please welcome… Drrraco Malfoy! The amazzing… bouncinggg… FERRET!”

Just in time the blond Slytherin and two ever-present goons appeared in the space between the two Weasleys.

The entire room burst into laughter, with the notable exception of a very red and seething Draco Malfoy. And theoretically the teachers, but it was hard to tell as they all 'suddenly' raised their goblets to their mouths. Although Snape and McGonagall were unaffected for sure.

“Messers Weasley!” the Scottish teacher exclaimed loudly, “Detention!”

“Worth it” one of the twins murmured and both went to their Head of House by the Gryffindor table.

Graham chuckled “That was fun.”

Paddy had his mouth full of mashed potatoes so he only nodded vigorously. Saeko chuckled “Pity we haven't seen it.”

“Hear, hear” Caitlin nodded.

Daniel frowned “Don't you have the feeling the Weasleys twins got more… eh, active?”

“It's the beginning of the year, they are always like this” Helena shrugged.

“If you say so” the Head Boy went back to his lunch.

“I don't mind some cheering up” Caitlin chimed in, “We've got double Care in the afternoon. Did you hear what Hagrid got the 4th years?”

Peter shivered “Blast-Ended Skrewts. Never heard of them and didn't want to.”

Helena was downright disgusted “I'm glad I never took Care - exploding lobsters or whatever they are, sounds very unappealing.”

“Dangerous too” Ashley added.

“It's Hagrid” Graham shrugged.

“Yeah, which is why I'm dreading what he has in store for us” Caitlin said in trepidation.

“Manticores?”

“Lethifolds?”

“Acromantulas?”

“Too tame, we're seventh years”

“Yeah. Nundu?”

“Why can't it just be unicorns?” Peter sighed.

Saeko nodded “Yeah, come to think of it we just had them in theory despite a herd living in the Forest.”

“I wouldn't mind veelas” Graham grinned, “Those are magical creatures too, right?”

“Careful” Helena cautioned, “They might just set your hair on fire. They're not happy about hat classification.”

“Hey, owls. Don't they usually com in the morning?” Daniel commented as he looked up.

“They do” Ash nodded as the veritable deluge of owls flew into the Hall.

Most of the messengers centered onto the Hufflepuff table around the seventh years, the entirety of Gryffindor table, one or two flew by the Slytherins, as did the Ravenclaws.

“What's this?” the Uchiha arched an eyebrow.

Daniel opened his letter and his eyes lit in realization “Oooh! Apparently we're in a magazine.”

“Which one?” Ash asked.

“Witch Weekly and Teen Witch” the aspirant auror read, “There are profiles on perspective Champions. With grades and all.”

“It's FANMAIL!” Graham exclaimed in realization but the pouted as he read his.

“What you got?”

“Mom urges me not to participate”

Paddy nearly choked, he was laughing so hard. Then he stopped abruptly and leaned to see behind his friends and called “Hey, Michelle?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a copy of With Weekly?”

“Of course! But I'm reading it!”

“Bummer! Can I have it after?”

“Sure”

Helena nodded “Good idea. But Caitlin has one too.”

The Irish girl showed the magazine she got in the mail. Paddy asked eagerly “So? What is there?”

“A big picture of Diggory and Roger Davies. Apparently they are McDreamy and McSteamy respectively. Hmm, the writer must've been muggleborn” Caitlin hummed.

“Why?”

“A TV show” the chaser waved him off, “Daniel is here. Aaron too. Some of the top Slytherins. Only deLuise from Gryffindor.”

“Ay women? At all?” Ashley asked grumpily.

“Next page”

Helena pursed her lips “No doubt less interesting to the readers as the 'hot men'.”

“Wait” Caitlin said, her eyes not leaving he text before her, “Saeko here gets a picture too, she's apparently a 'strong woman and a strong candidate'. And apparently you're hot too.”

“Of course I am” the ninja smirked.

“What else?” Graham asked eagerly.

Caitlin huffed “I'll let you borrow it later, you check out your letters.”

Everybody nodded, finding merit in the idea.

Saeko got quite a bit of mail. She read with pride the letters from Jamie, Frost and the rest of her past quidditch teams. She also got a letter from Geoffrey, the prefect that helped her year during his tenure, who stated he was rooting for her. It was quite sweet. Less welcome were letters from her ex-flings who already graduated. Well, they were quite encouraging but problem was she didn't really recall some of them. Still, it was a nice thought.

“Hey” Peter's voice broke the quiet, “Can you order the magazine retroactively? I really want this copy.”

“We could _gemino_ it” Paddy proposed.

“Will it hold indefinitely?”

“We could go to Flitwick”

“Would you shut up, I'm trying to read!”

* * *

**Runes Classroom**

“Good morning class, I have something very special for you today” professor Babbling announced brightly, “Now that you are in the seventh and last year I think it's time you got these back.” Babbling pointed at the thick stack of papers on her desk and smiled a bit mischievously “Your OWL year runes project!”

“Oh dear” one of the Gryffindors whine and hid her face in her palms.

The professor grinned wider “Indeed, I think you will find that now two years later you are much, much more learned and experienced. Some of your theories might indeed be seen by you as awkward or overly simple. As you know Runes is an intrinsically complex subject, one hard to master, and needs constant study. Self-improvement. I strongly encourage you to continue your studies even after Hogwarts, especially if you intend to use the subject in application. Now let's get you your projects and this time you will go over it again, individually this time.”

Babbling passed though the rows of tables, giving them their papers. She paused momentarily at Lauren and Saeko's table and smirked slightly “Here you go, the Uchiha-Lewis Fire Closet.”

Saeko laughed loudly while her girlfriend was much less amused but didn't dare to say anything to the teacher. Babbling smirked again when the ninja shot her a thumbs up for remembering her little prank from two years ago. Lauren turned to glare at her rather icily so Saeko coughed and wiped her smile off her face while looking overly intently at the papers.

Once all the OW projects were distributed Babbling returned to her desk “This is your new project. Once again the deadline is Christmas. Your assignment is to correct and improve on your previous work.”

Many seventh years grumbled, it was more work to be done besides their NEWTs preparation work.

“Now, now” said Babbling, “You'd still be getting homework. Now, what we will be doing this year...”

The rest of the double hour was spent mostly reviewing - Babbling said it was needed to get their 'heads back in the game'.

When the bell rang and the students started packing Saeko grinned “I love Babbling. She might actually be my favorite professor. After Flitwick that is.”

Lauren glared “You would. Fire Closet, phe!”

“You actually named your project that way?” Ashley chuckled.

“Of course not!”

The ninja smirked “I changed the name. It seemed to fit with all that fire.”

“Pyro” Peter murmured amusedly.

“You have no idea” Lauren sighed, “And all of her family is the same.”

“Do they worship fire?” Ashley smirked, “It's a rumor going around the Tower.”

“It is?” Saeko arched an eyebrow, inexplicably flattered.

Lauren shook her head “No. And for your information Slytherins think you worship ravens and you feed them your enemies for knowledge.”

“Sounds legit” Helena smirked.

“Shush you, tea-cultist”

“And proud”

Daniel started chuckling and all the girls turned to him “It's nothing, just something I heard.”

“Spill” the blonde heiress prompted.

“Well, Saeko's connection to fire was mentioned and Lauren's, eeeh icy? demanor?” the Head Boy tried diplomatically. The Snake just shrugged so he continued “So you two are a nice ice and fire combo. Couple.”

“Hm” Ashley hummed, “That's actually nice. And accurate.”

“I'd say yin yang but you're actually quite similar” Helena shrugged.

“Only _I_ have a much better sense of humor” Lauren said dryly.

…

Saeko cleared her throat “Is that because of the Fire Closet joke or just pain sarcasm?”

Lauren glared.

“I love you?”

“Don't even try”


	126. 7- 126 I Don't Wanna

 

**Library**

“Spew?” Saeko said flatly.

“S.P.E.W! Society for Promotion for Elfish Welfare” Hermione corrected in both irritation and exasperation.

To be honest Saeko had half expected it. Both Skygge and Zake told her about the little Gryff's new interest and she had also heard about her making rounds with her badges. That doesn't mean she would get on the hippie train, direct quotation from Graham.

“That's an unfortunate acronym” the ninja smirked.

Hermione huffed “It's the idea behind it that matters.”

“Still, _spew_?” Saeko chuckled, “But I guess it could've been worse.”

Seeing she wasn't really getting any traction Hermione started up a long lecture doubling as recruitment speech.

“Miss Granger…” Saeko started but the fired-up Hermione did not let her.

“I know, I know” the Gryff shook her head, “In Japan you have zashiki-warashi, a different matter altogether. But here in Hogwarts, all your meals, all the cleaning…”

“Saeko?” a voice called from behind a close bookshelf.

“Lauren! My love!” the ninja exclaimed in relief.

Lauren arched an eyebrow in question and then zeroed in on Hermione “Giving out free tutoring?”

“No” the Lion seemed actually offended at the notion, “I'm here representing SPEW…”

“Never hear of it”

“I founded it. It stands for…”

Saeko coughed “Weren't we going running toady? I'm so, so sorry I forgot. We can go right away!”

“Very well” the Slytherin said slowly.

“You can't turn your back to the suffering of House Elves! It's slavery of the highest degree!”

“Are you feeling alright, miss Granger?” the red-head quickly inspected Hermione's face, even putting a hand over her brow to feel if the girl had fever, “You seem to be spouting non-sense. A _confundus_ charm perhaps?”

Saeko bit her lip to prevent herself smiling, especially after Hermione turned red in rage and started mumbling about ignorant pure-bloods.

“You might want to get checked out by Madame Pomfrey,” Lauren carefully did not smirk, “Saeko, weren't we going somewhere?”

“Indeed” the scarred jounin smiled, “Have a nice day, miss Granger.”

The two seventh years left quickly, not letting Hermione get a word in. They were nearly out of Madame Pince's domain when Lauren asked “Why didn't you just 'hn' and go away?”

“That would've been rude”

“Are _you_ feeling alright?”

“Hn”

“That's my girl. And FYI we are not going running”

Saeko pouted “Why not?”

“Nope”

“That's not a reason”

“Not giving you one” Lauren shrugged, “What was that all about?”

“Nothing really” Saeko shrugged, then grinned, “Did I mention I love it when you're an utter bitch? To other people I mean.”

“It's a skill”

“A sexy one”

Lauren regarded her lover with an arched eyebrow “Nope again, I need to do some work. For which I actually needed the Library so thank you for that.”

“I could make it up to you” Saeko wiggled her eyebrows.

“Later. And I'll remember you said that - Anko sent something” the red-head smirked.

“What exactly?” the ninja said in slight worry, with Anko no one ever knew.

Laruen's smirk transformed into a large grin but still managed to look foreboding “You'll see. And feel.”

“How did you get it anyway? Her summons shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts” Saeko decided to worry later and address the security question.

“Crows brought it”

“Darling, I'm quite close with my brother but he really doesn't need to know the specifics of my sexual proclivities!” the Uchiha's voice rose steadily.

“Anko packed it and Itachi isn't a Hyuuga”

“Thank Kami”

Lauren smirked “I hope to hear you call to him repeatedly later today. Speaking of, I really need to go, I have to hunt down someone who has the books I need. Because you know, I can't go to the library again.”

“You could”

“Not in the mood to talk about spew”

“Who would” Saeko chuckled.

The two girls parted with a brief kiss, both going in opposite reactions. Saeko started on her trek to Ravenclaw Tower now that she fled from the library.

Once she crossed into the common room the ninja looked around and finally joined Helena who was reading by the window as usual.

“Hey”

“Hey” the blonde said, still more focused on her book, “Weren't you in the library?”

“Granger tried to recruit me in her little cult”

“House Elves?”

“Indeed. We might have to introduce her to a real life elf”

“That'd be epic!” Helena grinned widely.

“You hang out with us too much”

“Like you haven't mellowed out over those six years”

“Hn”

“You did” the blonde smirked, “You're much less sullen, you actually talk to people and sometimes you're even, gasp, sociable.”

Saeko shrugged “So you all have gown on me. And you are all quite intelligent and oftentimes amusing. I still don't associate with stupid people if I can help it.”

“Thank Merlin you weren't sorted into Gryffindor”

“Hn”

“But admit you have mellowed” Helena confronted her friend with a smirk.

“I have” the Uchiha sighed.

“I seem to remember that was your brother's goal?”

“It was” Saeko admitted, “Our clan isn't really known for its people skills.”

“I wonder why”

“Hn”

“Oh, there it is”

* * *

**DADA Classroom**

“The locusts weren't kidding after all” Pater commented when Mad-Eye Moody announced his intention to put the entire class under the forbidden _Imperio_ spell.

“Fuck me rigid” Caitlin nodded.

“Hn”

Daniel was seriously taken aback “Isn't that you know, highly illegal? I get being prepared and all but this is quite irregular.”

“And very unwelcome” Helena frowned.

“Yeah, I don't fancy losing control of… well, me” Graham grimaced.

Every student who had at least a grain of common sense was quietly protesting, all voices mingling into a very disquieted murmur. Moody shut them all up really fast “If anyone would rather learn the hard way, when someone's placing you under, fine by me. You're excused. Off you go!”

Nobody left. The grumbling didn't cease though, only got quieter.

“Good” the professor nodded in satisfaction, “Might save your life someday.”

“Yeah, from crazy old ex-aurors” Paddy muttered under his breath.

Moody's reply was to throw a piece of chalk at him, hitting him right in his forehead. The teacher smirked “It just might.” The he almost eagerly twirled his wand between his fingers “So who's going first? And so you get motivated, some of the lower year managed to defeat the compulsion. The youngest is a fourth year.”

“Yeah, Potter” Crow mumbled.

“What was that Mr. Crow?” Moody turned to him, “How would you know?”

“Well” the Gryff stumbled, “Caitlin told me. I mean miss O'Shea.”

Moody turned to the Ravenclaw and arched an eyebrow. It was quite a grotesque sight since it was the one over his magical eye. Caitlin gulped and quickly threw Saeko under the bus “I heard from miss Uchiha.”

“I got it off the rumor mill, can't remember who. Maybe Miss Lovegood?” the ninja figured Luna would be too much even for the wizened auror.

“As you can see, spies are everywhere! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”

Most of the class jumped up, startled. They were still not used to these outbursts even if they came quite often - Moody seemed to enjoy their reaction. “Mr Crow!”

“Yes” the Lion in question squeaked.

“You'll be first”

“Oh” Leroy gulped but valiantly advanced. Once in front of the class he straightened his shoulders and looked at the teacher in determination.

Moody smiled appreciatively but it didn't prevent him to point this wand at him lightening fast “ _Imperio!”_

Crow's eyes went blank. It was rather frightening to see. Then the Lion started singing a popular quidditch anthem while simultaneously trying to shut up. The result was a rather confused stuttering.

“He fought it!” Moody exclaimed gleefully when he ended the spell, “Well done! Maybe I was going easy on him, hmm.”

“No, sir” Crow said hoarsely, “Not easy at all.”

 “We'll see. Next!”

Leroy's best friend stepped forward as a show of solidarity. Or just to get it over with. Unfortunately he either was less strong-willed or Moody truly took it up a notch since the Gryff made quite a convincing gorilla act.

“Next!”

This routine was continued for the whole class - some more successful than others. Most of the students succumbed completely, doing amazing tricks or humiliating themselves a bit, while others did as Leroy did and managed to defeat it half-way. Surprisingly the first to scot away free was Aurora Gallaher who only smiled at them all smugly. The feat was repeated by few purebloods, obviously being trained at home for business or other reasons. Among the Ravenclaws only Saeko and Helena were able to shake the effect off.

When the bell rang Moody huffed “I will be repeating this next lesson. Prepare yourself. Dismissed.”

The class dispersed itself in record time, everybody wanting to be as far from Mad-Eye as possible lest he gets any ideas.

Once they were a corridor away Saeko smiled reassuringly “Don't take it too hard Daniel, you almost had it. Next time you'll fight it off for sure.”

“Not good enough” the bespectacled boy said deprecatingly, “I want to be an auror! I need this!”

“Well,” Helena shrugged, “Now at least you know what it feels like. Next time you'll recognize it.”

“Yaaay” was the dry response.

“Yeah, how did you do it?” Paddy huffed.

The blonde heiress shrugged “Dad taught me. You know, during You-Know-Who's time those spells were plenty common so most of the old families now teach _occlumency_. It helps.”

“Occlumency?”

“Look it up”

“And you Saeko?” Ashley turned to her roommate.

“Genjutsu training and a disciplined mind” the Uchiha shrugged.

“So nothing that would help us for our next lesson with that lunatic” Graham sighed.

Daniel frowned “He isn't a lunatic.”

“He had me do ballet!”

Helena laughed “That was priceless.”

Graham huffed “And you know what he did to that witch that shouted 'boo' at him on April's Fools, right? The reason he 'retired'?”

“Admittedly that wasn't really smart of her” Caitlin shrugged.

“No shit”

“Yeah, let's not do that”

Graham nodded sagely but then turned to Helena “Hey, could you tutor me?”

The blonde arched an eyebrow “And how might I do that? Cast the i _mperio_ on you, see if it sticks?”

The boy rolled his eyes “Of course not. Like your dad did.”

Helena scoffed “That might take years. Moody's shock therapy might actually be better.”

“Please”

“No”

“Pleeeeeease”

“No. And stop looking at me so pathetically”

Saeko turned to Daniel and whispered “She's going to do it.”

“Uh-uh”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“I'm surprised that I don't see a weeping Oliver Wood in a corner here somewhere” Roger commented.

“Come to think of it, you're right” Caitlin chuckled and looked around as if the Lion captain surfaced somewhere.

Saeko grinned “It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, but now returning to the matter at hand - I spoke with both Roger and Cho and it seems Mr. Davies will take the reins of the Team for next year while Cho the year after.”

Roger nodded “Yep, NEWTs or not, I really want the spot.”

Everybody looked at the petite seeker who just shrugged “I'm not eager to lead, Roger can have it.”

“I have informed professor Flitwick of the situation so barring sudden change he will appoint the captain accordingly” Saeko announced, “And since I will be relinquishing the spot, Roger will take over with me as his assistant. And I will try to stay out of it so he doesn't get _too_ annoyed.”

The Team chuckled, knowing full well it was a likely scenario.

The ninja smirked and turned to her second-oldest chaser “All yours, Vice-captain.”

“Yeah, hm” Roger stuttered, “Like right now?”

“Sure” Saeko shrugged.

“Right” he nodded to himself, “No better time than now to stoke the flames of youth.”

“NOT YOU TOO!” Jaden and Rodney exclaimed in unison.

Roger grinned and turned to the scarred kunoichi “You were right, this if fun!” Saeko laughed as he addressed the team again “What? Were you expecting me to go easy on you? Not going to happen! First thing let's do some laps. To get in the spirit of things again.”

“I'm so proud” the Uchiha wiped a fake tear while the junior players groaned. Nonetheless the entirety of the team stated jogging under their new captain's supervision.

As their time slot progressed Roger got more and more into his new role. It really seemed he will make a good Captain for the Eagles.

When the training was called to an end Roger was beaming with pride. The he frowned minutely and turned to the ninja “Do you think we should hold auditions for chaser and beater since you and Caitlin will be gone? Like we did two years ago during the petrifications?”

“That might be a good idea” Saeko hummed, “Also, James, will you be staying? You're sixth year.”

The keeper frowned “I don't know yet.”

The Vice-Captain nodded “Think about it, we have time. But it would certainly be beneficial to get together the new team before we officially start next year.”

“It would be best to hold try-outs before Beauxbatons and Durmstrang come here” Saeko reasoned.

“Yeah, that'd be smart” Caitlin nodded.

Roger nodded as well “Indeed. I'll write on the board. I'll set the date a few days before they're due to arrive.”

“Write what? Chaser plus beater wanted, keeper pending?” Jaden arched an eyebrow.

Saeko shrugged “Sure. No need to pressure James to make a decision since we have all year. We can hold those try-out separate.”

“I'll make a decision before the end of October” James said in his deep voice, “I just need to think it over.”

“Ok. That'd be great,” Roger nodded, “But like Cap said, no pressure.”

“Sorting newbies will be fun” Jaden grinned.

“It's actually exhausting” Cho shrugged.

Rodney nodded “As is being put on display - I get why the entirety of Ravenclaw was there during my try-outs but it was really unnerving.”

“Yeah, those trials will be less of a spectacle” Caitlin chuckled.

“Pity” Saeko laughed lightly.

Roger hummed “Hey, Cap? If you show me how to best manage Hooch and all the timetables, I could try to put together a training schedule.”

“Great idea, make it so”

Rodney laughed “Are you going to start calling him Number One too?”

“Why?” the ninja arched an eyebrow.

The Vice-Captain smirked “I wouldn't mind being Riker, he was pretty awesome.”

“I don't get it”

Caitlin laughed “A muggle reference. Hey Rodney, I agree. She would make a fabulous Picard.”

“Pardon?”

“Only with hair though” James chimed in.

 “Hn”

“I'll explain later” Caitlin grinned.

“I think our House can identify itself with the curiosity and science bit”

“Less with 'boldly go where no one has gone before' part”

“Yeah, most Ravens hardly leave the Tower or Library”

“Final frontier indeed”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Made quite a few people resist the Imperio I know, buy hey - they were all expecting it, some of the purebloods had to have some beginner occlumency, and all of them are seventh years (non-verbals need will and focus). If a fourteen year old traumatized boy can shake it off, why can't they.  
> If they got actually attacked I wager none of them would manage to defeat it, but this is controlled environment.  
> CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Moody had it right.


	127. 7- 127 Always Prepared

 

“Why was this 'victory sex' again?”

Saeko shrugged “Capture the flag.”

“Pardon?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“I won Capture the Flag. Well, my team did. To be honest it wasn’t really fair - I teamed up with Roger, Cho, Rodney and three relatively competent locusts. We had to have one of every year you see.”

“Oh, that secret 'exciting thing' that Ravenclaw does we're not really supposed to know about” the red-head nodded knowingly, “You know, for a bunch of nerds you're pretty active.”

“Nah” Saeko chuckled, “We only had six teams. Everybody else was too lazy. The first years especially. I actually had to bribe mine.”

“How?”

“Five tutoring lessons”

“Sucker”

The ninja sighed “I know. But it was worth it, we destroyed them!”

Lauren laughed a kissed the Uchiha's shoulder “I love it when you get all competitive. And above all victorious.”

“I do relish in winning” Saeko grinned, “I lost last year and I'm glad we had the event. I imagine when the other schools arrive we'll have to be, or at least seem, civilized.”

“Sounds about right,” the Snake nodded, “Speaking of the Tournament, you will be putting your name forward, right?”

“I will” the jounin nodded but then her countenance turned terrified, “And you still won't, right?”

“What? You think I wouldn't manage?”

Knowing on just how thin an ice she was walking on Saeko shook her head emphatically “Of course you would! You'd make a marvelous champion.”

“Of course I would” Lauren chuckled, “But yes, I won't be trying it.”

…

“Say it” the Brit sighed.

“Thank Kami!”

“You know that's not fair - you are in danger every time you step out of Konoha” Lauren bit her lip, “That first mission you took? I might've been detained in the T&I at the time, but I heard about it. Not safe in the least. In fact, several ninja have expressed surprise, nay astonishment, that all of you returned alive.”

“But we did. We were a good team tailored for the occasion”

“Still not overly reassuring” Lauren sighed, “I worried, you know. Plus your friends talked about missions in general - dangerous is the tamest adjective I can think of.”

“You right” Saeko nodded and then continued sadly “You know, that's not going to change. I am a ninja. And I will die that way. Sooner or later.”

Lauren was silent for quite a while. The she snuggled closer into her girlfriend and said “Do try to make it 'later'”

“I love you” the Uchiha embraced her closely, “And I'll most definitely try my best to make it 'later'. Maybe even old age and retirement.”

“I hear the Hokage is pretty much stuck in the Village doing paperwork. With guards. Relatively safe”

“Sure” Saeko said neutrally. It wasn't worth mentioning the death of Shodaime. And Nidaime. Not to mention the Yondaime.

“That said I looked over your history books” Lauren said, knowing exactly what her lover was withholding.

“Oh. Well, I always knew you were smart”

“Flatterer”

“Not if it's true” Saeko smiled charmingly.

Lauren chuckled and rolled her eyes affectionately “Returning to the topic of the Tournament, do you know who else will be trying to enter? I read the profiles but I wager only a few will actually out their name forward.”

“Yeah, but everybody is playing it pretty close to the vest. But I know for sure Daniel will try it. Roger too.”

“Ah, McSteamy”

“Hn”

“You're pretty steamy too. Worry not”

“Hn. You might want to prove me that”

“And how would I do that?”

“Show me how irresistible I am?”

“Why did I had to fall for an arrogant horn dog”

Saeko smirked “Hn.”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

“Merlin I look so good in this uniform. I'm going to miss it” Caitlin sighed.

“They let us keep it” Saeko shrugged as she inspected a parchment with Roger.

The buff chaser looked up “Yeah, ideal for bedroom cosplaying.”

James rolled his eyes “Weren't we supposed to hold try-outs?”

“Why so impatient?” Jaden asked.

“Yeah, that's not like you” Rodney agreed.

The ninja frowned “Do you want to take back your decision? We can send the keepers home if you want.”

“We could use more veteran players. I mean replacing two is bad enough” Roger nodded.

“You and the Captain will whip some poor sod into shape to replace me” James chuckled.

“So why so sad?” Cho inquired.

“Personal things, not relevant to quidditch”

Everybody nodded, getting their cue to shut up about it. Saeko she turned to the gather red Ravenclaws “We should begin then. Everybody ready?”

“Yep”

“WELCOME Ravenclaws to another pre-emptive try-outs!” the ninja announced loudly to get her housemates to pay attention, “Today we will be looking to fill a chaser spot, a beater spot and the keeper spot. As stated in the notice, first-years are allowed to try out as well.”

Loud cheers emanated from the youngest crowd.

“Also take care to impress Roger Davies since he will be your captain next year”

The sixth year chaser puffed up his chest and surveyed the gathered aspirant players with great pride.

“One last thing before we start - the Eagles have won five consecutive years and it would've been six if not for the Heir business two years ago. This team works really hard to be this good, harder than to other teams, especially when physical training is concerned.”

“It's hell” James dead-panned.

When the some of the people in the audience laughed Cho frowned “He isn't really kidding.”

“Dead on your feet”

“Puked after my first training”

“Torture”

“Saeko is a sadist. And Roger is an excellent apprentice”

“Enough!” Saeko said, a huge grin betraying her mood, “The point is, be ready…”

“…or die” Jaden finished for the ninja.

“Hn, good enough” Saeko shrugged, “First up the chasers. If you are interested in the position stay, the rest of you go sit in the stands.”

The process was long and arduous. Since Saeko insisted on keeping her team there were no trials for the spot in quite some time. She also let Roger take over - not only since he was the next Captain but also because they were looking for his partner.

Finally after many exercises and some tears a chaser was chosen - Elsa Rothery, a third-year. A bit willowy but determined enough. She also had a bit of a sadistic streak herself and a wicked aim.

Next up were keepers. Surprisingly there were more candidates for the spot than the more popular chaser. The trial went by quite quickly since there was a clear winner right from the start - Rodney's friend William Price. The two high-fived and embraced.

They left the beater spot for last since they knew Saeko would be picky. Alter all, he was meant to replace her. That also meant she went hard on the candidates. So hard that one actually quit before being dismissed.

“Cap?” Cho spoke up.

“What?” was the irritate reply.

“No need for that” the seeker said with steel in her voice.

“Sorry” Saeko sighed.

Cho nodded “You need to go easier on them. They're actually quite good. No one will be perfect, that is what the training is for.”

“Hn”

“They will not be _you_ ,” the prefect sighed and rubbed her brow, “But you can work on that. Build them up. You need to choose.”

“Before they fall over” Caitlin nodded.

“You're right” Saeko sighed in resignation, “Roger, Rodney, who do you like?”

The Vice-Captain turned to Rodney and made a motion to speak first. The beater looked suspiciously at Saeko but then spoke “That… burly-looking blonde?”

“She looks _mean_ ” Jaden murmured.

“Also that dude that has a brother in Gryffindor? Watkins?” Rodney indicated subtly.

“I guess” Saeko sighed again, “Roger?”

“One last exercise” the chaser proposed.

“I don't think they'll manage” James eyed the aspirant beaters skeptically.

Roger shrugged “If they don't then they're out.”

The ninja nodded and announced another exercise, this time only selecting the two Ravens mentioned by Rodney. It was quite similar to his trials actually.

“Well?” Caitlin asked tiredly when the exercise was over.

“Watkins” Saeko selected.

“Sounds good” Roger nodded, “Rod?”

Rodney shrugged “It seems best.”

“Very well”

“Finally!” Jaden sighed in relief.

Saeko announced the results and made the usual 'welcome to the team' speech to the newcomers. Then, to the joy of all, they were dismissed.

“God, that was awful” Rodney sighed when the original team started on their way back to the castle.

Cho nodded “I'm definitely in need of some relaxation. I think I'm going to try out the prefect's bathroom.”

“You didn't yet?”

“I did. It's awesome, isn't it” the seeker grinned.

“Oh yeah!” Saeko agreed whole-heartedly.

“It's definitely one of the reasons why I wanted the Captain spot” Roger smirked.

“Don't blame ya. It does sound amazing” Caitlin chuckled.

“Maybe you could invite us?” Jaden said in a hopeful tone.

Everybody looked at him but Saeko was first to speak “I'm not having a naked water party with you.”

“In costume! I meant in costume”

“Perv” Cho shook her head.

“It's not like that!”

“Really Jaden, that desperate?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“I have a girlfriend”

“You do?” Rodney asked skeptically.

“Does she know you fantasize about the women in your team?” James dead-panned.

“I don't!”

“Doesn't he remind you of Graham?” Saeko turned to Caitlin.

“Yup”

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

“And dismissed” Flitwick ended his lesson, “If my 'Claws could stay behind please. Thank you.”

The Ravenclaws paused in their packing, shrugged and sat back down. Their Head of House waited when the other students trailed out. Once they were alone Flitwick addressed his charges with a big smile “A job well done today, as always. Now, I believe you can guess why I asked you to stay.”

“Beauxbatons and Durmstrang” Paddy smirked.

“Indeed” the short professor smiled, “Their delegations will be arriving on Friday the 30th at 6 o'clock. Hogwarts will be putting its best foot forward. You might have noticed…”

“The extra-sparkly suits of armor?”

“Filch going even more nuts than usual?”

“McGonagall being on a verge of a stroke?”

“Granger and her _spew_ shouting about slave labor even louder than before?”

Flitwick chuckled “Indeed. Now, I hope you realize that when the students of the two other schools will arrive you will be the ones to represent Hogwarts. You more than the others, since all others arriving will be your age. With that in mind behave accordingly.”

“We always do” Helena said dryly.

“I know” the Charms teacher smiled, “But I have to say it, you understand.”

His students all laughed. Peter smirked “We won't let you down.”

“I know” Flitwick said with affection but then turned serious “I'd also like than anyone that is considering entering the Tournament to come by for a tea, or coffee, to discuss it. It is a big decision. You all know about the history of the Triwizard Tournament. It's dangerous. And you have NEWTs in front of you. I will not try to talk you out of it, don't worry, I just want to talk.”

“You're the best, sir” Daniel said after a beat of silence. All of his yearmates nodded, he truly was.

Flitwick actually blushed “Just taking care of my 'Claws.”

“Nah, you're great” Graham chuckled.

“You are” Michelle nodded.

“Well, thank you” the part-goblin grinned, “Well, that was all - behave and be good. That's it. Oh, and socialize. The students of other schools might be competition but lave any animosity out of it. I'm sure if you get to know them they'll be quite interesting. It is quite an opportunity to enlarge your social circles. And as always, if anyone needs anything my door is always open.”

Everybody nodded and taking it as the dismissal it was they started packing again.

“I'm really excited” Graham said once they left the classroom.

“It'll certainly be a change” Ash nodded.

Daniel hummed “I'm really curious about the foreign students and how their education differs. It'd be interesting to compare.”

“I'm more interested in the cute foreign girls” Paddy smirked.

“Naturally” Helena said dryly.

Caitlin shrug with a smirk “And the boys. Tough northern Durmstrang men. Hmm, yummy.”

“Weren't you dating that Hufflepuff dude?” Peter smirked.

“Of course not”

“Ah, sure, what was I thinking”

Saeko chuckled “How do you think they'll come?”

Helena smirked “It will be some big spectacle, that I can guarantee.”

“Yep” Graham nodded, “I hope it will be as epic as the Quidditch Cup ceremony.”

“I think much less people will be interested in a three kids' show than the quidditch finals” Caitlin hummed.

“No way! This event is being held after a century!” Peter shook his head, “Everybody will be watching it.”

“Yes, to see if someone dies again” the blonde heiress added dryly.

“Will you accepting bets on it?” Paddy eyed her apprehensively.

“Not on death” Helena frowned, “But anything else, yes.”

“Good, because that would've been distasteful” Ash grimaced.

Helena shrugged “Just because I won't accept such bets doesn't mean they can't be placed. Leon Blackwood will be accepting it for sure.”

“He's a Snake” Caitlin said in explanation.

“I'm glad we could be here for this. Once year later and we would've missed it”

“I can't wait. This truly will be a year to remember”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Next up, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons!


	128. 7- 128 Overbooking

 

“You know, I feel kinda cheated” Peter sighed.

“How so?” Saeko asked.

“The only time we finish half an hour early is when we have a free period”

Caitlin chuckled “I bet the rest will find Arithmancy less bearable by the fact they'll have to rush.”

“True”

“Besides, I'd wager they'll get plenty of homework” the ninja smirked.

“True” Peter smirked right back.

True to their words as soon as the rest of their friends came into the common room after the bell rang they started complaining. But when they all put away their bags and took their coats excitement of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arriving took them over instead.

Flitwick's note on the Notice Board told them to come into the entrance hall as soon as they were able, and to be 'presentable'. Everybody wondered which muggleborn introduced him to smiley faces.

“We ready?” Ash asked after she organized the seventh years. Daniel as Head Boy went ahead to help the teachers.

When everybody nodded they slowly made their way to the designated meeting place to already find the entirety of Hufflepuff House, all bright and ready.

McGonagall was too already on site, quite neurotic, organizing them by year with the firsties up front, so they could see.

It didn't take long for the Hogwarts students to be ready, all of them quite eager to catch their first glimpse of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations.

Finally the Head of Houses led them outside and arranged them to wait for their guests. McGonagall made rounds and her sharp eyes zeroing on any imperfections. “Straighten your uniform!” “Brush your hair!” “You must be joking Miss Miller, put that away!”

“Do you think she's going to be like this for the whole year?” Caitlin murmured.

“Merlin, I hope not!” Paddy exclaimed and flinched when the teacher in question glared at him for the disturbance.

Saeko hummed “I think she'll relax a little after we make the first impression.”

“A good first impression? How? Beauxbatons students are predominantly French - even if they were impressed they'd never show it” Graham shrugged.

“Are they even going to stay once the champion is chosen?” Ashley asked.

“No idea” Peter shrugged, “But I think if they'd be attending our classes the teachers would've told us.”

“We might be surprised” Helena hummed.

“Where will they even be staying?”

“I dunno, Hogwarts might have a guest wing hidden somewhere”

“More likely they'll be staying in whatever they arrive in”

“Speaking of, it's almost six”

“I hope they'll be punctual” Graham shivered with cold - it was the end of October and the air was already more than chilly and the skies have already began to darken.

Daniel joined them, utterly exhausted. Paddy arched an eyebrow “Not too much fun, being the Head Boy, huh?”

“No” he replied, too tired to elaborate.

They all fell silent along with the rest of Hogwarts student body and staff. Just waiting.

After a while Helena commented “If they don’t come soon it will be too dark to even see their arrival. Or any show they might want to put on.”

Not even a beat later someone shouted “Over there!”

Everybody looked more intently and finally they spotted it - a dark shape flying over the Forest, approaching quickly.

“That's… big” Paddy said hesitantly.

“What is it anyway?” Graham squinted.

Peter hummed “Looks like a carriage”

It was indeed a carriage - an enormous powder-blue carriage pulled through air by a dozen palomino abraxans. It had a coat of arms proudly painted on the sides - two crossed golden wands, each emitting three stars.

Immediately after they landed, the whole set-up looking even bigger now, a teenager in pale blue robes jumped out, unfolded a set of golden steps and then stood by respectfully.

“Wow” Graham and Paddy said in unison when what they assumed was the headmistress of Beauxbatons walked out of the carriage and went to meet Dumbledore.

“Maxime indeed” Saeko whistled.

“Never seen so much fine silk on a person before” Helena commented.

“You're commenting on fashion?” Graham said in disbelief.

“The robes she has are very stylish” the blonde heiress shrugged.

“And huge”

“Exactly what I said before, dunderhead!”

“Hush!” Daniel said harshly.

They fell silent again, observing the exchange of greetings and niceties between Madame Maxime and Dumbledore while the Beauxbatons students slowly trailed out of their carriage. There were about a dozen of them, all a bit shivering in the cold evening air since they were only wearing thin silk uniforms. Only some of them had scarves or shawls but it didn't seem to really help.

It was no surprise that Maxime asked that her students went inside. The Hogwarts crowd parted so they could pass and then resumed their wait.

“This is taking forever” Caitlin sighed.

“Yeah, I'm hungry” Peter complained.

“Me too actually” Daniel nodded.

Graham gritted his teeth and pulled his coat closer “I'm starting to despise Durmstrang.”

“Maybe they're stuck in traffic?” Ashley joked but got only glares in return.

“Ok, that's it” Paddy said resolutely, “I don't care if McGonagall pops a vein but I'm…”

He was interrupted by a strange sound. Like muffled rumbling and sucking that could still be heard even over all the dissatisfied murmurs. Someone shouted “The Lake! Look at the Lake!”

The surface of the water was calm no longer, waves crashing on the shore and the water seemed to bubble like it was at boiling point. Then finally a large whirlpool began to form.

“What's that?” Ash frowned.

“A mast” Graham grinned, “They're arriving on a ship!”

“Great” Helena rolled her eyes, “Matey over here will be insufferable now.”

“We'll keelhaul him then” Daniel smirked.

“That's mutiny!” Graham narrowed his eyes but it was clear he was enjoying the situation too much to mean it.

“No that’s… that's… that's Victor Krum” Paddy finished in a whisper.

“No way!” Graham turned his gaze from the magnificent ship to the passengers that were disembarking.

“At least this lot knows how to dress appropriately to the weather” Saeko shrugged, not really interested in the quidditch star.

“Krum is still a student?” Caitlin said skeptically.

“Seems so” Ashley shrugged, “And is that Karkaroff? He really does seem… oily.”

“It does really help when the bad guys look the part” Daniel said tensely, “A Death Eater in charge of a school. What a marvelous idea.”

“He was pardoned” Helena countered unenthusiastically.

“Well, that’s alright then” said the aspirant auror, voice heavy with sarcasm. Helena shrugged.

The greetings complete the Hogwarts students followed their guests back into the school.

As Flitwick had said, Hogwarts was really trying to make an impression and the Great Hall was supposed to be the crown jewel. The banners of the individual Houses that were usually up only during the opening and closing feast were displayed proudly and seemed to shine. The Hogwarts main banner was up as well, the animals surveying their gusts as they were sat at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables.

Dumbledore and the foreign headmasters were the last to enter the Hall. As soon as Madame Maxime set foot into the room, her students shot to their feet respectfully.

“Do they do that at home too or is that a show for us?” Paddy asked when some of the local students laughed. Everybody shrugged as they watched the Beauxbatons students sit back down when their headmistress sat on Dumbledore's right.

The Hogwarts headmaster stood up and smiled widely as he always did before his speeches “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and, most particularly, guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts School of witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable.”

One of the Beauxbatons girls laughed derisively, followed by nods and slight sniggering of her friends. This little clique hasn't even bothered to take off their shawls even when indoors. The little poker group just exchanged looks. Graham summed it up by mouthing 'bitches' at his friends.

Dumbledore continued his brief speech without faltering “The Triwizard Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite all of you to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home.”

“Finally!” Paddy breathed out as food appeared.

“Hey, they even fancied up the meals” Caitlin observed.

“Granger must be fuming” Helena smirked as she chose a clearly foreign dish.

Peter frowned “Wha- oh! So much more work for the elves. Pshh, for them it's like Charismas came early.”

“I hope they'll be cooking like this all year” Saeko said enthusiastically, “This is great! It actually has color and isn't covered in grease.”

“And here you go insulting fine English cooking again” Daniel chuckled.

“Guyf?” Graham spoke up with his mouth full.

“What?” Helena snapped as she observed the mess he had made.

The boy swallowed “Look over there. The French girl that stood up right now.”

“Oh” Paddy's jaw dropped when he saw the silvery blonde. With the shiny unbound hair almost reaching to her waist and deep blue eyes, she truly was a striking beauty.

“She's gorgeous” Caitlin breathed out.

Saeko smirked “I thought you didn't swing that way.”

“I can be objective” the chaser shrugged, “Besides, if she came onto me I'd actually think about it. I dare you to say anything different.”

The ninja hummed “I'm quite happy with Lauren, thank you very much. That said, three is such a nice number.”

“If you all are quite finished” Helena sighed, “We have two more guests.”

“What's your deal anyhow Helena?” Graham shook his head, “Asexual? Clearly it's not women because you'd be drooling along with us, and you never had anything nice to say about any man.”

The blonde smiled maliciously “Maybe the men around me suck.”

Graham closed his mouth with an audible click and resumed eating, intent on ignoring his fellow pureblood. All the boys seemed sullen while the rest of the girls decided it wasn't worthy to get between them. Their meal continued in silence even after dessert even if the abundance of chocolate seemed to mellow everybody out.

“The time has come,” Dumbledore spoke again when the leftovers vanished, “The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. But before that I would like to introduce you, for those that do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, head of the Department of Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”

After the applause died down Dumbledore continued “Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangement for the Tournament and they will be joining myself, professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions efforts.”

“So biased as hell” Caitlin muttered.

“Mr. Filch, it is time”

Everybody looked around for the custodian who was now carrying a great wooden chest encrusted with jewels. It seemed extremely old which elicited excited murmurs and fangirling from Peter and Ashley.

The Headmaster smiled “The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways - their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction and of course their ability to cope with danger.”

Absolute silence greeted that information. Dumbledore nodded, seemingly satisfied with their reaction and continued “As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one for each school. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector - the Goblet of Fire.”

Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped the ancient casket three times. Then he slowly reached inside it pulled out a large roughly hewn wooden cup filled to the brim with dancing white-blue flames.

The man closed casket and placed the goblet carefully on top of it where it was clearly visible to everyone in the hall “Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the Goblet. Aspiring champions have 24 hours to submit their names. Tomorrow night, at Halloween, the Goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy of represent their schools. The Goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.”

“To ensure no underage student yields to temptation I will be personally drawing an Age Line around the Goblet. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line.”

“Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be taken lightly. Once a champion has been selected, he or she is obliged to see it through to the end. The placing of your name in the Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become champion. Please be very sure before you drop your name into the Goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Goodnight to you all.”

Nobody seemed in any particular hurry, most people still observing the spectacle that was the Goblet of Fire.

“You know” Ash said after a while, “The history of this artifact is…”

“Not today, Ash” Caitlin said tiredly.

“Was it just me or Dumbledore tried to suck all the fun out of it. The Tournament I mean” Paddy asked.

Saeko shrugged “He was just making clear the consequences. Do you think the Gryffs actually thought about it or just thought 'cool' and stopped listening.”

“The latter” Helena said dryly.

“They'll be wanting to end their stay at Hogwarts with a bang” Peter nodded.

Paddy smirked “They might even get their wish, depends just how explosive those trials will be.”

“Maybe as much as this has the potential to be” Graham nodded towards the doors where Mad-Eye Moody seemed to be confronting Karkaroff about Potter.

Daniel grimaced “Ouch.”

“No more drama, let's just go” Caitlin sighed.

“Yeah, had enough too” the Head Boy stood up, “I can't wait to crash.”

 “McGonagall really tired you out, huh?” Paddy smirked.

Daniel rolled his eyes “Must you say it this way?”

“What way?” the Irishman said angelically.

X

**Next Day**

“Hey Lauren” Saeko greeted by the door of the Infirmary, “Still busy with the beards I see.”

The red-headed Slytherin sighed “One would say that after the first one to fail to cross the Age Line the other would stop. But nooo. Everybody thinks they're cleverer than the rest.”

Saeko chuckled “Sounds about right.”

“How come you're not stalking the Goblet with the rest of the school?”

“I will not be betting who comes out the champion so I don't need to survey the competition”

“So you already put your name forward?” Lauren asked after she sent packing the fifth-year Gryffindor she had been treating.

“I did” the Uchiha smirked, “Got quite an applause too.”

The red-head rolled her eyes affectionately “Isn't that a bit unfair you competing against regular people?”

“Dumbledore didn't say anything so I assumed I was allowed” Saeko shrugged, “Besides, the only conditions were to be a student of the school and be over seventeen. I am both, regardless of any status I might hold back home.”

“You seem awfully confident you'll get chosen. You have no idea what criteria the Goblet is looking for” Lauren reasoned.

“You're right” Saeko nodded, “If that happens I'll be extremely pissed. Doubly so if it ends up being pretty-boy Diggory.”

Lauren sniggered “You really don't like him, do you?”

“He's too perfect. And people say it should be him, I don't like that.”

“They say that about you too” the red-head rolled her eyes again.

“Good”

“You really can't help it, can you” Lauren arched an eyebrow, “Half the time I can't tell if you mean that or you're just joking.”

“Maybe I'm just _that_ conceited” Saeko smirked.

“You're just lucky it doesn't get on my nerves. Yet”

Before the ninja could think of something witty to say she was interrupted by Madame Pomfrey “Miss Uchiha, I see that yet again you're here bothering my assistant. Don't you have a name to put somewhere?”

“You're rooting for me? Thank you!” Saeko grinned.

“I am not, I just figured you couldn't resist showing off internationally” the nurse smirked.

“Right you are!”

“You know,” Lauren hummed, “After all this you better get chosen. Otherwise it's going to be awkward.”

Pomfrey tapped her lip “That reminds me, we have to brew some antidepressants. For the losers.”

“That sounds lovely” Saeko said dryly and crossed her arms.

Lauren chuckled “Don't worry, I'll let you cry on my shoulder if need be.”

“Now that you have depressed me, care to cheer me back up?”

“Not in the Infirmary please!” Pomfrey exclaimed promptly.

Saeko smirked “Meant just a kiss, only a pervert would assume otherwise.”

“With hormonal teenagers around one never knows” the healer shot back.

Lauren laughed “Madame Pomfrey told me about a small incident of a similar nature that had occurred early in her tenure.”

“Just because there are beds here, doesn’t mean they _have_ to be used” Pomfrey muttered under her breath.

The kunoichi laughed as well “I bet you put the fear of Kami into them.”

“Damn straight”

Lauren chuckled and turned to her lover “See you tonight? It seems I'll be needed here for the moment.”

“Have fun” Saeko smiled and then leaned in for kiss.

“Ugh” Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes playfully, “Cut the show.”

“And we were just getting to the good part” Lauren chuckled and smirked tauntingly at her mentor who just shook her head affectionately. It was rather heartening to see.

X

**Great Hall**

The room somehow seemed bigger when the crowd occupying it was not dressed in uniform black but it had powder-blue and blood-red of the foreigners mixed into it. But it also interfered with the orange-black theme of the Halloween decorations.

Dinner had been served but it seemed everybody's attention was more on the Goblet of Fire that had been transferred back than on their food.

“This silence is oppressing” Daniel commented.

“I know what you mean” Saeko agreed. She had been anxious all evening due to the imminent selection of Champions. She knew that ultimately it didn't matter. At all. It had no bearing whatsoever on her Konoha life yet she found herself swept in the excitement all the same. She knew it was her Uchiha pride talking. The same pride that had Fugaku killed.

“You spaced out, what are you thinking about?” Helena asked worriedly.

The jounin caressed her scar “That it might be actually better for me if I didn't get chosen.”

“Cold feet?” Paddy asked with surprising gentleness.

“No,” Saeko shook her head, “Just that I have to learn humility. Always my greatest flaw.”

“You sound like a Zen master or something. Or a psychologist” Graham chuckled.

“I dated one back at home” the Uchiha shrugged.

Caitlin hummed “Never seen a psychologist. They're not really the norm in magical society.”

“I think the Auror Office has a few” Daniel hummed.

“Smart,” Saeko nodded, “Everyone in the field gets to be checked out. At least back home.”

“So your psychologist” Graham wiggled his eyebrows, “How does she compare to Lauren?”

“They're actually friends”

Ashley's eyes got wider “Really?”

“Sure, they met during summer”

“Yes, the super secret Konoha summer” Helena said acerbically.

“Don't be jealous” Graham grinned, “She's still your bestie.”

“I…” Helena started but fells silent when Dumbledore stood up.

“The Goblet is almost ready to make a decision” the headmaster's voice reverberated though the sudden silence, “I estimate that it requires only a few more minutes. Now, when the champions' names are called I would ask you to come up to the top of the hall, walk along the staff table and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions.”

He took out his wand and with a great sweeping wave caused all candles to dim. In the semi-darkness that followed the white-blue flames of the Goblet shone even brighter than before.

The minutes went by extremely slowly. Finally the flames turned red, startling everybody. Then a tongue of flame shot into the air and a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it. The room gasped in anticipation.

Dumbledore caught the parchment quite deftly “The champion for Durmstrang… is Victor Krum.”

The Hall erupted in cheers. Even the Hogwarts students joined the Durmstrang ones to laud the famous seeker for his newest accomplishment. But of course it was his fellow students and headmaster that clapped and cheered the loudest.

Victor Krum didn't crack a smile, just walked stiffly to the adjoining room as instructed.

After the noise died down the silence resumed as they all waited for two more names.

The Goblet lit red once again. “The champion for Beauxbatons… is Fleur Delacour.”

Yet again cheers erupted, but this time they were a bit more subdued. It seemed not all of Fleur's schoolmates were happy with the selection. Once of the girls in blue uniform even started crying. The beautiful girl walked cockily in Krum's footsteps and vanished into the adjoining room.

For the third time the Goblet lit with crimson flames. The entirety of Hogwarts held their breath, anxiously waiting for a champion of their own.

“The champion for Hogwarts” Dumbledore intoned, “… is Uchiha Saeko.”

If the Hall was noisy before it was nothing compared to what followed. Cheers, applause, shouts and finally the signature Ravenclaw cawing that soon gripped all, even the disappointed Hufflepuffs.

Saeko showed the signature Uchiha smirk as she stood proudly. Once she reached the teacher's table she winked at her Head of House who shot her thumbs up in return. Dumbledore eyed her sharply but nodded. Then the girl tuned to face the students and bowed. A simple bow, nothing theatrical, but it elicited even more cheers.

When Saeko walked into the small adjoining room she nodded in greeting at the two foreign champions and settled near the roaring fire in the very nice marble fireplace. Silence reigned.

The Uchiha was feeling exceedingly proud but that was soon exchanged for another emotion when Harry Potter walked into the room. Saeko blinked in confusion and apprehension but then one sole thought remained _“Of course, it's Halloween after all. It wouldn't be a true Halloween if something didn't go wrong with the Boy-Who-Lived.”_

“What is it?” Fleur spoke up, “Do zey want us back in ze hall?”

Harry just stood there, stiff as a plank, not replying. It was Ludo Bagman who that saved him from a response “Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary. Ladies, gentleman, may I introduce, incredible though it may seem, the **_fourth_** Triwizard champion!”

Saeko resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall.

“You must be joking” Fleur said dryly, “Also, ze boy is too young.”

“It is a mistake, surely” the ninja said with faint hope but that was soon squashed as Potter seemed to retreat even further into himself.

The doors opened once more to let inside Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and the foreign headmasters with Crouch closing the procession. The shouts and protests began almost immediately, closely followed by the interrogation of Harry Potter.

Saeko's fears were realized when Crouch confirmed that Harry had to attend. Be a champion. It was Mad-Eye Moody who had it figured out best, at least according to the ninja - someone wanted Potter dead. Again.

The situation was at a stalemate, at least regarding the fourth champion, when Crouch took over to give them instructions about the Tournament “The first task is designed to test your daring… so we are not telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard. Very important.”

“The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and judges. The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament.”

“The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will only receive information about the second task when the first task is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament the champions are exempted from the end of year tests. Of course that does not apply to NEWTs but they will be permitted to take the exams in September instead, if they so wish.”

Krum, Fleur and Saeko all nodded, it had been expected, only Harry seemed still stuck on the predicament he found himself in.

Dumbledore eyed them all warmly “You may go. Feel free to celebrate or simply go to sleep. And congratulations.”

Again the champions nodded. Madame Maxime put a hand on Fleur's shoulder “We will go. But do not think for a moment this is over.”

Karkaroff nodded sharply “Let's go Victor.”

Saeko too set to leave but not before catching Dumbledore's eye. They needed to talk.

_“Great, another year when I got my hands full”_ the ninja thought to herself as he left the room.


	129. 7- 129 In the Spotlight

 

“Zake?” Saeko said, trying to wake up, “What is it? It's Sunday.”

“You said you wanted an update on Potter” the raven shrugged.

The ninja sat up, completely alert now “Trouble?”

“No,” Zake snickered, “But you said first thing in the morning, so I dutifully obeyed.”

Lauren opened a tired eye “Saeko, I love you, but do try to conduct non-critical business later in the day.”

“Hn”

“You want the report or not?” Zake clicked his beak impatiently.

“Oh, what the hell” the red-head sighed and sat up as well with a yawn, “I'm curious if he put his name in the Goblet or not.”

“He didn't” both summon and summoner said in unison, but it was the raven that continued “Not that anybody believes him. Not even his friends.”

“Weasley, Granger?” Saeko asked.

Zeke shrugged “Ginger is pissed that Potter didn't give him an opportunity to cross the Age line with him.”

“Which we know he didn't do”

“And know-it-all doesn't really believe him but is still friendly as before. That said we know that he is her only true friend anyhow so she didn't have that much choice in the matter”

Saeko hummed “And what does Harry think?”

“Woe is me”

Lauren chuckled “Can't blame him too much.”

“Well, to be honest I'm not too thrilled to be sharing the spotlight. And that I'll have to keep an eye out for him even during the events” the ninja sighed.

“Will that be even possible?” the Snake frowned.

Saeko shrugged “We'll see.”

Zake shrugged and cocked his head, waiting for more instructions. When the Uchiha said nothing, he dispelled himself.

Lauren yawned again “Can we go back to sleep now?”

“No, I'm already awake. But I wouldn't mind staying here for a while longer” Saeko smiled and laid back down, “Besides, all of Ravenclaw is surely still asleep after the party they threw me.”

“Should I feel flattered you ditched your own party in favor of being with me” the red-head smirked as she snuggled closer to her lover.

Saeko chuckled “I had my own party with you.”

“True”

After a few beats of comfortable silence the Uchiha hummed “I heard some rumors that Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons champion, is part-veela. What do you think? I never met one.”

“I believe it” Lauren shrugged.

“Do _you_ find her attractive?”

“Quite. You?”

“Indeed”

“I actually think they can… hm, amp it up, as it were. She'll try to use it against her competitors” the red-head speculated.

“Hn”

“I hope there won't be an incident”

Saeko frowned “Of course not.”

“Just felt it needed to be said” Lauren shrugged unrepentantly.

“If you think so”

“The Gryffindors will take this as a big victory” the red-head said after a while.

Saeko snorted “Of course. Which means Slytherins will be against Potter on principle, Ravens will be pissed their fame is shared and Hufflepuffs will see it as glory seeking and blatant disregard for rules.”

“Everybody sees it that way, only the Lions relish in it.” Then Lauren smirked “And you forgot the 'Claws will be even more pissed at the fact he supposedly managed to get over Dumbledore's Line and they have no idea how.”

“Oh yes” the scarred girl chuckled, “That's was one of the reasons I left the party so early. The Ravens love to speculate.”

“I think they will concentrate more on what the first task will be”

“Time much better spent”

“Do you know?”

“Not yet” Saeko smirked.

“You're practically vibrating with excitement. Go be the celebrity. And have fun” Lauren shooed her lover off.

“Aren't those two basically the same thing?” the Uchiha smirked.

“For you? Yes”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“ _Potter stinks_?” Daniel frowned at the new badges displayed on the uniforms of Slytherin House, “That's inappropriate.”

“Well, the other side says to support Saeko as the true champion of Hogwarts, so that's better” Graham shrugged and began shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth.

“Those badges are gonna spread” Paddy said with certainty.

Helena sniffed “A bit juvenile, but to the point.”

“Don't get one” Saeko sighed, “They're tasteless.”

Ashley shrugged “We could keep it in the 'support Saeko Uchiha' state.”

“I think everybody knows who we support” Peter chuckled.

The ninja smiled “Thank you.”

“You're going to have to autograph a photo of us” Graham smirked, “I'm going to show them to my kids someday.”

Daniel nodded “Good idea. The photos I mean. We should make more to properly immortalize our last year at Hogwarts.”

“Sounds good” Paddy nodded.

“But maybe some time later? Doing a shoot right now would make me feel… Lockhart-y” Saeko grimaced.

The little poker group chuckled, acknowledging the point, just as the morning mail burst into the Great Hall carried by the post owls.

“The Tournament is still front page “Caitlin commented.

“It's to be expected” Helena shrugged.

“It's written by Skeeter this time, this is sure to be juicy” Graham smirked as he opened his own copy of the paper.

“Saeko, does Lauren buy the Prophet?” Daniel said neutrally.

“Of course, why?”

The Head Boy hummed “Well, you know that that Skeeter woman isn't particularly kind.”

The Uchiha sighed “What did she write?”

“Hm, well, Potter is a glory-seeking traumatized brat, Flue a scheming half-breed, Krum is dangerous and you, among other things, a known womanizer.”

Saeko hummed “That's actually not the worst thing that she could've written.”

“That's not all she…” Caitlin started but fell silent.

“You know, here. Maybe you should read the article first” Daniel handed her his newspaper, “Ah, she also says she looks forward to interview all of you during a 'wand weighing ceremony', whatever that is. I'd recommend caution.”

…

“Oooh, she's going to burn” Saeko declared after she finished reading.

“Could've been worse” Helena shrugged.

“True” the ninja gritted her teeth. The reporter didn't seem to know anything about Konoha so she explored the fact she was a foreigner and her character and behaviors during Hogwarts.

“Besides, Potter got is worse” Graham consoled.

“True” Saeko repeated as she skimmed his section - it really was pretty bad. It was in moments like those she was grateful that Konoha didn't have a newspaper. Sure, gossip raged unrestrained, as Anko could attest, but it was still better. At least in her opinion.

Once everybody was done reading their mail, as well as the newspaper, Helena saw fit to change the subject “So, how were the foreigners at Care for Magical Creatures? We have them in Arithmancy today.”

“Competitive” Caitlin shrugged.

Peter nodded “But they seemed pretty impressed by Hagrid. But to be honest, he was really great. Put his best foot forward indeed, never seen him so focused and to the point.”

“Hagrid?” Helena seemed skeptical.

“I was surprised too” Paddy hummed.

“Well, at least they aren't intruding in the core classes” the blonde heiress sighed, “Those are already quite crowded. Undeservedly so.”

“Everybody has to have _some_ NEWTs” Ashley shrugged, “At last Charms.”

“Sure, but back to Hagrid” Saeko smirked, “I think he was, is, very impressed by Madame Maxime. That is why his teaching style improved so much around her students.”

Graham snickered “Finally found a woman as big as he is?”

“Graham” Daniel reprimanded lightly.

“As if we all haven't been thinking it”

Helena pursed her lips “Uncouth.”

The boy shrugged, not caring in the least “So, did anybody made some foreign friends? Because I wouldn’t mind a tour of a certain ship.”

“Please” Peter rolled her eyes, “Those blokes won't even tell in which country their school resides. All we know is 'north'. As if we didn't know that.”

“I think it'll mellow out after the first task” Daniel hummed, “Everybody is just too competitive at the moment.”

“Yeah, won't talk to the _enemy_ ” Saeko chuckled, finding the matter rather amusing.

Caitlin chuckled as well “Yeah. Oh, that reminds me - I asked Flitwick about those dress robes we were supposed to bring. It seems they're for a ball.”

“How did that remind you of a ball?” Paddy squinted.

“I want to go with some handsome Beauxbatons student. Or Durmstrang” the chaser winked.

“A ball?” Helena hummed, “Sounds lovely. When?”

“Yule time”

“Cool” Graham shrugged, “I'll have to dust up my dancing skills tough.”

“You know to dance?” the blonde heiress beside him said skeptically.

The boy straightened his back and smiled smugly “But of course, I'm a pureblood. And I'm rather skilled at it I'll have you know.”

Helena arched an eyebrow “Truly?”

“Do I detect a challenge?”

Paddy grinned “Sounds like it! And while you're doing this dance-off, you can teach me.”

“I wouldn't mind a refresher myself” Caitlin nodded.

Saeko sighed “I don't know any local dance. I'd really appreciate if someone taught me.”

“Sure thing” Graham puffed his chest.

Helena narrowed her eyes “You better be telling the truth, Graham. This sounds like a lot of work.”

“Prepare to be amazed” the bearded wizard grinned.

“Oh, boy”

* * *

**Library**

Saeko was perusing the Defense section for anything interesting when she came face to face with The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry seemed determined so the ninja assumed he actually sought her out. “Potter” she greeted with a nod.

“Uchiha” the fourth-year greeted tensely, “I know you'll probably don't believe me but I have to say this.”

“Say what?” the ninja prompted when he hesitated, even if she was quite sure what this was about.

Potter swallowed and steeled himself “I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. I really didn't.”

Saeko hummed after a few beats of silence “We once spoke about fame, you and I. It was when Lockhart was still in the Castle. You said you hated it.”

“It's still true”

“Hmm, I believe you” the ninja nodded.

“You do?” Potter exclaimed, quite surprised.

“I do. Not that it changes much. You still have to participate in the Tournament, we are still competing against each other and you'll never convince the entirety of the school you're innocent in this matter” Saeko said matter-of-factly.

Harry seemed to completely deflate “I know.”

“But you may prove yourself in the first task. Then I'd wager the school will accept you, provided you make a good show of it” the ninja shrugged.

“Easy” the fourth year muttered sarcastically.

Saeko shrugged - she had no intention of becoming any sort of mentor. Well, at Hogwarts anyway, she already had her hands full with her quidditch team, even off-season.

“Well, thanks for believing me” Potter nodded with a sigh and turned to leave.

The Uchiha sighed as well and called after him “Just because the teachers can't help doesn't mean someone else can't.”

Harry's eyes dimmed even further “Yeah, Hermione is helping me.”

Saeko tried really hard not to roll her eyes “No adults?”

That seemed to depress him even further. The ninja guessed that Sirius Black still hadn't responded to his latest latter. Or maybe it was the orphan thing. She really needed more tact on that matter, not everyone was better off without a father. That said, having friends with T&I morbid humor wasn't helping much in that department. Yup, tact was the number one thing on her to-do list for her Hokage bid.

“You there?” Harry asked worriedly.

“Sorry, just thinking about something” Saeko shrugged. After all, Senju Tobirama was a great leader but no one could accuse him of being particularly likable. And she was definitely better than him in PR. She shook her head to focus back on The-Boy-Who-Lived “You'll be just fine if you don't Gryffindor it.”

“And that means what” Potter huffed.

“Actually try cunning and planning ahead?”

“That's kind of hard if we don't know what we're going to face”

This time Saeko did roll her eyes in exasperation _“Hey, I tried”._ But out loud she said “That seems to be the point of the task. Good luck.”

“Yeah, thanks. You too” Harry nodded and left.

As the raven summoner returned to perusing the books she was approached yet again, this time by a Hufflepuff she never met “Did you just talk to _Potter_?” The name was literally spat out.

“Hn” Saeko nodded, not really interested in any more conversation with virtual strangers.

“He's a cheater!”

“Hn” the Uchiha took one of the books from the shelf and pointedly started leafing through it. The Puff seemed to get the hint and stomped away.

Saeko stayed in the library for another hour or so, not really satisfied with the results of her search. The real reason she decided to leave was the swift increase of giggling girls which meant the quidditch star Victor Krum was around.

As she was leaving se indeed spotted the Durmstrang champion, looking even more surly than usual. Then again, he was surrounded by fangirls asking him for an autograph. And other… things. When he caught the ninja's stare Saeko nodded in both greeting and commiseration, getting a nod in return.

It was then the fangirls realized she was there too and tried to mob her as well. To be honest Saeko was appalled by their disloyalty. Or maybe their signatures were worth something? The Uchiha smirked and resolved to find out - she wasn't hurting for money but a little extra revenue was always welcome.

Helena could make a business of it, after all Saeko would need a partner. Selling your own autograph would be just tacky. And whorish. Hmm, too much of a Lockhart.

And with that, the idea was scrapped.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Next chapter will be a double with an interlude - many of you have asked for a different point of view and I listened :-)  
> AN2: I made B&D attend Hogwarts classes - it was never mentioned in canon but surely the students that weren't chosen as champions had to study somewhere (and we know they stayed thanks to the Ball in December).


	130. 7- 130 I Spy

 

Looking thought the eyes of her ravens was still a novel experience, even if Saeko had used the sensory-sharing technique on several occasions. The strangest thing about it was not being in control. Sure, she could end the technique at any time but it was always the raven, Skygge in this instance, that was at the steering wheel. Also quite inconvenient was the fact she could not communicate with the raven she was sharing senses with. Nonetheless, it was a very useful jutsu, especially for spying on the four fleshly delivered dragons now hidden in the Forest.

According the dragon handlers the four creatures were a Common Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball, a Swedish Short-Snout and a Hungarian Horntail. Supposedly only the first three were meant to be used to the first task but with Harry Potter raising that number to four they had to import another on short notice. A quite dangerous one too from the looks of it.

“We should bring more people, what do you think Weasley?” one of the older handlers sighed as he inspected yet another burn on his body.

The ginger hummed “I already asked when they asked for the Horntail.”

“And?”

“Apparently no can do”

“Bollocks” the older man swore, “We're not equipped for this. Those are nesting mothers, they need proper care.”

“I can ask Hagrid, he'd love an opportunity to work with dragons”

“Better than nothing I suppose”

Saeko and Skygge were quite uninterested in the conversation between the two handlers so instead they studied their colleagues that were trying to get the giant black dragon to calm down. All in all it seemed the green one was the tamest, at least at the moment, while the silvery blue and vivid red were more or less the same.

With one more fly-by Saeko released the technique.

“So?” Lauren prompted when her lover stopped taking notes, stood up and stretched.

“They look a bit meaner than anticipated” the Uchiha hummed.

Lauren arched an eyebrow “We are still talking about dragons, right? Because those tend to be a bit mean indeed.”

“I mean to ninja standards” Saeko winked.

“We'll see once you fight them”

“We won't be fighting them. Just get around them - Hayama told me and the handlers confirmed it.”

The red-head sighed in relief “Oh, thank Merlin!”

“Don't worry, I have been around fire-breathing monsters most of my life”

Lauren eyed Saeko warily for second “… do you mean your relatives?”

“Yup” the brunette smirked, “The rest of Konoha too now that I think about it. At least the fire-breathing part.”

The Brit rolled her eyes “Lovely. Do you have a plan already?”

“Of course not, I just confirmed the dragons” Saeko shrugged, “Plenty of options though. But first I have to decide how I'm going to play it - smart or cool.”

“Hm” Lauren smirked, “I feel a bit bad for Potter, he's no way he's prepared to face a dragon.”

“If he has a clever plan, he doesn't have to”

“To have a plan he'd need to know what he's up against”

The Uchiha shrugged “They are bringing Hagrid on it, so he'll tell him. Cheating is practically tradition of the Triwizard Tournament from what I read.”

“True. On that point, will you be spying on Delacour and Krum?”

“Of course”

“While you at it, could you steal some hair from Delacour - veela hair is a rare-ish potion ingredient”

Saeko arched both eyebrows in surprise but then shrugged “Ok. How much of it?”

“Just don't shave her head in her sleep” Lauren laughed at the visual.

“Ooh, that would be cruel” the Uchiha grinned evilly and caressed her own black braid.

“Don't start anything”

“She's not a full-blooded veela, will her hair even work?”

The red-head tapped her lip in thought “I'll ask professor Snape.”

“If he wants some, he'll have to pay”

“I'll pass it along”

* * *

**Great Hall**

“Saeko? Let's go, or we will be late for Charms” Daniel looked back when the ninja did not rise from the table with them.

“I'm not going - the champions have a wand-weighing ceremony. I'd miss half of the lesson anyway”

Graham frowned “Wand weighing, what's that?”

The Uchiha shrugged “Apparently just checking if our wands are in working order. And Skeeter will be there too. Joy.”

“Be careful, pen is mightier than sword. She could make the reminder of the year quite uncomfortable for you” Helena cautioned.

“I'll play nice. I think she has her eye on Potter anyway”

Caitlin sighed “Pity, people like her deserve an 'unfortunate accident'.”

“I thought you were a fan?” Peter arched an eyebrow.

“When she ran a gossip rag, sure” the Irish girl shrugged, “Nobody took it overly seriously. Now she does the same, only front page, masquerading as serious journalism. And she goes too far.”

“I agree” Daniel nodded, “But we really need to go. Charms are starting soon and it's three floors up.”

“Have fun” Graham smirked at Saeko.

“You too”

When her friends left, the ninja hummed in thought and then got another helping of pie that was for dessert. Strawberry and rhubarb, delicious enough to warrant a prolonged stay at the table. Between that and the Transfiguration book she was currently reading the time flew by quite quickly.

Once she knew she wouldn't be the absolutely first to arrive, Saeko made her way to the classroom the Wand Weighing ceremony was to take place. She greeted the Headmaster and Ollivander who were already in the room and sat down on the windowsill, unsealing her book again. The two men made no motion to talk with her witch suited her just fine.

Victor Krum arrived with Karkaroff not long after, the headmaster joining the other two men while the quidditch star leaned on the wall farthest from Saeko.

The Beauxbatons delegation must've encountered Ludo Bagman because they arrived together, closely followed by two other people with a 'press' tag proudly pinned on their robes. Saeko assumed the witch in magenta robes to be the infamous Rita Skeeter and the second to be her photographer thanks to the archaic-looking machine he was lugging behind.

Fleur detached herself from the group and met Krum's eyes but seeing he just moodily looked away she approached the ninja.

Saeko put down her book and smiled slightly “Yo.”

“Hello,” the blonde champion greeted back, “I'm Fleur Delacour. Nice to meet you.”

“Uchiha Saeko, likewise”

“Iz it always so cold here?” Fleur asked.

“It _is_ November” Saeko shrugged, “A fairly warm one in comparison.”

The two girls struck up a light conversation about nothing at all, feeling each other out. Fleur was making use of her charm, both natural and the one granted to her by her _veela_ nature, while Saeko employed the same tactic, albeit more subtly. She actually found the blonde quite similar to her in certain aspects. They also bonded over fencing, an elective at Beauxbatons.

Potter was last to arrive. Skeeter snatched him up right away, drawing her quill in the process with a predatory smile. The boy seemed rather confused and a bit scared, quite smart of him to be honest. Less smart was letting her drag him away for an interview. With a thought “ _Better him than me_ ” Saeko returned to her own conversation with the surprisingly interesting part- _veela_.

When Ollivander nodded to everybody and sat down behind the velvet-covered desk Dumbledore realized they were one Champion short and practically skipped to save him from the reporter's clutches.

Once everybody assembled before the wandmaker, he smiled unsettlingly and let Dumbledore introduce him.

“Ladies first” Ollivander announced, “Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you forward first, please?”

Fleur drew her wand and gently placed it on the velvet cover where Ollivander took it up just as gently. “Hmm,” the man started as he twirled the wand between his fingers, eliciting several pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and hummed again. Finally he stated quietly “Yes, nine and a half inches. Rosewood. Rather inflexible. And truly containing…?”

“A _veela_ 's hair” the silvery blonde nodded, “One of my grandmuzzer's.”

“Yes,” the wandmaker smiled at the wand in his hands, “Yes, I never used _veela_ hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands… However, to each his own. And if this suits you… _Orchideous!”_

The spell produced a beautiful bouquet which he offered back to the Beauxbatons girl along with her wand “Very well, very well. It's in fine working order. Miss Uchiha, if you'd be next.”

Saeko stepped forward ejecting her wand from the holster she had on her right wrist “Here you go Ollivander-san.”

“Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it” the man's eyes twinkled, “Yes, I remember it well. Alder wood and dragon heartstring, 9 inches long. Difficult to tame as the elements it likes to command. Excellent condition, you must treat it regularly.”

“Indeed” Saeko smiled, “I check for any imperfections every morning.”

“Excellent, most excellent” Ollivander smiled back and cast a spell that made a very nice ship consisted of smoke sail around the room. He smiled at the wand fondly and gave it back to its owner. “Mister Krum, if you will.”

The process was repeated twice more, once for Krum and then for Potter. It seemed British wandmaker was satisfied with the state of all four wands and was much more chipper than before.

 When Dumbledore declared the wand weighing ceremony complete Ludo Bagman clapped his hands with a grin “Wonderful! Now, Rita, you said you wanted photos? Champions and judges together for the first one maybe?”

“Yes, let's do that fist. And then perhaps some individual shots.” Nobody missed how hungrily she eyed Harry Potter.

The shoot took a long time. Too long actually - Madame Maxime casted too much of a shadow everywhere they put her. Also the photographer and Skeeter had a few creative differences, mainly who should be the focus of the photos.

It was nearly time for dinner when they were finally allowed to leave the small classroom. Harry was the first to flee, obviously not wanting to be caught by Skeeter again, while the foreign champions were speaking with their respective headmasters. Saeko just bowed politely in Dumbledore's direction and left in the direction of the Great Hall.

Soon the Uchiha was joined by her friends. Daniel arched an eyebrow as he sat beside her “Is that your flask?”

“Hn”

“Was it really that bad?” Caitlin chuckled.

“It was utterly useless,” Saeko whined, “I spoke with Delacour, wasn't bad actually, but otherwise an absolute waste of time. And I dread tomorrow's article.”

Graham smirked “Did you give an interview?”

“No, only Potter did. And Bagman. But you know how it goes” Saeko sighed.

Helena nodded seriously “Indeed. But I think she'll milk the Potter situation a bit more.”

“I do want to spend my last Hogwarts year in relative peace. If she jeopardizes that…” the ninja growled.

Paddy chuckled “Then night, night.”

“Just a little bit. I can be civil”

“Journalists can't” Ash shrugged.

“Yeah, voracious little bastards” Peter nodded.

“Swell” Saeko sneered.

* * *

**Summoner's Realm**

“Hello, little sister”

“Itachi-nii” Saeko smiled in greeting.

The older Uchiha sat on the ground beside his sister and inspected the parchment before her “That's quite a list. What's it for?”

“The first task” the girl answered but then sighed “Or more precisely all the magnificent ways I will **_not_** be using to complete it.”

“How I that a useful exercise?”

“It's not” Saeko shrugged.

Itachi chuckled “Well, let's see what you got.”

After a few moments of rustling of paper, the Uchiha Lord looked up with an arched eyebrow “Theatric much?”

“It's just a fantasy” the witch shrugged once more, “I'll be doing it like during the chuunin exams - quick and effective. And only a bit of show.”

“And this is a lot of show” Itachi smirked “Lightening storms, ice prisons, infernos… Oh hey, even Uzumaki chakra chains. Why are they on the list?”

“Because they're cool and it would be spectacular to tame a beast like a dragon with them shining at my back” Saeko smiled brilliantly.

“But you can't do them”

“Nope”

Itachi sighed “Do be careful, being over six years in an environment where being ninja means being an absolute star can make you beyond arrogant. We are much superior to wizards in battle but don't let it influence your fight with the dragon. And never let your guard down, even in Hogwarts.”

“Constant vigilance!” Saeko smirked, “Do not worry, I'm sharp as ever. I believe the mission against the Akatsuki during summer proved that.”

“Of course. I just cringe every time you say 'cool'. Too many colleagues and friends died when trying to be _cool_ ”

The younger Uchiha nodded seriously “You're right, of course. But you know that sometimes I only boast for boasting sake. I know my limits.”

“I know”

Both siblings fell into a comfortable silence for a little while, only interrupted by the distant cawing of their summons. Then Saeko asked “How's Mihane?”

“Well. How's Ren?”

“Well”

…

“Hn” Saeko chuckled, “I'm glad we had this conversation.”

“I've got something for you” Itachi said, ignoring his sister's statement.

The girl took the two scrolls she was handed and inspected them “Fire-sealing method? I have my own. I have it always on my, just in case I need _Amaterasu_.”

“A spare is always useful” Itachi shrugged.

“True enough”

“You'll have to tell me after how it went” the Uchiha lord smirked, “I'm sure Hayama will tell me about the other Champions’ performances.”

“What is Hayama supposed to do doing the first task anyway?”

“Supposedly to merely look mean and guard-like” Itachi laughed.

Saeko nodded with a smile “Just a show of force to the foreigners and domestic crowd alike. Still, better than some missions.”

“Hayama spoke about popcorn”

“Glad to provide entertainment”

“It'll be fun, even for you I mean. A crowd cheering your name?” Itachi smirked.

“It does sound rather lovely”

“Just don't stand out too much”

“My strategy is quite tame, don't worry” Saeko sighed, “No going superhero.”

The elder Uchiha smirked once more “But not _too_ tame, right? You're representing the Clan and Konoha.”

“Not flashy, but still a good trick”

“Looking forward to the tale”

“You and the whole school”


	131. Interlude - We Spy

 

**Igor Karkaroff**

The man inspected his left forearm like he did at least a hundred times since this summer. **It** was getting darker, no doubts about that.

And it itched.

Did Dumbledore know? Was that why he hired Alastor fucking Moody? Or was it merely because he was a confessed Death Eater? He had been so excited about the Triwizard Tournament - it was a legendary event and if everything went well his name would go down in history for having it reestablished and modernized. Coming back to Britain was a small price to pay. Or at least that was what he told himself at the time.

And now he was back and nothing was going according to plan. At least he managed not to encounter any _old friends._ Well, except for Snape but he didn't count anyway - he betrayed 'the cause' too. The resident Potions Master didn't want anything to do with him as well but now the Mark started reacting and he really wanted to speak with the man. To see if his did too.

Igor poured himself more wine. Red and strong, just how he liked it. Perks of being Headmaster of one of the most famous wizarding schools. He loved this job - at fist he took it because it was away from the fall-out of the Dark Lord mess and it was a position of power and prestige. But he grew to love it.

There was a knock on the doors of his cabin. Karkaroff sighed “Come in!”

“Headmaster, is this a bad time?”

Igor smiled - Viktor Krum, his protégée and now Champion. The boy should really learn to deal with crowds better, being an international quidditch star and all. When he was comfortable, language included, he was much more approachable.

“Of course not, Victor. What did you need?”

“I was wandering if it would be appropriate to approach professor McGonagall about my animagus studies” the seeker answered.

Karkaroff frowned “Wouldn't it be better to concentrate on a wider variety of spells that might be useful in the first task?”

“Do we know yet what it will be?”

“Going against a magical creature. Don't know which as of now. But I will” the man shrugged.

“And in the meantime…”

“Very well” Igor put his hand up to stall any reasoning, “Minerva McGonagall is an expert in this matter, it is a good opportunity. But don't neglect your other studies. Also, Hogwarts library is hands down the biggest one known in Europe. Even if some subjects are… omitted. But nonetheless it is a vast source of knowledge, you'd do well to visit it.”

“I am” Krum huffed.

“Good. Was there anything else?”

The quidditch star shifted his weight to his other leg and then nodded “Johan asked around about the Hogwarts champion. Uchiha, I think. It seems she will be a strong opponent.”

“Yes, I heard” Karkaroff pursed his lips, “Professor Moody said the same. Strong dueler he mentioned.”

“He told you something?” the young man arched an eyebrow.

“Just hinted with that sinister smirk of his. That you're in for some hard times. But we will prevail. You will prevail. Everyone at Durmstrang knows you're not just some jock but a truly gifted wizard. It is time the rest of the world knew as well.”

Krum actually smiled proudly “Thank you, sir.”

“But preparation is everything”

“Should I take it as a dismissal and direction to go back to my studies?”

Igor chuckled “Indeed. Unless there was more.”

“No, sir. Have a nice evening” the seeker clicked his heels together and with a slight bow he left.

Karkaroff smiled, this year might be salvaged yet. He hadn't been kidding about Victor's abilities, that he had been chosen by the Goblet was no coincidence. He truly is the best his school has to offer and no half-breed or chink was going to embarrass Durmstrang. Or The-Boy-Who-Lived. Merlin, what a joke. A fourteen year old competing.

He took a healthy gulp of wine and snuggled more comfortably into his armchair. The he raised his glass and smirked “To the glory of Durmstrang. And to its headmaster who made it what it is today.”

Igor laughed loudly and finished his wine. Everything will be alright again.

Now if only his arm stopped itching.

* * *

**Fleur Delacour**

This Wand Weighing ceremony was a waste of time. Of course their wands were in working order, one hardly needed an expert and a journalist to know that. At least she had made some contact with her competition. Well, one out of four.

Gossip said this Saeko was a known womanizer so she had made point to be extra charming. The other champion didn't bite though, even if it was clear she was attracted to her. To be honest she was a bit relieved by that - she wasn’t that bad looking for a girl but she was still a woman.

The talk they had was surprisingly pleasant, even if nothing serious was discussed. Naturally it didn't change anything - she’d go down like Krum. Maybe only less easily - supposedly she had been the number one in her year since she stepped into the school.

_“Well, that was going to change now that she was here”_ Fleur thought with a smirk.

“Fleur, have you heard me?”

The part-veela looked up “Pardonnez-moi, Madame Maxime. I was thinking about the ozzer champions.”

Madame Maxime nodded, looked inconspicuously around and switched to French “Good. Monsieur Ollivanders said the Hogwarts woman has an affinity for elemental magic. That is quite a broad spectrum but there are defenses specific to each of them. I'll get you the books.”

“Merci, Madame” Fleur thanked, “He also said Krum's wand is strong in transfiguration.”

“There will surely be a task that pits you directly against the others. Keep it in mind then”

“And little Arry Potter?”

The giant headmistress scowled “Do not underestimate him. He is a wild card. If he managed to get around Dumbledorr's Age Line then he is resourceful and quite strong. Or he has someone else helping him which is dangerous also.”

Fleur scoffed “I saw him try to clean his wand with his cloak.”

“Don't underestimate him!” Maxime stressed again.

“I won't” her student grumbled.

“We need to find out more. Both about your opponents and the first task”

The silver-blonde nodded “I can find more about Potter and Uchiha from the other Hogwarts students. Maybe their quidditch teammates.”

“Good. Also your schoolmates will help you, I already gave them their instructions. You should focus more on your preparation for the First Task. I will find what it is, do not worry”

Fleur smiled but stayed silent - she still wasn't used to a one-on-one with her headmistress. Beauxbatons was quite formal and speaking with Madame Maxime was making her uncomfortable. But that was one of the up-sides of being a champion of the Tournament - private mentorship and direction.

The giant woman patted her shoulder “Do not fret, we still have plenty of time to find out just what you will face in the first task. Now, return to the Carriage without me, I need to speak with someone of the Hogwarts staff.”

“Oui, Madame” the veela nodded and the two parted.

Once she was alone once again she felt much more at ease. As she walked back to where the Beauxbatons students were staying she encountered several local students, many of them gawking at her. Her walls shot right up and she passed them without a glance in their direction.

Just why this Tournament had to be at Hogwarts. This place was cold, the people were rude, the castle quaint. And the food! A true nightmare - fortunately Maxime had arranged a slightly different menu for her students with the local house elves, otherwise 'eternal glory' for the victory wouldn't be nearly enough of a compensation.

Her inattention cost her dearly as she was approached by some guy with an overly hopeful look on his face “Hey hottie, wanna take a walk around the Lake with me?”

“Ugh” she sneered and walked away. This was the third today and the worse-looking so far. Why it was always the losers!

As she descended the stairs she growled internally when she spotted four boys, sixth-year maybe, with brooms over their shoulder. They were loud and obnoxious. And all four stopped to leer at her as she passed them.

“ _I hate this place_ ” she though when she heard a wolf-whistle behind her.

* * *

**Harry Potter**

Dragons, he'll be facing dragons. Dragons!

He stopped walking and allowed himself a brief moment of panic. Ok, more than brief. But justified! After trolls, basilisks and dementors those dragons actually made sense. He could only dread what would come next year. If he managed to survive that is.

Why this shit always happened to him?

Ok, enough whining. It doesn’t matter Ron wasn't talking to him and the school thinks him a cheater, what mattered now was dragons. Thank God Hagrid told him, otherwise he'd be extra-crispy come first task. Hermione was already on it and she had never failed him before. And Sirius actually promised he'd contact him directly. He got this. He'll be prepared.

Speaking of preparation - both Maxime and Karkaroff saw the beasts, but what about Uchiha? He talked to her a few times, mostly about quidditch, and she seemed aright. She'd need to know too, it was only fair.

He snorted - maybe the Ravenclaw decided to take a peek at the dragons too. If he gleaned anything from their confrontations on the quidditch pitch it was that she was resourceful, rather ruthless and sneaky.

Yep, she definitely knew.

All three of them looked so composed, so put together, like true champions. Fleur was undeniably beautiful but with a cool edge which made her all the more attractive (at least that as what Fred and George said, personally he liked Cho Chang cuteness far more). Krum unsettled him - he was always watching, a dangerous air to him, silent. Saeko was always the center of attention wherever she went - he remembered she once told him she worked hard for it to be that way, something he couldn't really understand. She was _cool_ , he admitted reluctantly, confident and mysterious.  

With his colleagues like this he felt like the runt of the family. Then again, comparing him, a fourteen year old, to adult wizards made that conclusion inevitable. They were just three/four years older than him but whatever.

Nope. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts!

“Potter!”

The-Boy-Who-Lived jerked in surprise and turned to see Moody “Sir?”

“Constant vigilance!” the teacher growled, “You should be more aware of your surroundings. Come with me!”

“Professor?” Harry blinked in confusion but Moody was already limping away.

A faint hope blossomed inside him, maybe Mad-Eye could give him some advice. Krum and Fleur had their headmasters, it was only fair he got someone too.

Even if Moody _was_ a little creepy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is not the only Interlude in this arc - there will be a Lauren too.
> 
> AN2: Karkaroff used a slur for Asians in his interlude. Since it is 2016 I want it clear it in no way represents my own views but it is merely Karkaroff being a racist Death Eater.


	132. 7- 131 Here Be Dragons

 

“You remember what I told you, right?” Saeko reassured herself.

“Yes,” Lauren sighed, “But I don't get why you can't just tell me what your plan against the dragon is.”

“Then it wouldn't be a that good of a show”

“The fact that you told me 'not to worry, it will not be as it seems' is actually scaring me a little” the red-head rubbed her brow.

Saeko bit her lip, actually considering letting her girlfriend in on the plan. But then she just smiled “It'll be Konoha style so keep in mind the Academy Three.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow “ _Henge_ , _kawarimi_ and _bushin_?”

“Yup”

“And now I'm even more worried”

“It'll be fine”

Lauren's eyes narrowed “Madame Pomfrey is going to be on site, so I'll know everything.”

“I'll try really hard not to get scratched” Saeko scoffed.

“Take it seriously” the Snake growled.

“This is like a common Tuesday back home. You know that”

“Sure, but there I didn't have to actually see you getting set on fire by some fucking dragon”

“To be clear, it's usually me setting fire to someone else,” Saeko shrugged, “It'll be fine. I promise. And perfectly safe.”

“I'll hold you to it” Lauren sighed, but smiled as well.

“Kiss for good luck?” the ninja grinned.

The Slytherin chuckled and obliged “You won't be going to lunch?”

“Nah, I have onigiri. Not in the mood for British slop today” Saeko shrugged, “Plus I want to be the first to arrive. You can psych the rest out much easier.”

“Ok. Try not to end up too horribly disfigured, yeah?” Lauren pecked the ninja's lips again and turned to leave.

Saeko caught her wrist and used it to bring the red-head back to her for another kiss, deeper this time. “It'll see you after the task.”

“Do try to win” Lauren smirked and left.

The ninja chuckled and unsealed her lunch. Halfway though her treat she summoned Zake for company and last minute information.

“Yo!”

“Any news?” Saeko asked.

“Nothing. I did see Hayama and his team all dressed up in robes - rather funny I would say,” the bird shrugged, “The dragons are primed and ready to fire.” Saeko chuckled and roll her eyes at the bad pun while Zake smirked and continued “They were just placing the first golden egg among the true ones when I was there. The stadium is impressive. Too much gold for my tastes though.”

“Wizards” the ninja scoffed.

“Indeed”

Her lunch finished, Saeko stood up and unsealed her chosen outfit for today. She did receive one from the house elves but it was too… local. Instead she took up the classical Uchiha haori over the Konoha jounin uniform. She did add the Hogwarts crest of course, it was displayed quite prominently on her back, the Uchiha one had been moved to her collar and left breast. And for the first time in her Hogwarts tenure she had her hitai-ate on her forehead, proudly making her as a Konoha ninja.

“Dashing” Zake commented with a snigger.

“Hush” Saeko rolled her eyes, “Be serious. How do I look?”

“Same as usual?” the raven blinked in confusion, “You only exchanged the crest for a gaudy one. Oh, and don't forget - you only are permitted a wand, nothing else. Wouldn't want to be disqualified for something so stupid.”

The ninja sighed and showed her empty kunai holster “Already done. The only other thing on me are the scrolls which you'll take back, and my tantō. I will be moving that in my seal.”

“And the scrolls for the Fire Sealing Method?”

“In my other seal. But I'll be using that only if something goes wrong with the plan. Which it shouldn't”

Zake nodded “Let's hope.”

“Well, it's almost time. I should go”

“Good luck” the raven sing-songed and flew out of the window.

Saeko did a few quick stretches and jogged downstairs towards the castle's entrance. The first task was supposed to take place in the stadium just behind the Forbidden Forest's boundary so she took off in its direction.

The ninja's stroll was interrupted by a young-looking auror with neon orange hair “Wotcher! What are you doing here?”

Saeko arched an eyebrow and put her hands in her pockets “Hogwarts champion here?”

“Ah!” the woman in Ministry robes nodded, “But professor Flitwick was supposed to bring you. And you're early.”

“Hn” the jounin shrugged with disinterest.

“Aright” the woman sighed, “I'll bring you to the champions' tent. I'm Tonks by the way.”

“Uchiha Saeko”

“You know, you should've really waited for Flitwick. If you had seen your task beforehand it wouldn't have been fair” Tonks reprimanded as they started walking again.

“Everybody and their grandma knows it's dragons” Saeko snorted.

“What!”

“Nothing” the Uchiha smiled angelically.

“Everybody knows?”

“Sure”

The auror was still totally flabbergasted “Really!”

“Yep”

Tonks' jaw closed with an audible click. They walked in silence from them on, until they reached the tree line. Then the older woman sighed “Bloody Slytherins.”

“Actually I'm a Ravenclaw” Saeko shrugged, “Besides, Mister Gryffindor knows too. And our two foreign guests as well. That was the task, no? Finding out?”

“Whatever” the grumpy auror huffed and pointed to the marquee tent, “Go in there. Ludo Bagman will be the one to explain things once it's time.”

“Hn” the Uchiha nodded and inspected the tent's interior. It was actually quite spacious with plenty of seating choices so Saeko laid down on the biggest sofa, the very picture of relaxation.

Five minutes later she shot to her feet again and summoned Lykke to give a message to her Head of House - so he would not have to run around looking for her. It didn't even occur to her to wait for Flitwick, even if in hindsight it was obvious.

When the albino raven took off the ninja returned to her spot, waiting for the other champions to arrive.

Victor Krum stepped into the tent not long after, looking surly as usual despite the rather fetching crimson uniform. Saeko turned her head to see him and said “Hey.”

“Hullo”

“Feeling ready?” the jounin asked.

“Enough” Krum huffed.

Saeko tried some small talk but soon realized it was pretty pointless - her Durmstrang counterpart was either too nervous or just not interested.

When Fleur arrived she was very much the same, only looking much paler. This time Saeko didn’t even try.

Following the part-veela both foreign headmasters came into the tent. After that it didn't take long for the rest to appear. Harry Potter was the last to arrive, looking rather nauseous. Saeko decided to fuck with him and waved happily in his direction. The boy went paler, gulped and waved mechanically back. Saeko bit her lip to prevent herself from chuckling.

It seemed like no time at all when Ludo Bagman clapped his hands together to get their attention. The man was wearing his old quidditch uniform, looking quite sad in it, eager to start the first task off “Well, now that we're all here, time to fill you in!”

Everybody assembled around the former Beater, waiting for their instructions. Bagman grinned and showed them a small purple bag “When the audience has assembled, it shouldn't take long, I'll offer you this bag from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are about to face. There are different… varieties, you see. And your task is…” he paused for dramatic effect, “to _collect the golden egg_!”

All champions nodded and went back to what they were doing before - Fleur was pacing looking paler by the moment while Krum just sat in the corner glaring at nothing in particular. Harry reminded Saeko of a puppy lost in the rain.

“It's time!” Bagman finally announced when the noise from outside reached its peak. The champions and the headmasters reassembled around the man who smiled again “Ladies first. Miss Delacour, if you will.”

Fleur glanced at her headmistress who put both her hands on the veela's shoulders and then reached into the satin bag. She drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon - a Welsh Green - with a number 'two' around its neck. The blonde exhaled in resignation but not even an ounce of surprise.

“Miss Uchiha?” Bagman offered the bag to Saeko. The kunoichi smiled and drew her own dragon - the Swedish Short-Snout with a number one around his neck. “Oh, he's so adorable!” she exclaimed. It was true too, she didn't do it only to provoke her opponents.

The assembled wizards and witches looked at her as is she was crazy, a most flattering moment, and then Bagman laughed “That's the spirit! Mister Krum, you're next.”

Viktor Krum nodded and took the Chinese Fireball with number three on it. Which left only one option left for the poor Boy-Who-Lived. Bagman _vanished_ the bag as he announced “And Mister Potter will go last with the Hungarian Horntail! This is going to be a blast!”

Saeko wondered if the man was making a lame joke or not, but the expression on Harry's face was worth it.

Bagman briefly explained how the fist task would go and then vanished with Potter in tow. The headmasters took off, presumably to the judge booth, while their students were left to sit and wait their turn. Saeko took a position near the exit to the arena, ready to be called. Being the first to go was actually quite a boon - she might even get a fair assessment before the indubitably biased jury started counting points.

A whistle blew from outside, the signal of the First Task beginning. Saeko didn't spare a look at her competition and calmly walked out into the arena.

The dragon enclosure was same as she had seen it before, only now all the stands were packed with people. She smiled when she noticed the vast majority of the crowd wore dark blue and was cheering for her. The numerous banners were also quite welcome. And then the classic Ravenclaw cawing started. _“Much, much better than the chuunin exam”_ the Uchiha thought.

Saeko hid behind the big rocks that were meant for cover if the dragon decided to let loose and drew her wand even if she didn't intend to use it. But appearances were important. Her true aim was to make one shadow clone that would take the heat for her. Maybe even literally.

“ _Kage bushin no jutsu_ ” Saeko whispered and _Saeko_ appeared. She eyed the clone and whispered once more “You know what to do.”

_Saeko_ nodded and hopped atop the massive rocks to confront the Swedish Short-Snout while the original used another jutsu - _Doton: Moguragakure_ \- which would allow her to travel underground like a mole.

_“Do you see that ladies and gentlemen! Quite an acrobatics we see from Miss Uchiha but no magic as of yet”_ Bagman spoke in his role as commentator.

The original Saeko borrowed Zake's vision for a moment to check on what her shadow clone was doing. Bagman was right - _Saeko_ was evading jets of fire with typical kunoichi grace, grinning all the while.

_“Oh my! What a LEAP!”_ the former Wasps beater continued with his commentary when the kage bushin somersaulted over a spiked tail, _“But I see no evidence of trying to get the egg. I smell a distraction.”_

Saeko chose that time to emerge from the ground between the genuine dragon eggs. Knowing she didn't have much time she looked around to spot the golden one among the bunch.

The dragon roared when she noticed the human pest so near her future progeny. With another terrifying roar she zeroed onto the raven summoner but before she could resort to her famous flames she was hit in the snout by a rock transfigured into kunai, courtesy of the kage bushin.

The original didn't dally - once she had her prize she _kawarimi_ -ed away and next to her clone. No muss, no fuss.

Mama-dragon didn't take it very well but since Saeko was already in possession of the golden egg, the dragon-tamers burst into the arena, trying to contain the dragon.

Both Saeko and _Saeko_ helped them along among the cheering of the crowd. It was over pretty quickly, maybe even too quickly, but the Uchiha felt confident of her choice of plan. She had been swift, put on a bit of show via _kage bushin_ and, most importantly, she was unharmed. And she had accomplished the task, of course.

As Bagman was evaluating her strategy for the crowd Saeko wondered if the tent where the other champions resided was somehow isolated or if the commentary was censored. If it was the latter she would really like to take a peek at the runes.

“Well, we did it, boss” _Saeko_ commented so only her caster could hear.

“Sure did” Saeko smirked proudly, “But I saw the dragon nearly got you one time.”

“That was for show,” the clone shrugged, “It made the crowd gasp. For drama, you know.”

The original chuckled and high-fived her clone so hard it dispelled into a wisp of smoke, prompting some more compliment on her skill from Bagman.

When the Swedish Short-Snout had been removed for the enclosure Bagman announced loudly “And now for the score! As you know, the judges are myself, headmaster Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, professor Karkaroff and Department Head Barty Crouch. The maximum from each judge is ten points so starting from Madame Maxime…”

The Beauxbatons headmistress seemed reluctant but then raised her wand into the air and a silver ribbon shot out of it, forming an elegant looking 'eight'.

Mr. Crouch was next. He looked worn-out and rather worried, but despite that he let the smallest of smiles show and let out a 'nine'. Saeko assumed her was keeping the 'ten' in reserve in case somebody showed up with something miraculous.

Dumbledore smiled grandfatherly as usual but disappointed with a 'nine' of his own.

Bagman made a show of thinking, playing it for the crowd - a bit sad in Saeko's opinion - and finally decided on a 'nine' as well.

Karkaroff was going last and Saeko tried really hard not to react at the 'six' she got from the oily man. The mostly Hogwarts crowd wasn't appreciative either, but the Durmstrang headmaster just shrugged.

“ _And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen_ ” Bagman took up commentating again, “ _Total score for Miss Uchiha from Hogwarts is forty-one! My, my, this is going to be difficult to top! Difficult indeed, and the first one that will try is going to be Miss Delacour from Beauxbatons!”_

Saeko took it as her cue to leave the spotlight and join her grinning Head of House. Flitwick was nearly hopping in excitement “That was marvelous Miss Uchiha! And I'm ever so glad you're uninjured.”

“Thank you, professor” the Uchiha beamed at the praise.

“I had been most worried when I was told about the dragon, but you handled it very well. Not that I doubted you would” the diminutive teacher winked, “So, what do want to do now?”

“Sir?”

“You can watch the other champions follow in your footsteps or you can go to the first-aid tent” Flitwick nodded towards the tent in question, “Personally I would rather Madame Pomfrey checked you out. Just in case you see. And I am told a certain aspirant healer might be there too.”

Saeko chuckled “I better go to my better half.”

“Might be wise,” Flitwick laughed, “Your… other you did some stunts that were heart-stopping. Also, I would like to discuss this task and the magic involved with you at a later date. Just come by my office.”

“Will do, sensei” the ninja nodded and took off in the direction of the first-aid tent.

Madam Pomfrey greeted her with a glare at the entrance of the tent “Dragons, I really can't believe it!”

“I'm fine, thank you for your vast concern” Saeko said with light sarcasm.

“Oh, shush” the nurse rolled her eyes and quickly performed a diagnostic spell, “You're fine.”

“I know” the ninja grinned.

Pomfrey smirked “Might not last.”

“Why?” Saeko asked but then turned when she felt Lauren's presence appear behind her. When she noticed the rather pissed expression she gulped “Oh.”

“Oooh, this is going to be good” the school nurse grinned.

Lauren stalled any comment her lover would want to make with a gesture and then invaded her personal space only to growl “You're lucky you hinted at a clone otherwise I would have to punch you right now.”

“I was perfectly safe underground” Saeko hastily assured.

“I know” the red-head growled again, “Which is why I didn't punch you.”

“You're no fun” Pomfrey pouted and left the tent to monitor Fleur Delacour's progress with the dragon.

“Sadistic old lady” Saeko murmured under her breath.

“As opposed to you, who just had a clone do ballet with a massive dragon?”

The Uchiha noted the crossed arms, the tapping of the foot and wisely chose an all-compassing “Sorry.”

Lauren sighed “Well, it looked good.”

Saeko grinned widely “Thanks!” Lauren just smiled in response. The brunette pouted “I kinda expected more passion, you know - either you royally pissed or excited by my performance. Both I could work with.”

“Work with? Crude… but I see your point. The acrobatics _was_ pretty amazing”

“Worth a reward?”

“Well, this tent does have four compartments, one per champion”

“Since it's mine, it _would_ be a shame not to use it”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I hope I did the First Task justice. It might've been a bit quick but I saw no way around it. Besides - hypnotizing the dragon (as Fleur did) or hit them in the eye (as Krum did) doesn't take that long either.
> 
> AN: Comments? Reviews? *hint, hint* Let me feel your love :-D


	133. 7- 132 What Came First

 

The day after the First Task the Ravenclaw poker group spent lounging in their House's common room, doing nothing at all - it was a rainy Sunday, ideal for spending it around a fireplace. The seventh years decided to skip communal breakfast and make their own over the fire.

“Can't believe you showed up at the meeting with sex hair” Paddy chuckled as he checked the status of his meal.

“I can't believe you are having s'mores for breakfast” Saeko shot back.

“Don't judge” the Irish grinned, “What did the other champions say when you went to the meet freshly fucked?”

“Language” Helena reprimanded.

“Like you don't want to know” Graham smirked.

The blonde shrugged “Of course I do, but it can be done with class.”

“It wasn't _that_ obvious” Saeko grumbled.

Ashley laughed “It was. It really was.”

Peter nodded “She's right, we saw you two afterwards, remember?”

“Hn”

“So what did they say?” Paddy asked eagerly.

Saeko rolled her eyes “Nothing. Fleur did seem amused though. And Bagman shot me a wink. Ugh.”

“An old, balding has-been intent on reliving his glory days,” Helena pursed her lips in disgust, “Ugh indeed.”

“As beater he was awesome” Caitlin chimed in, “At least that's what my dad says.”

Daniel shrugged “That I do not know, but he disappointed me yesterday - I mean, why did Potter deserve full marks? He caught fire.”

“Only a little” Peter countered.

“But Saeko was faster, neater and uninjured” the Head-Boy said pointedly.

“You flatterer” Saeko grinned.

“Well, at least you're in first place” Ash hummed.

“By a sole point” the Uchiha sighed.

Helena shrugged “It was rigged anyway.”

“Gotta do better the next task” Graham winked to indicate he was joking, “When is it anyway?”

“February 24th”

“So late?”

“We got a riddle to solve” Saeko shrugged.

“Oh?” the blonde heiress perked up, “Do tell?”

“It's the egg - it's supposed to contain a clue but when I opened it this horrible shrieking was all that came out” the ninja frowned.

“Everybody's at breakfast, bring the egg here” Ashley suggested.

Peter nodded eagerly “Yeah, I want to hear it.”

“Maybe we could help” Daniel nodded as well.

Everybody seemed to agree so Saeko stood up with a sigh “Alright, but I warned you. Oh and Helena, keep an eye on my breakfast, will you?”

When the blonde nodded in reply the ninja jogged to her room to retrieve her trophy from the first round of the Triwizard Tournament. The golden egg was just where she left it, on the bottom of her closet where she flung it after the first try at solving the clue.

“Well, open it up!” Paddy exclaimed when Saeko put the egg in front of her friends.

The Uchiha did so, cringing in anticipation. True to her word, unbearable shrieking erupted form the egg. She let it do its thing for a little while longer and then snapped it back close.

“Merlin, that was horrible!” Caitlin winced.

“Told ya”

“My poor ears”

“Sucks to be you,” Paddy said lightly, “I don't want to hear this ever again.”

“Hear, hear”

Graham hummed “Seems like sirens to me.”

…

“Huh?” Saeko said unintelligently.

“Graham?” Daniel arched an eyebrow.

“Sirens?” Peter said skeptically.

“Sirens” Graham nodded.

“How do _you_ know?” Helena asked with narrowed eyes.

“Hey! I know things. Besides, weren't you making fun of me that I like sailing and the sea? I did my research” the bearded man huffed.

“True” Caitlin hesitantly agreed.

“Sirens, huh?” Saeko hummed, a bit disappointed.

“Aww, is the little Uchiha genius sad because I solved the riddle before her?” Graham asked in a fake baby voice.

“Kinda. Yeah”

The Brit grinned brilliantly “Oh what a great day, being better than the Hogwarts champion!”

“Enjoy it while it lasts” Paddy chuckled.

“But I can do even better!” Graham exclaimed and struck a superhero pose which was ruined a bit by the fact he didn't bother to stand up for it, “I can tell you how to get the entire riddle.”

“Ok” Saeko prompted.

“Say please”

“Hn”

“Nope, not it”

The Uchiha rolled her eyes and with mock reluctance she drawled out “Pleeease.”

Graham tapped his bottom lip dramatically and then smirked “I'll take it. All you need to do is open that egg under water. Then the screeching will become perfectly understandable singing.”

“I'm impressed” Saeko bowed minutely. The boy puffed out his chest in pride.

“Shocked more like it” Helena murmured.

“Aren't we all” Caitlin chucked.

Daniel hummed “Now I don't know if we should stop making pirate jokes or do them more often.”

“The former please” Graham smiled sweetly.

“Well, you did help me” Saeko said as she handed her tea cup to her blonde friend for a refill, “But then again, I wasn't really around when the joke started. I don't have voting rights.”

Graham looked hopefully at the rest of the poker group which immediately huddled up, presumably to discus the issue. The boy pouted.

Finally the group had broken up and Caitlin selected as speaker. Graham smiled charmingly “So?”

The Irish girl shrugged “Nah, it's still funny.”

“Noo!” the 'pirate' seemed to deflate.

“But…”

“Yes?” Graham looked up sharply.

“If your information will help Saeko win the Second Task, we'll revisit the issue”

Graham looked at the ninja with hope in his eyes “I'll help you win thing even if it's the last thing I do.”

It was Saeko's turn to exclaim “Noo! This is punishment for ME!”

“Deal with it” Helena smirked.

“Let's take the egg and go to the bathroom!” Graham proposed, ignoring the blonde heiress.

“What, no!” the ninja panicked.

“We can use the tub”

As Graham dragged the pale Saeko away Paddy called after them “Don't forget the bubbles!”

* * *

**Great Hall**

After a double period of 'constant vigilance' the seventh years were eager for dinner. Their lessons with Moody were always exhausting, both physically and mentally, and ended in a mountain of homework.

The usually chatty group entered the Great Hall without a word and sat down at the Ravenclaw table, waiting for dinner-time. The elves must've realized someone was already hungry and sent up snacks. Helena immediately appropriated the tea and poured a cup to everybody.

As Saeko took the offered beverage she tiredly looked up at the sound of flapping wings. The subsequent caw let her know it was for her.

“Mail this late?” Daniel murmured.

“There is no set time for it” Caitlin shrugged and offered the bird a slice of roast beef.

Saeko took a sip of her tea and opened the letter. It was from Neji, an unexpected but very welcome surprise.

_Dear Saeko,_

_I just returned from a mission with your most youthful rival - Naruto. Despite having command, I found the blonde menace interfering with everything but also somehow miraculously charm our client. More on that later._

_Priestess Shion, our client, has a most fascinating power - the ability to predict the future, or more accurately, predict people's deaths. Naturally with this gift came the cold acceptance of fate. As you might guess Naruto was more than irked about her attitude and resolved to 'change it, believe it!'. He also commented Shion-sama was even worse than me in that regard, and I am inclined to agree. Nonetheless I was most pleased and gratified that Uzumaki did manage to defy fate in the end._

_Despite his undeniable ability and success, I'm happy to say you are still quite ahead. By a lot. Especially attitude-wise. And social skills, surprising as it might be with your Uchiha genes. The priestess, as her parting words, blatantly propositioned Uzumaki and he was completely, utterly oblivious. Even Lee, LEE!, got the innuendo but not Naruto. I came to doubt Jiraiya's reputation or alternatively his teaching skills._

_Yes, you read correctly. Shion asked Naruto to help her 'make a new generation of priestesses' and he agreed with his usual exuberance but null brain power. This incident only cemented my opinion not to let that blond anywhere near the Hokage hat._

_And Hinata-sama. Although I fear that is a lost cause. It is my belief that one day Hinata-sama will get finally fed up with Naruto's obliviousness and will confront him directly, despite that being well outside her comfort zone. Since that will not help - Shion truly couldn't have been blunter - Hinata will have to bash him over the head, take him somewhere remote, tie him up and then ride him until he sees the light._

Saeko sprayed the tea she was drinking all over the table and Peter, who was sitting directly opposite her. Then she began to choke.

“Dude!” Peter exclaimed and quickly wiped his face.

Caitlin whacked the ninja on her back when her choking didn't relent “You alright?”

The Uchiha used a napkin and then grinned widely “Neji, my best friend in Konoha, he almost never jokes but when he does…”

“Want to share the joke?” Graham prompted.

“Nah,” Saeko shook her head, “He's just gossiping.”

Paddy pouted “Aww, not fair. I wanted something to amuse me too, because NEWTs are like the exact opposite of amusing.”

“Hear, hear” Ash nodded.

As her friends started complaining about their work-load, Saeko returned to her letter, eager for more dry wit.

_Speaking of romance, I am quite sure the Shikamaru/Temari one is well underway. I have seen them interact when their mission joined ours._

_As for everything else, Konoha seems calm lately. The threat of Akatsuki still looms over us but the organization itself has made no direct confrontations. But I am sure Jiraiya-sama and the rest our upper-echelons are monitoring the situation closely. I hope that when they do strike again, you will back in the Village._

_In this lull Anko-san has taken it up to herself to irritate me whenever she sees me, which is suspiciously often. If you could get her to stop I'd be most grateful._

Saeko smirked - knowing her purple-haired friend, chances were high she came onto Neji. Which had the potential to be hilarious. She decided to write to Anko later, getting more details.

_Also, If you could make her stop trying to use the pun 'captive audience' while playing with ropes that'd be splendid._

That was actually a good pun. Sometimes Neji was downright un-youthful.

_I hope your mission is going well. People here have been asking me, your best friend, about Ren and her absence in the Village. Of course I told them she is with you on your mission and will be returning when you do. I sincerely hope that is the truth, I came to like her very much._

_In your last letter you have been asking about Kurenai-san and her baby, yes she's showing. Also, I trust your question was a joke - you know very well that I can't just 'see' inside to tell you the gender of the baby. Thy byakugan doesn't work that way. Besides, I am no expert but I think it is too early in the pregnancy to know anyway._

_There is one thing that might interest you - I have begun considering joining ANBU. Not right now, but perhaps in time. I'd like to know your opinion on the matter. I have asked your brother, Itachi-sama, about the general work and life in the corps. From his, non-classified, recounting I confess myself intrigued. Naturally as I am to be the Head of the Branch Family in a few years, this assignment would only be temporary. Or maybe I could pass the position to Hanabi-sama, once she gets the Caged Bird Seal, and then follow in your brother's footsteps to rise up, maybe even to Commander. It would help you decide which one of us, myself or Shikamaru-san, would be your jounin-commander ;-)_

_Yes, I have tried those 'smiley faces' you wrote about. I don't see the appeal._

_I am in no rush to decide, I merely wanted to let you know that ANBU is something I am considering._

_That all about sums up the happenings in Konoha. At last as far I am concerned._

_I hope my letter finds you in good health. Do give my best wishes to Ren as well._

_Sincerely,_

_Hyuuga Neji_

Saeko put down the letter, deep in thought. ANBU, huh? That surely was something to ponder although she wasn't really thrilled about the prospect. ANBU ninja were always so _busy_. Then again, she had no room to talk after vanishing for the whole year to Hogwarts.

“Bad news? You were so happy before” Daniel asked.

The kunoichi looked up to see if he was talking to her. Since he was she answered “No, not really. That said, I wouldn't mind a cheer-me-up.”

“Booze?” Graham perked up.

“I was thinking chocolate, but sure”

* * *

**Prefect's Bathroom**

“I just love this bathroom” Lauren exhaled contentedly, already half-submerged while her lover was still disrobing.

“Which you wouldn't have even seen if I didn't take you here” Saeko reminded.

“Thank you, darling”

“I love it too, it kind of reminds me of the _onsen_ back in Konoha” the ninja smiled as she too immersed herself in the hot water.

Lauren hummed “I like the _onsen_ better. But not having to check for Jiraiya is definitely a point for this spa.”

“Hn” Saeko chuckled.

The two girls fell silent, both enjoying the luxurious bathroom without the need for talk. After a while the red-head started playing with all the faucets, claiming she was 'experimenting'.

When she finally got bored Lauren turned back to her girlfriend “Hey, did you bring that golden egg with you?”

“You asked”

“Splendid” Lauren smiled, “I wanted to hear the riddle.”

“I told you what it said”

“But I want to hear it myself. I'm curious. Besides, I already heard the screech, might as well get the translated version”

“Suit yourself” the ninja shrugged and pointed at the pile of clothes, “It's in the bag, I didn't want to seal it.”

Lauren grumbled at having to fetch it herself but got out of the water. Once she was back in she asked “So I just hold it under?”

“Your head too, or it won't work”

As the Slytherin nodded and submerged herself, Saeko recited the poem in her thoughts - she really didn't like all the implications.

It went

_Come seek us where our voices sound,_  
We cannot sing above the ground,  
And while you're searching ponder this:  
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,  
An hour long you'll have to look,  
And to recover what we took,  
But past an hour, the prospect's black,  
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

which could mean all sorts of things. All of them not good, especially the last part. She had already sent Skygge to the Ministry to see if she could find the specifics of the task.

“Gah!” Lauren spluttered as she resurfaced.

“Are you alright?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“That song was long” the red-head answered between deep breaths.

“Hn. Thoughts?”

Lauren hummed “Well, the timer part is obvious. As is the location.”

“The Black Lake” the kunoichi nodded.

“Indeed. You might want to scout it beforehand”

Saeko exhaled loudly “Yeah. I'll do that when the Task grows nearer.”

“The water too cold for you?” Lauren smirked, “You think it will be better in February?”

“No, but I'll get a better understanding of the environment in which I'll be competing”

“You could try to make nice with the merpeople if you went now”

“Hn”

The Brit laughed “I take it back - wouldn't want to antagonize them before there is need.”

“Hn” Saeko smirked.

“Any idea what ' _you'll sorely miss'_?”

“Not yet” the sharingan user frowned, “But it doesn't sound fun.”

“You'll get it back whatever it is,” Lauren assured, “I mean, it's not even a week after the dragon and you already solved the riddle.”

“Believe it or not it was Graham”

“Gifford?”

“Know any other Grahams?”

“No smartass, you know what I meant”

“He's a true Ravenclaw when he stops dicking around”

“I know,” the Snake said surly, “He gets better grades than me.”

“Not in Potions or Herbology” Saeko shrugged.

“That'd be sad” Lauren said seriously.

“Too true.” That response earned her a swift slap to the abdomen.

Saeko used the lull in conversation to wash her long hair. Lauren mumbled something about 'hair porn' and followed suit.

“Ready to go?” the Brit asked once she was done.

“Already?” Saeko cocked her head to the side.

“Well, I'm starting to prune”

The ninja smirked “Easily solved.” She approached the red-head and in a flash she lifted her on the rim of the pool.

“What are you doing?” Lauren asked with a smirk of her own.

Saeko ran her lips over the Brit's jaw and then pressed a light kiss there “I thought it obvious.”

“You may proceed then”

The brunette chuckled and returned her lips to her lover's pulse-point while her thumbs caressed the sensitive underside of Lauren's breasts. Then she moved her mouth lower, and captured one of the stiff peaks, sucking on it harshly.

Lauren threaded her fingers in the ebony Uchiha hair and arched into the ninja's mouth. Saeko hummed appreciatively and switched breasts while scraping her nails on the red-head's thighs that had long lost the slight tan they had acquired in Konoha.

“This is nice and all” Lauren said breathlessly, “But I'd appreciate if you get on with it.”

“Get to the main course?”

“Yes. And we'll talk about you making bad puns later”

“That was an excellent pun!”

“Weren't you about to eat me out?”

“Hn”

As the brunette obliged and slid further down, a not overly loud giggle reverberated through the surprisingly acoustic bathroom.

Lauren's head shot up “Myrtle!”

The ghost of the long dead girl tried to hide behind one of the ceiling beams but that wasn't fooling anyone.

“Is that a problem and should I try an exorcism?” Saeko mumbled.

“You're ok with this?”

“I'm friends with Anko”

Lauren hesitated “Hm, that's actually an excellent argument.”

“Besides, Mytrle had been basically been a voyeur for ages, what we are doing in nothing new to her”

“Call me a prude, but I'm not comfortable with that”

Saeko sighed heavily and came back up “Alright.”


	134. 7- 133 Normal in the Abnormal

 

“It really got cold, huh?” Roger commented as the Team trekked from the quidditch pitch.

Jaden rolled his eyes “What was your first clue, the snow?”

“Jaden” Saeko reprimanded lightly.

The chaser sighed “Sorry, it's just that today I had other plans than training.”

“A date?” Caitlin immediately turned to face him. Jaden just huffed.

“We have a schedule” Roger, the acting captain reminded sternly, “You should've worked around it.”

“Like the rest of us” Cho nodded.

“You got plans too?” Rodney asked.

“Tomorrow,” the petite seeker replied, “It's Hogsmeade weekend after all.”

“Don't overdo it with the candy” Saeko smirked, “I gave Roger the scales.”

“The after-Christmas scales?” Jaden paled.

“I hate those scales” Cho growled, “They're depressing.”

“I am sure that is the scales' fault” James dead-panned.

“Shut it”

“Speaking of, will you all be staying or going for Yule?” Rodney asked.

Caitlin scoffed “I'm not missing the Ball.”

Roger nodded “Me too.”

“Me three” Cho chimed in immediately.

“I'll be staying too, at least for the Ball. Flitwick said it's mandatory for me” Saeko shrugged, “Maybe after it I'll make a jump to Konoha.”

“Is Lauren going with you?” Caitlin asked eagerly.

“I haven't decided if I'll be going yet myself”

“Do we even know who will be allowed to go to the Yule Ball?” James hummed, “Surely not first-years.”

“Fourth-years up? Because of Potter?” Saeko thought out-loud.

Jaden nodded “Seems plausible.”

“Guys? Do you hear singing or that's only me?” Roger spoke up.

“No, I hear it” the ninja nodded and started looking for the source of the sound.

It turned out the culprits were the Hufflepuffs. The yellow-clad cabal was playing in the snow, but instead of the usual snow fight they were dancing with animated snowmen and singing.

“Are you seeing what I'm seeing?”

“I hope not, because what I'm seeing is pretty crazy”

 “It seems like a scene from a musical”

The Ravenclaw quidditch team watched on, utterly astonished. James defined the scene perfectly and while Hogwarts was site of many crazy things, this was definitely unusual.

“Should we go to Sprout and tell her her students are high?” Caitlin spoke after a while.

“Maybe it's something they do - I mean we have our 'exciting thing of the year'” Cho said unsurely.

“I like the song” Saeko hummed.

“Catchy” Rodney nodded.

“Still weird” Jaden shrugged.

Roger cleared his throat “Are we going to get warm or do you want to stay?”

“I wanna watch”

“Yeah, cold never bothered me anyway”

* * *

**Hogwarts Kitchens**

“This is your idea of a big date?” Lauren arched an eyebrow, “Milk and cookies?”

“Excellent cookies” Saeko corrected and turned to the house elf, “Thank you Eight.”

The little creature grinned toothily and returned to his oven. Lauren arched an eyebrow “Eight?”

“His previous owner wasn’t overly imaginative”

The red-head hummed in acknowledgment “And since when you know the house elves by name?”

“Since my first meal that was actually edible” Saeko smirked. At this several of the elves turned to her and glowered. The ninja coughed “I mean better for my delicate stomach.”

The little fellows smiled and returned to their work. Lauren laughed at her lover's quick recovery but didn't comment - it was wise not to antagonize those who cooked your food.

“Oooh, ginger spice cookies!” the ninja exclaimed happily when one of the mollified elves presented another tray of treats.

Lauren smiled while her had shot forward at impressive speed to steal several of the cookies “My favorites as well.” After scarfing down tree of them a dark cloud passed over her expression.

Saeko noticed it “What is it?”

The Slytherin hesitated but then shrugged nonchalantly “Nothing. I just remembered my very few tries at baking.”

“The pureblood princess tried something so pedestrian?” the jounin teased.

“She did” Lauren huffed, “I needed to get away from the family for a little while and the kitchens is somewhere they would never think to look, pedestrian as you said. And while I was there I thought, hey, it's similar to potions.”

“And how did it turn out?” Saeko smirked.

“Not. Well.”

“Any explosions?”

“No”

“Buuut?” the Uchiha prompted.

Lauren rolled her eyes “There might've been a bit of a stench and carbonized foodstuff.”

Saeko sniggered. When the Brit shot her a glare she smirked “Hey, I can cook.”

“Itachi told on you” Lauren countered.

“Ok, so I can only cook when needed in the field” the younger girl corrected.

Before the Brit could capitalize on that admission Eight returned with another plate of cookies “Chocolate chip!”

“Oooh!” the two girls chorused and greedily took them. Eight practically beamed.

In the silence that followed - they were just too busy munching - a sudden sobbing sound could be head quite well, even over the clanging of pans and the sizzling of cooking.

Saeko arched an eyebrow and quickly swallowed “What was that?”

Eight's expression turned sour “It's nothing. How about hazelnuts in the next batch?”

“That sound lovely” Lauren nodded, “But no more, I don't want to get fat.”

“I'll help you work up a sweat later”

“Perv. But really Eight, who was that? Sounded like crying” the red-head frowned. Eight shrugged and left.

Saeko was just too curious and quickly found the source of the sobbing. The she returned to Lauren “Hey, have you ever seen a drunk house elf? I kinda thought… well, something else.”

“Drunk elf? Really?” the red-head arched and eyebrow and then scurried to see for yourself, even if the other elves were giving her them the stink-eye. “Curious.”

“I thought so as well”

“Which gives me an idea” Lauren hummed and turned to their audience, “How about rum-flavored cookies.” All the elves perked up considerably and with grins returned to their cooking.

“So, what's up with Helena? I met her in the Owlery but she blew me off”

“She's busy with paperwork - her father sent some business-related documents” Saeko shrugged, “She's a little stressed. She really wants to be the perfect heiress.”

“Don't we all” Lauren murmured sullenly.

Unwilling to touch that topic Saeko continued “And Balthazar seems a little down lately”

The red-head arched an eyebrow “That'd be her cat, right?”

“Yup”

“I hope she doesn't have the bright idea to bring him to Pomfrey, she hates when people assume she can heal animals too”

“Is it really that different?” Saeko asked, quite curious.

Lauren hummed “To be honest not overly, but there are some big differences. Plus some things are simply meant only for humans and if used can have unforeseen results. Also people are often far too attached to their pets and are neurotic. You know Pomfrey dislikes neurotic.”

The Uchiha chuckled “I do know. I think Helena thinks of bringing him to Hagrid.”

“That's where Pomfrey sends the proud pet owners” the red-head nodded, “After almost making them piss themselves, that is.”

“Pomfrey's the best” Saeko laughed.

“She could give Tsunade a run for her money” Lauren smirked.

“If Tsunade actually had any” the Uchiha sighed, “Konoha had to draw up a payment plan for her creditors to back away.”

“Lest they fund the enemy?”

“Exactly”

“Can't you just, you know, _do_ , something about it?”

Saeko rubbed the back of her neck “Well, some of the more… unsavory creditors may have had some accidents. A minor crime lord here, a corrupted politician there… But she has a lot of debt. And most of it is to people we need to be around.”

“Bummer”

“Pretty much”

“The doctors at the hospital said she made some good changes, so it's not all bad”

“Sure. I feel the love every time she gives me my physical”

Lauren chuckled “Yeah, she's not a fan of you. She thinks you're an arrogant brat.”

“Doesn't help that I am” Saeko sighed.

“Yup”

* * *

**Charms Classroom**

“Well done everybody!” Flitwick clapped his hands together a few moments before the bell was supposed to ring, “Very well done. But keep practicing on your own. That is it, the only homework I will be giving you today. Now, if my 'Claws could stay behind.”

The Ravens stayed in their seats, all grinning - it wasn't hard to guess their Head of House will be officially announcing the Yule Ball. Even if they knew about the even beforehand they were all excited.

Flitwick smiled widely “As you may have already heard, the Triwizard Tournament is traditionally accompanied with another event - the Yule Ball.” The seventh years erupted in cheers which made the diminutive professor smile even wider “Indeed, I'm looking forward to it as well. “

“The Ball will take place Christmas Day in the Great Hall,” the teacher briefed them, “It will begin at eight o'clock and end at midnight. Fourth years and above will be allowed to participate, but it is possible to invite a younger student. Dress robes are of course mandatory. If you somehow 'misplace' them, you'll answer to professor McGonagall.” His smirk was positively evil. All the students nodded immediately - everybody knew that the Transfiguration professor would be… irate.

“Similarly, I hope you will all behave appropriately, you will be representing the School and your House after all. Also feel free to socialize or invite the Beauxbatons or Durmstrang students - that's after all the goal of the Tournament, to foster international cooperation.”

“I thought it was to kick ass” Paddy smirked.

“I thought we're doing that quite satisfactorily already” Flitwick smirked back, eliciting appreciative laughs. “But seriously, be welcoming. That is all, so unless you have questions I'll leave you to the dresses, make-ups, proposals and such” the man smiled tauntingly.

“Gee, thanks” Graham chuckled.

Michelle and her posse started giggling and discussing their boyfriends. Helena mimicked throwing up when they were not looking much to her friends’ amusement.

“Oh and Miss Uchiha?” Flitwick called after them, “You as one of the Champions are leading the fist dance. Just a reminder.”

Saeko nodded “I remember. Graham taught me to dance. As he did with half our House.”

“Excellent! And great initiative Mr. Gifford”

Graham grinned and straightened up in pride “It was no trouble.”

After they left the classroom Helena spoke up grudgingly “Teaching everybody was quite a feat. And you aren't half bad a dancer too.”

“I'm an amazing dancer. If I'd been born muggle I'd be winning pageants”

“Aren't those for girls?” Caitlin smirked.

Peter chuckled “Not only.”

Ash nodded “Pete won a tap-dancing competition when we were younger.”

“Really?” Daniel arched both eyebrows in surprise, “How come we didn't know?”

“It was a long time ago” the boy in question shrugged.

“Anyone has any more hidden talents?” Caitlin asked. When silence followed she sighed “Yeah, me neither.”

“I don't know” Saeko hummed, “Didn't you say your grandmother was a seer?”

The Irish girl shrugged “She was but I didn't inherit the gift. Those powers usually manifest around the time your magic does. So nada for me. But I have been playing around with the idea Lovegood might be a budding seer.”

“Loony?” Paddy arched an eyebrow.

“I could see that” Daniel nodded after mulling it over.

“Well, I'd take her over Trelawney any day” Graham shrugged.

Peter chuckled “Now we're assuming Trelawney actually has the Sight?”

“She must've shown Dumbledore something to get hired” Ash reasoned.

Saeko grimaced “Two words - Gilderoy Lockhart.”

“His reputation was solid,” Helena countered, “Plus the Headmaster cannot afford to be picky. I heard Lockhart was the last person to actually apply to the position of DADA teacher. Dumbledore had to contact Lupin and Moody himself.”

“It worked itself out in the end” Paddy said positively, “I mean we're in the NEWT year and we've got no trouble.”

“True” Daniel agreed.

The Ravens all nodded, falling silent for a little while until Caitlin brought up the Yule Ball again. Or more specifically her dress and how she'd have to find 'some handsome buff fellow to match it'.

Before Helena could make one of her typical acerbic remark Graham spoke “Hey Helena, want to go to the ball with me?”

The blonde turned to face him, utterly surprised “Why?”

Graham shrugged “I want to dance and you can keep up.”

“Keep up? Keep up! I think from our little dance-off we know I can do much more than _keep up_ ” the girl spat out.

“That's a yes?”

Helena huffed “Alright. But you better clean up well.”

“Cool” the bearded Ravenclaw smiled.

“And as long as it's clear this is not a date in any fashion” the tea heiress informed him, “You'll keep your hands in appropriate places, you will not abandon me on the dance floor to chase some floozy and we are going as friends, I suppose, and you will not tell anyone otherwise. Understood?”

“Regretting it yet?” Caitlin stage-whispered.

Graham shrugged “Better than to get dumped on Christmas Day by some girl I invite on a whim. Like this it might actually turn out fun. I agree to your terms.”

“Very well” Helena nodded imperiously, “I'm going to write daddy about it so you better be on your best behavior or he'll pay bounty hunters to beat you up.” With her piece said she stalked off, presumably to the Owlery.

“Ok, now I'm regretting it a little”

Daniel began laughing loudly and couldn't stop. He was soon joined by the rest of his friends.

When they all calmed down Saeko murmured, offended “Why bounty hunters, outsourcing a perfectly good contract.”

“You wouldn't beat me up, right?” Graham tried the puppy-dog eyes.

“Depends on the price” the Uchiha smirked.

“Betrayal!” the boy exclaimed dramatically.

Paddy chuckled “Still can't believe you were the first to get a date to the Ball.”

Daniel coughed pointedly “Not a date.”

“Whatever”

“Besides,” Saeko spoke up, “I am the first one to have a date to the ball. Lauren? My amazing girlfriend?”

“Sure, but have you officially asked her?” Ashley asked.

“No, but it was kind of implied”

“Ha!” Graham smirked, “I win.”

Peter looked in the direction Helena left a moment ago “I dunno. Depends on the bounty hunters, I guess.”


	135. 7- 134 High School without the Musical

 

“It looks like somebody had a lot of fun” Saeko commented as she surveyed the many occupied beds in the infirmary.

Lauren that was just passing her to get to another patient, a busted lip and an impressive bruise over his eye, chuckled “Me or them?”

“I was thinking them, but you seem to be having fun too. What happened?”

“They beat each other up” the red-head smirked, “Over their dates to the Ball. You should've seen it earlier, all the shouting like 'you were flirting with _my_ date!' and 'hands off you sleaze!' It was rather amusing. They almost got into it again but Madame Pomfrey sorted that out really fast. Now they're sulking.”

Saeko nodded sagely “Ah, that makes sense. And I see the girls were more ferocious in their dealings.”

“The blonde over there? I had to regrow half her hair” Lauren pointed subtly.

“So fun all around” the ninja chuckled, “And I take it you'll be busy with this a while longer?”

“Yeah, sorry about our date”

“Duty is duty” Saeko nodded, “I'll catch up with Cho, rumor said Diggory asked her to the Ball.”

Lauren nodded “Score.”

“Excuse me?”

“Objectively speaking”

“Hn, you're right. In a surprising twist he's too girly for my tastes” the Uchiha winked. When Lauren laughed the ninja continued “So I was planning to officially ask you to the Yule Ball during our date. Since that's off, will you go to the Ball with me?”

“Of course I will” the Slytherin smiled and pecked her lover's lips.

Madame Pomfrey cleared her throat behind them “If you two ladies are quite finished, we have another split lip, a possible concussion and some pretty inventive spell damage.”

“Yes Ma'am” Lauren nodded eagerly and with another kiss she left to attend her patients.

Saeko nodded to the school nurse and left her domain with only a small sigh of disappointment, she had been looking forward to their date. Well, a gossip session with Cho wasn't that bad either. Not even close, but not bad.

The ninja trekked up to the Ravenclaw Tower, hoping she'd find her seeker there. Fortunately she needn't look any further since Cho was in their common room, doing homework.

“Hey, Cho”

“Oh, hello Captain” the petite girl smiled, “Here to rescue me from OWL assignments?”

Saeko smiled “I heard about Diggory.”

Cho's eyes practically lit up “He was so sweet! He even conjured me flowers.”

“He always did have a soft spot for you, I'm glad he finally asked you out”

“It's just to the Ball” the fifth year blushed.

“Nah, he means it. He's been eyeing you forever” Saeko smirked, “You two will make a cute couple.”

“Yeah?” Cho asked shyly.

The Uchiha nodded “Indubitably. Be careful though, some girls aren't too happy you managed to snatch McDreamy.”

“He is dreamy, isn't he?” the seeker smiled. Then as another thought occurred to her, the smile dropped slightly but her eyes got that 'I know a juicy piece of gossip' look “He isn't the only one to ask me. A few hours after Cedric, Harry Potter did.”

“Really?” Saeko exclaimed, silently cursing Skygge didn't share that particular information. Sure it wasn't mission critical, but still.

“Yup” Cho nodded, “He was a bit awkward about it but it was really flattering. Surprising though, I haven't even had a conversation with him before.”

The sharingan user smirked “It must've been your grace on the broom that got him. Hey, you could've been the date of one of the Champions! Or Mrs. Boy-Who-Lived.”

“Stop it” the seeker laughed, “He was nice about it.”

“You little heartbreaker”

“That coming from you?”

“If I look proud right now, promise you won't tell it to Lauren?”

Cho snickered “Scout's honor. So, what are going to wear?”

“Got a formal Uchiha kimono in dark blue. You?”

“A traditional dress as well” the younger girl shrugged, “Does your thing have pants? Because I never saw you wearing anything close to a skirt before.”

Saeko looked around to see if anybody was listening and then turned back to her teammate “Ok, yes, it's men's _haori_ and _hakama_ but I figured since nobody here would know what was proper I could get away with it. Besides, you can't dance in a formal kimono. It's too restrictive.”

Cho chuckled “Your secret is safe with me. And what is Lauren wearing?”

“She didn't let me see it” the scarred ninja sighed, “She _apparated_ somewhere during one of the Hogsmeade weekends and let it be delivered by owl. But she says it goes well with the kimono.”

“Dark blue, huh? You really like that color, I see you in it all the time” Cho commented.

Saeko shrugged “Clan color. It goes really well with our crest.”

“That's the white-red circle thingy, right?”

“A fan, but yes. Oh, which reminds me, watch out for Jaden, I think he'd like to ask you to the Ball as well.”

“Jaden?” the seeker blinked in confusion.

“Yup”

“One: Really? Two: How on earth a fan reminded you of Jaden?”

“Dunno and he had a crush on you since forever”

“Truly?”

“Why do you think he hated Diggory?”

“Because all the guys hate Cedric for being perfect?”

“Hn, true, but that wasn't it”

“Well, I'm going out with Cedric so…”

“Sure, just letting you know why Jaden's going to be grumpy the next training”

“Wonderful” Cho rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, it's really difficult being hot” Saeko nodded sagely.

“Indeed” the seeker replied in kind.

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

“So my dress arrived” Helena said happily as she joined the rest of the little poker group.

“You really got it from Madame Morel?” Caitlin put down her magazine, “That must've cost a fortune.”

“Daddy said anything I want” the blonde shrugged.

“Of course he did” Graham smirked.

Helena fixed him with a truly icy glare “Problems?”

“None. At all. Ever.”

“Excellent” the heiress nodded with a satisfied smile, “You know the color, so you'll coordinate appropriately, yes?”

Graham nodded “I know, it's psychedelic violet.” One sharp elbow later, courtesy of Daniel, he corrected “I mean the loveliest shade of violet there is.”

“I'll let you know I look wonderful in violet”

Saeko nodded “She does.”

“And I saw the dress in the catalogue” Ash chimed in, “It's amazing.”

“It better be” Caitlin hummed, “I know houses that cost less than an original Madame Morel.”

“Can we see it?” Daniel asked eagerly.

“Later, I just took it off” the blonde smiled.

“Hey, Ash” Paddy murmured, “Isn't that the drummer of your little 'band'?”

The pinkette just nodded since the sixth year approached within earshot “Hey, Ash, can I talk to you for a minute.”

Ashley just arched an eyebrow but stood up and followed the guy. The eyes of the little poker group first zeroed on the two musicians but swiftly switched to a surprisingly relaxed Peter. The archeologist smirked “Already asked her to the Ball. She said yes.”

“Awesome, dude!” Graham high-fived his friend.

“How come you didn't tell?” Caitlin asked even if she was checking out the handsome drummer.

Peter smiled proudly “I wanted to wait until all those suckers Ash is friends with came running. Ha! Got there first!”

“Don't let Ash hear that” Saeko murmured.

“When did you ask?” Daniel grinned.

“Not long after Graham asked Helena” Peter boasted, “It went with that whole 'let's go as friends' thing he got.”

“But you _don't_ want to go just as friends” Helena reminded with an arched eyebrow.

“I have a plan”

“Oh boy” the group chorused.

“Oh boy, what?” Ashley asked as she sat back down.

“Nothing!” they chorused again.

The pinkette paused but relented “Ok then. So Colin just asked me to the Ball.”

“And you said no because you go with Pete, right?” Daniel smiled.

Ash nodded “Yeah, how do you know? You told them Pete? And by the way, I still don't get why you didn't want them to know before.”

“I had my reasons”

“And what about you Daniel, got a date yet?” Graham smirked.

“As a matter of fact yes” the Head Boy beamed, “Got asked just this morning.”

“Who, who, who, who?” Ash asked eagerly, Paddy and Caitlin joining in on the chant.

“The Durmstrang guy I was hanging out with in the Library? Him” Daniel grinned.

Caitlin hummed “Johan or Alexei?”

“You dog” Saeko smirked.

“Alexei” the bespectacled answered indulgently as his friends snickered.

“You like the beard, huh” Graham winked as he caressed his own.

“He's super cute, nicely done!” Caitlin half-hugged Daniel.

Ashley smacked her lips “Oh yeah, dark, sharp features, amazing hair. Great catch.”

“Humpf”

Everybody ignored Peter and complimented Daniel on his date. Then Paddy hummed “Hey, man, what will you be wearing anyway?”

“Got very nice robes in dark red” the Head Boy replied, “And Alexei will be wearing the Durmstrang formal outfit which looks like a military uniform. Very fetching.”

“That's it?” Graham said disappointedly.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry, I just kinda expected you'd be more into all those dresses things and stuff”

Daniel arched an eyebrow “Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I get overly excited about fashion.”

“I know” the bearded Raven looked away.

“Were you expecting something like…” Daniel paused to think of something and then crossed his legs and gasped dramatically “Oh dear gods, are you wearing sky-blue eye-shadow with a chartreuse dress? Oh honey, that just won't do.”

“Spot on”

When Saeko calmed down from her fit of laughter she grinned “Loved it! It only needed a hand to your heart and it would've been perfect.”

“I'll take note for next time” Daniel smirked.

“Graham, why do you keep asking those sorts of questions?” Caitlin sighed.

Paddy chuckled “I'd like to say something embarrassing about him, but he just has a gay cousin. A very stereotypically gay cousin.”

Graham nodded “Haven't seen him in ages, since the family never even talks about him, but he always behaved differently than Daniel.”

“Plus Graham thinks he's funny” Helena smirked.

The bearded man pouted and Peter patted his back “There, there.”

Daniel shrugged “I don't mind, I'm just glad we don't have a homophobic gang like Durmstrang does. Alexei told me about it and I don't envy him. Fortunately no one form it had been selected for a chance to compete in the Tournament so they aren't here.”

“What do they do” Saeko frowned.

“Well, Alexei is the third best duelist in the school thanks to all the 'practice' he gets” the Head Boy grimaced.

“And Karkaroff lets it?” Peter asked.

“Not really, if they get caught they get punished, mainly for fighting in the hallways, but he's a very typical pureblood in that regard”

“Well, we didn't like him anyway” Ash said lightly, “Biased piece of shit.”

“Back to the scores of the first task?” Daniel chuckled, glad for the change of subject.

“No way our Saeko deserved a 6!”

Saeko smiled “Aww, love you too.”

“Oh, why now, it was such a lovely day” Helena growled.

Paddy wanted to ask her what was it but then everybody spotted Michelle and her two friends making their way over.

“You know, one would say you would've gotten used to her after nearly seven years of rooming with her” Ashley commented.

“Some days it isn't bad” the blonde admitted reluctantly, “But not with the Yule Ball coming up. She squeals. And wants to _talk_.”

“Heavens forbid”

“I don't want to talk about dresses with someone who has obviously been taking fashion tips from Hello Kitty!”

“Pink, huh?”

“Reeeeeeeeally pink”

* * *

**Outside of Transfiguration Classroom**

“Hey, Cap?”

Saeko turned from her friends to spot Roger leaning on a wall nearby. She made excuses to her fellow Ravens and went to the chaser. The ninja arched an eyebrow in confusion when the normally assured Roger started shuffling his feet and look nervous. “You're not going to invite me to the Ball, right?” she joked.

“No” the boy chuckled nervously, “But it is about the Ball.”

“Spill” Saeko prompted when he stayed silent for too long.

“I...” Roger started but had to clear his throat. Saeko was unamused and crossed her arms and started tapping the floor with her foot. Knowing the signs the sixth-year immediately continued “Out of the blue Fleur Delacour, you know, the Beauxbatons champion, approached me.”

“Yeeees, I'm familiar with her”

“Yeah, right” Roger gulped and nodded, “So she did that. And we started talking. Well, to be honest she started talking and I…”

“Drooled?”

“Pretty much, yeah” was the embarrassed reply, “And she was turning up the charm so finally I asked if she would go to the Ball with me. And she accepted!” His speech finished he looked up, waiting for Saeko's reaction.

He was quite surprised but very much relieved when the Uchiha merely shrugged “Cool.”

“Oh, thank Merlin!”

“Why would that be a problem?”

“She's the enemy, isn't she?” Roger said flatly, “Since we're friends she might try to get information about you and, well, I won't be able to refuse. But I'll try!”

“Don't bother” Saeko smiled, “Just have a nice evening. It's not like you know all my secrets.”

“Yeah, but still. I wanted to tell you, you know, so you don't think me a traitor”

“I'm not”

“Great” the chaser finally sagged in relief at his Captain's blessing of his date. It was actually kinda funny now that he wasn't nervous.

Saeko smirked “Besides,  don't think she chose you only to pump information - after all you _are_ one of the best looking males in the school. Definitely the most fit. And that is a lot coming from me.”

“The die-hard lesbian?” Roger chuckled.

“Precisely” the girl winked.

“Thanks, I'm flattered” Davies grinned, “Hey, and guess what else happened? Weasley asked Fleur too! With me right there. It was hilarious - she was _so_ surprised. And then she sneered. With that expression she rivaled Snape on his bad day! It was awesome.”

“Fred or George?”

“Neither!” Roger laughed, “The little one, Potter's friend.”

Saeko's jaw dropped “Ron?”

“I guess”

“Dear Kami” the raven summoner chuckled, “And what did he do?”

“When he realized what he just said, he fled”

“Sensible” Saeko shrugged, “She must've been really turning up the charm for you. Or Weasley is especially susceptible to it, or just plain stupid. I wouldn't discount that possibility just yet.”

“He's like, what, thirteen?” Roger roared in laughter.

“Fourteen I think” the ninja shrugged, “Or close to it.”

Davies was still chuckling but changed the subject “So hey, since the training are temporarily on hold, what about you and me go a round of kick-boxing. We haven't trained together for a while.”

“Not right now, but sure. Have you been writing to Jared?”

“Yup, and did you know he is dating someone? He's all gooey about it. I'm happy for him”

“I heard, he sent me a photo too”

“She hot?”

Saeko smirked “That the first thing you ask? But yeah, and she seems nice.”

Roger smiled lecherously but then his smile dropped into something sadder “Hey, Cap. Will you too keep in touch once this year is over?”

“I… I don't know” the nin hesitated, “Getting mail out of Konoha is hard when it isn't business. But yeah, I'll try.”

“That'd be great” Davies sighed unenthusiastically.

“Hey, for real! I'll want to know that Ravenclaw keeps winning” Saeko smirked.

“You betcha it will” the chaser cheered up, “I will continue your legacy of total Ravenclaw domination.”

“Not total, the House cup has eluded us three years ago” the Uchiha said in false modesty.

Roger laughed “Well, you being Hogwarts champion just coined your legend.”

“I do love the sound of that”

“Who wouldn't” the boy smiled, “Hey, I really need to go, we'll get together for that kick-boxing soon, yeah?”

Saeko nodded “Saturday? Just meet me in the Tower.”

“Sure thing. Bye”

“Bye”

The ninja checked the time and then set towards the Ravenclaw Tower, she still had plenty of before time dinner.

When she entered the Common Room she immediately noticed a dancing Paddy. She paused momentarily and then approached her friends with an expression that practically screamed 'what the fuck?'

“Dear Patrick managed to get a date to the Ball” Helena said in explanation, her eyes not wavering from the chess board between her and Daniel.

“Hn” the Uchiha nodded and sat down.

“Not going to ask who it is?” the ecstatic Irishman asked.

“I assume you're going to tell me”

Paddy grinned “Rose Hewlett!”

Saeko's eyes narrowed as she tapped her bottom lip in thought “Strangely enough I recognize the name. Who is she?”

“Maybe you slept with her in the past?” Caitlin smirked.

Ignoring Paddy's impassioned 'NO!' the ninja shook her head slowly “I don't think so.”

“She's also Ted Hewlett's little sister? Hufflepuff prefect in our year?” Ashley put forward.

“Hn, that must be it” Saeko nodded in satisfaction.

“Good, good” Patrick breathed in relief.

Graham chuckled “Pity, that would've been hilarious.”

“Not for me” his best friend glared.

Caitlin laughed “It would've. And on that note I have a date as well, marking us all taken for the Ball.”

“Who?” Ash asked eagerly.

“A stud from Beauxbatons” the chaser smirked, “Tall, dark brown hair in a pony tail, green eyes. He's in our Care for Magical Creatures Class.”

“Oh, I know him” Peter nodded.

“He got a name?” Graham asked.

“Lucien. Lucien Mathieu” Caitlin smiled.

Saeko hummed “Isn't he the guy with the very bad English?”

“Who cares, he's hot”

Pater shivered dramatically “I feel objectified.”

“Hush”

“So, that's it” Daniel chuckled, “We passed the secret task of the Triwizard Tournament.”

When everybody laughed Saeko remarked “I dunno, this was way easier than dragons.”

“I agree, I mean, even Hagrid got a date” Ashley smirked.

“Who?”

“Maxime”

“The Beauxbatons Headmistress?”

“Who else”

“Those can be some huuge children”

“Ugh, Caitlin! Now I have to bleach my brain!”

“The memory charm, it goes _obliviate_ , right?”


	136. Interlude II - Still Not Singing

 

Lauren once more eyed the tall pile of opened letters she had on her table in the Slytherin dorms and tried really hard to resist the temptation to simply fling them into a fire.

Ever since her return from the summer holidays all her mail triplicated, and the problems that went with them did as well. She had been selectively ignoring some of the letters while actively pursuing others, but it was tedious work. More than that really. More than once she questioned herself - because, why bother, really? Sometimes it seemed so hopeless.

But she had made plenty of headway. Not as much as she hoped to, but more than she realistically expected.

If she were honest with herself it would be much more reassuring and calming if she talked with Saeko about her family matters, but that was a topic she never brought up. And kinda sorta forbade the ninja to talk about. Surprisingly that didn't turn into an argument, but she suspected that was only because the Uchiha kept an eye on her dear aunt and uncle via her summons. Maybe even some crows joined the party - the fact made her quite happy, that somebody did really care.

In that aspect Konoha was a dream. Of course she could recognize a sales pitch when she heard one, which wasn’t a _bad_ thing per se, especially when nobody in Konoha really made secret of that. Sarutobi in particular.

She didn't have words for how she appreciated him being straight with her, or as straight as a politician can be. He told her flat out all the pros and cons of her coming to Konoha permanently. Some of them she hadn't even considered before. Like the fact that at some point, she probably would be expected to have children to preserve her magic and tolerate Saeko having proud Uchiha children as well. Fortunately not the old-fashioned way though, Konoha science was much more progressed than that. Still, it _was_ better than what Britain offered her in that aspect.

Knowing she would need to make a decision soon she had written the list of pros and cons, and kept adding to it nearly every day. Still, the biggest point was that she plainly didn't want to lose. Running away was forfeiting the Game.

“You still here?” Alexia came into her room without knocking.

“Where should I be?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

The brunette Slytherin crossed her arms “Admiring our dress robes? Isolde's just arrived and wants to show them off. Plus you haven't seen mine either. _Terrence_ saw them before you.”

“Why shouldn't he? You are going with him to the Ball, he needed to coordinate”

“As my friend you are obligated to tell me how good I look in them, so come on. Oh, and bring your own as well. We'll be in Isolde's room” the younger Snake informed.

“Alright” the red-head sighed.

When her friend left she sighed once more. Ever since the Yule Ball had been officially announced she tried to avoid her Housemates as much as possible - each and every one of them had been instructed by their families to 'make connections'. As if the Slytherins weren't networking for years already. But as the Yule Ball was such an opportunity everybody got more pushy. Simply put, classical purebloods.

And that meant _all_ purebloods, not only those in the House of Snakes.

 

**_*Flashback*_ **

_Cormac McLaggen approached her in the Transfiguration section of the Library. Lauren arched a questioning eyebrow since they never interacted much, only once during a ball her aunt threw._

_The well-built fifth year smiled crookedly in an obvious attempt to be charming “Hello Lewis, or can I call you Lauren? We met at a ball two years ago, I was with uncle Tiberius and his Wizengamot friends?”_

_Lauren was hard pressed not to roll her eyes “I do remember McLaggen.”_

_The Gryff grinned when she recognized him “Call me Cormac. Well, since my family had just acquired several apothecaries we were intending to form a chain under a new name. Me and you, as the new Head of the Lewis family, could discuss pooling our resources, as you own the major ingredients business. Maybe during the Yule Ball? You would look wonderful on my arm.”_

_She blinked rapidly at his wording and replied politely “I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot. I am going to the Ball with Saeko Uchiha.”_

_McLaggen chuckled and waved his hand dismissively “That is non-sense, it wouldn't be proper. This is an Event, you can dally with that woman in your spare time.”_

_The red-head did not outwardly react, she was more than used to this kind of attitude, it was typical of English wizards. Her own family didn't really protest to her affiliation with Saeko, as she was quite successful, but also because they considered it a mere phase. Lauren though had another opinion on the matter “Yet I am indeed going with her.”_

_Cormac seemed taken aback by her response “Truly? But what will everyone say? And what will your family say? We have already arranged it.”_

_“Arranged what?” Lauren said frostily._

_“Well our date of course” the Gryff smiled._

_“How nice” the red-head said flatly, “But I will have to decline.”_

_“But…” the man was confused, “You can't.”_

_“And why not?” Lauren replied with a deceptively sweet smile._

_“It simply is not done”_

_“It is now”_

_The momentarily silent McLaggen recovered and launched into a very patronizing lecture that reminded her of her uncle. It was uncanny really._

_Lauren bared with it for a while, for the sake of propriety, but after what seemed an infuriating eternity she simply got fed up and decided to take drastic measures._

***Flashback End***

 

“Finally!” Isolde exclaimed when Lauren entered her room.

Alexia smirked “Yeah, I wondered if you didn't get into another brawl out there.”

“I don't fight”

“Tell that to McLaggen” the blonde Slytherin said in half reproach, half amusement.

Lauren shrugged “I just couldn't listen to him anymore, so… I politely asked him to shut up. With my fist.”

Both her friends laughed. As the laughter wound down Alexia commented “But really, Saeko is a bad influence. What were you thinking - I grant you that it must've been very, _very_ , satisfying but…”

“Yeah” Isolde nodded, “Punching someone? Like some muggle punk?”

“It's just not done”

Lauren pursed her lips “Don't start with this again. That's what McLaggen was saying too.”

“Should I be worried for my nose as well?”

“You haven't yet reached his level of obnoxiousness”

Isolde sighed “We'll leave the subject be, but really, have you thought it through? What message it will send?”

“That I don't give a damn?” Lauren shrugged again.

“But you should!” Alexia exclaimed.

“But I don't” the red-had sighed, “I should but I don't.”

“Has she corrupted you so completely?” Isolde sighed, “I don't know how it works in Japan…”

“Yup” Alexia nodded, “Besides, have you thought you are just some little fling and she will return home to be the perfect little pureblood you are now… not?”

Lauren smiled, she didn't tell her friends anything about Konoha and the invitation. Plus, while Saeko did behave a bit differently in Konoha due to her status, it wasn't anything major.

“You're smiling, why are you smiling?” Isolde asked suspiciously.

When the red-head just waved it off Alexia spoke instead “I know you're pretty happy but the end of Hogwarts is near, you should focus more on what comes after. I mean, you turned down House Ried - a nice, rich neutral family with many connections. _And_ Ignacio is second son! That means they'd be willing for him to take your name.”

“It was a great opportunity” Isolde nodded, “Still can't get over it that you actually declined. You made an enemy with it. Their offer was very generous, more generous than it would usually be. Now they'll feel snubbed.”

“Ried” Lauren scoffed.

“Seriously Lauren, wake up. It's like you aren't even trying. At this rate you'll end up forgotten in some minor family while that weird uncle of yours enjoys the benefits of being House Head”

Alexia eyed her unconcerned friend and sighed “You aren't thinking of eloping, are you?”

The healer who had obviously stopped listening a while ago jumped up, startled “What?”

“Oh dear Merlin you are!”

“It would make sense” Isolde nodded solemnly.

Lauren shook her head and stood up “And on that note I'm leaving. This room that is. You two have fun with the dresses.”

“Running off to that Raven of yours?” Alexia smirked, “I can't believe it didn't occur to me earlier. In hindsight it's obvious.”

“It's not!” Lauren snapped, “There's a list!”

“What list?” Isolde scrunched her forehead in confusion.

“Nevermind” the red-head blushed minutely, the pros and cons list was very much a secret. And her list-making obsession doubly so. “Bye!”

“Wait!” Alexia called after the red-head but she was already gone.

Lauren speed-walked to the exit of the Slytherin common room, pointedly ignoring Ignacio Reid and his friends. And the sixth year MacNamara who asked her to the Ball as well. And Miranda Shelley who had quite a public crush on the aforementioned MacNamara.

But that was pretty much Slytherin life in a nutshell - while their House presented a united front to the rest of the school, the reality was much different. It reminded her of the muggle soap operas her nanny used to watch. Secretly, of course.

Once she was halfway up to the ground floor she sighed and slowed down. At first she had intended to go outside for some air but she really wasn't dressed for that. But that didn't matter, a window or balcony would do just fine, she really needed to put her thoughts in order. Finally choosing a secluded looking balcony she leaned on the railing.

Was Alexia right? Had she already decided? Did she truly want to abandon everything she's known her entire life to go live with Saeko's little band of sociopaths? Or was it psychopaths? Well, not that magical society was that far off, they were only less open about it and not joked about setting people on fire on a regular basis. All in the name of tradition and their way of life.

Plus she liked them, which was rather telling about her.

House Ried had indeed given her the best option she was going to get here in Britain, she could recognize that now, but she hadn't even hesitated to turn it down. Was it her subconscious at work?

And now she sounded like Madame Pomfrey when she reluctantly played, and quote, kiddie psychologist. Ugh.

“Whatcha doing?” a voice startled her.

“Zake?” Lauren asked in surprise, “Aren't you on mission?”

“I'm a clone and you passed Potter a few floors down”

“And why are you here?”

“You seemed upset” the bird shrugged.

“Thanks” Lauren chuckled, it was nice of him to come.

“So what's up?”

The red-head bit her lip and then sighed, deciding she might as well tell him “It's the Konoha issue."

"There is an issue?"

"Whether to go or not? This tiny issue?" Lauren arched an eyebrow.

"Oh" Zake nodded, "Well, I'm biased but I think Konoha is awesome."

"Thanks, that helps"

"No need for sarcasm," the raven cocked his head to the side, "I really don't see the problem - I have been at your home, you know. Your aunt is a bitch, and has terrible aim by the way. And on the other hand you have Konoha, where it almost never rains and, if you get over Tsunade, a great hospital which would pay big money to have you on board. And call you Uchiha-sama."

" _Uchiha_ -sama?"

"Duh"

"Really?"

"Yep"

Lauren smiled but that quickly turned into a grimace "But what if we break up?"

"Still beats this rainy hell" the summon shrugged.

"Sure, base the biggest and most permanent decision of my life on the _weather_ " the red-head pursed her lips.

"You asked. And as I said, I don't really see the issue. Just tell Saeko you're going to come so she can stop angsting and you can relax too. This is getting tedious"

"Glad to provide drama"

"Don't sweat it" Zake grinned, "Plus hey, you have already decided, just leap and tell her."

"Have I?"

"And on that philosophical question, I'm out" the bird retreated and dispelled before the witch could say a word.

Lauren chuckled and leaned back on the railing. In one aspect the young raven was right - she had to decide. It wasn't fair both to Saeko and to herself.

When it started to snow lightly the red-head laughed, remembering what Zake said.

"You look beautiful when you laugh"

Lauren jumped up slightly, startled "One would say you get used to that, but nope."

"Sorry" Saeko smiled.

"Did Zake tell on me?"

"Yup"

"He's quite considerate. For a taking animal that is"

Saeko frowned lightly "He's a summon."

"I know" Lauren said lightly.

"He said you were agonizing over the Decision. Tell me what could I do to be the clear winner"

The red-head chuckled and shook her head "That's not how it works, I have to make the decision myself."

“You do,” Saeko nodded, “But you see, I'm quite invested in the result.”

Lauren smirked but that melted into a somber smile “I'll decide soon, don't worry. Definitely before the Ball.”

“Great” the brunette smiled and hugged her girlfriend from behind and kissed her neck, “And since that's still in limbo I reserve the chance to argue my side.”

“With sex?”

“Just a thought. Of course it's not actually an argument pro Konoha but enjoyable just the same, no?”

Lauren wanted to say something witty but Saeko's mouth was really distracting.

When the ninja pulled her into a crushing breathless kiss she forgot her troubles and the necessity of a decision on the Konoha matter and reciprocated with the same voracity as her lover.

Lauren's hands shot to Saeko's shirt but were batted away. Instead the ninja backed her into the wall and let on her neck once again. The brunette acknowledged Lauren's wish for skin contact but did not disrobe her, just… accessed. Unapologetically, roughly. It was exciting, more so than if they were actually naked, never mind the unlocked door. But it wasn't enough.

“ _Shunshin_ , _shunshin_ ” Lauren implored.

Saeko showed that infernal, overly-cocky yet rather enticing smirk and she felt swept away in the ninja technique. Pity it wasn't mean for long distances but the pit stops, fortunately where no one would see, only added fuel to her fire.

When they finally ended in her room in the Slytherin dorms Saeko didn't hesitate and let them collapse onto the sheets.

Lauren briefly reveled in the brunette's weight pinning her down as their mouths melted into each other and then tried to flip their positions.

When she was effortlessly denied she grinned, seems Saeko was in _that_ mood today. 'Kiddie psychology' aside, Lauren loved being in control. Especially when it was over such a powerful and respected ninja. That said, when the Uchiha took charge it was still amazing.

She opened her legs to accommodate the ninja's thigh between them which created a delicious friction with the seam of her slacks. Instinctively she rocked into it, craving for more. Still, she lamented not choosing to wear a skirt today.

She forgot all about it when Saeko's hand cupped her sex in a possessive, almost harsh grasp. And when that hand went inside her pants and through the slick moisture there Lauren grabbed the ninja's braid and arched up with a needy moan.

Soon she was lost in pleasure, moving with the avid thrusts while Saeko's mouth was doing wonders on her collarbone and breasts.

Her loudest moan yet she stifled with a bite to the Uchiha's shoulder which only spurred Saeko on, the change of rhythm sending ripples of delight though her body.

Saeko grinned insufferably wide when Lauren came with her name on her lips and the red-head didn't even have the strength to smack her for it.

As her mind was still foggy in the afterglow the Uchiha snickered “This seems like the best moment to ask you to come to live in Konoha.”

“Mm, sure, why not” was the sleepy rely.

Saeko began to laugh uncontrollably “Great, but tell me again tomorrow, then I'll believe you.”

 “Mm” Lauren said again and dozed off.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Nope, still not an official answer. That will be next chapter.


	137. 7- 135 Shall We Dance

 

“Can I use the Prefect's Bathroom, pleeeeease”

“No”

“Come on, Saeko. You have seen the queue on every bathroom we have in the Tower!” Paddy complained, “It's unending! And I need to style my hair.”

The ninja shrugged “That sucks but still no. Besides, the Prefect's Bathroom will be crowded too - we have four quidditch captains and twenty-four prefects.”

“Some of those jobs overlap” Graham chimed in.

“Still crowded. And still no”

“Meanie”

“And to think it's Christmas”

There were still _hours_ before the Yule Ball was to officially start but everybody was already in full preparation mode. It was chaos, even with the most of the lowers years back home for the holidays. Everybody wanted to make an impression on such an important event like this one so among the general disturbance, like the shortage of bathrooms and mirrors, there were loud begging demands for cleaning charms, styling charms, repairing charms and so many more.

The Ravenclaw Tower has never smelled so… weird, with all the beauty products, both magical and muggle, used at the same time. Unfortunately that led to some cases of allergic reactions among the populace which only served to Saeko to remind her of Lauren - she wasn't nervous at all about the Ball but today... today was the day she was to receive the official answer to the Konoha question.

Sure, she was fairly certain the answer would be yes, there were several hints in that direction, but still. This was big.

She briefly considered waiting in the summoner's realm for the evening, away from all this frantic behavior of her fellow students, but then she chose to merely stay in her room. Of course she hoped she wouldn't be disturbed _too_ much but that had proven to be a foolish thought. So far the only friend that didn't barge in had been Helena. But the day was still young.

“Saeko, have you seen my shawl?” Ashley burst into their room.

Saeko sighed “This is the third time you came here looking for something. Just _accio_ what you need and leave me out of it.”

“Grumpy”

“Annoyed” the ninja corrected.

“Isn't that the same thing?”

“It sounds better”

“ _Accio_ shawl” Ash waved her wand with a smirk, “Here it was!”

“You'll be seriously wearing a shawl to the Ball?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

“Don't know yet. How come you aren't preparing?”

The kunoichi shrugged “I have everything prepared, I just need to dress myself. Hardly worth panicking over so long in advance.”

Ashley made a face “Well, you do have ridiculously good skin. And smooth hair.”

“Uchiha genes”

“I hate you”

“I just don't know what this fuss is all about” Saeko shrugged, “Wash your hair, shave and you're good to go, no?”

Ash chuckled “Ah, you pretty people, so infuriating.”

“Hn”

“By the way, are you going to keep your hair in your every-day braid?” the Brit asked.

“Lauren requested the Yamanaka ponytail”

“Which is?”

“High one. You'll see” Saeko shrugged again.

There was furious pounding on the door and then Graham barged in “GUYS!”

Saeko let out a little whine and put her face in her palms, the very picture of exasperation. The two friends ignored her and immediately began discussing Graham's problem - namely Helena. Or more precisely whether his attire would be enough. And his hair.

“Saeko, are you drinking?” Ash put her hands on her hips and was glaring at her reproachingly.

“Seems to me it's the only way to survive till the evening” the Uchiha shrugged unapologetically and replenished her wineglass.

Graham rubbed his brow “Could I get some? I think I need it too.”

Before Saeko could give him an answer Helena came in, rendering the question obsolete. The nin sighed and stood up “You know what, I'll meet you all at the Ball.”

“Come on, we aren't that bad” Ash smirked.

Helena arched an eyebrow “Well, at least we aren't Michelle level.”

“I need to feed my ravens” Saeko lied shamelessly.

Everybody chuckled and shook their heads, knowing full well the ninja just wanted to get away. Saeko smiled appreciatively and fled as fast as a civilian could out of the Tower. Once she was somewhere secluded she called a raven transport to her safe haven.

“What was the rush?” Lykke cocked his head to the side.

“I wanted to escape madness”

“Should've thought of that before accepting that jounin promotion”

“I'd make a sarcastic remark if all the jounin I knew weren't nutjobs”

“So, you're heading to a Ball, huh?”

“Zake gossiped?”

“Indeed” the raven chuckled, “But hey, he also said you look very nice in your outfit.”

“Hn”

X

It was almost time when Saeko appeared out of the Summoner's Realm. She had the foresight of taking her dress robes with her so she was fully prepared and the only thing left was to collect her date.

Unfortunately she wasn't the only one to have a partner out of House, so the hallways and the Entrance Hall were quite full. Saeko smirked, no way Lauren was here, putting up with 'all those loud idiots'. She veered off course and looked into the darkest, most secluded corner she could find and lo and behold, Lauren was there.

“I knew you'd find me” the red-head smirked.

“I've got a cheesy reply to that, want to hear it?” Saeko smiled.

“Not really” Lauren chuckled and looked her girlfriend over “You look great. But then I did have a hand in picking it out.”

The ninja smiled widely as she leaned to kiss Lauren's gloved hand in a formal greeting “And you look breathtaking.”

Lauren grinned, knowing full well she looked precisely that. The dress she wore was one she purchased with Alexia and Isolde in Italy and it was a truly stunning one, complementing her skin tone and red hair with its emerald color.

Saeko offered her lover her arm “Flitwick said to wait outside the Great Hall for our big entrance. But before we go, I'm afraid I cannot wait any longer on your answer.”

The red-head smiled and bit her lip, obviously contemplating playing coy. Then she half-turned and pulled her hair to the side to expose a small Uchiha crest on the raised collar behind her neck. “It arrived a few days ago by crow.”

Saeko brushed her fingers on the crest to discover it was sown in and swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. Then she just hugged the red-head tightly and buried her face in the crook of the Brit's neck. “I'm so glad.”

“Just don't cry, it'll ruin your make-up” Lauren joked but effectively ruined it by the softness of her voice.

They stayed in an embrace for a while, just reveling in each other's presence. Finally Saeko sighed “It's almost time, I fear we might need to go.”

Lauren chuckled “Then let's go. And we'll be entering first, yes? As the home-field Champion.”

“I think we can make that argument, yes” the Uchiha smiled and pecked the red-head's lips lightly as not to mess her lipstick.

Hand in hand they walked to the Great Hall, much of the crowd already dispersed. Just beside the great doors there already was Roger and Fleur and Potter with his date, Parvati Patil.

Saeko greeted the nervous looking Potter, nodded to his dance partner and then focused on her Vice-Captain “Hello Roger, Miss Delacour.”

Fleur did a small curtsy and greeted back. Roger seemed to wake and tore his gaze from the beautiful blonde “Hello Captain. You look great. You as well, Lauren.”

“Thank you” the Slytherin smiled.

“Oh, yes” Saeko hummed, “Miss Delacour, please meet my girlfriend, Lauren Lewis.”

“Enchantée” Fleur nodded with a polite smile.

The two pairs stuck a very light conversation, mainly about the Yule Ball and the decorations. They were interrupted by a loud gasp which belonged to Parvati. As they turned to see the cause Saeko just had to smirk - it seemed the bookish and not overly popular Hermione Granger managed to secure one of the most sought-after bachelors in the world.

“Good evening Mr Krum” the ninja said brightly, the first one to recover from the surprise, “And Miss Granger, you are looking fabulous today.”

Hermione blushed while Krum smiled proudly. That seemed to awaken Harry who immediately complimented his friend as well, which was followed by a much less genuine compliment from Parvati.

Lauren chuckled and leaned to Saeko's ear “Patil's face was priceless.”

“Indeed” the brunette smirked “And more to come - I can't wait for the Krum fanclub to see them. But they do look very fetching together.”

The Brit nodded just as they were approached by professor McGonagall dressed in red tartan, a nod to her Scottish heritage “You are all here, good. Please form a line with your partners and we'll go in.”

Saeko offered Lauren her arm again and they stationed themselves right in front of the doors in a clear indication that the others were to go behind them. Fleur pursed her lips in mild annoyance and then steered Roger so they would be the last to enter. Krum and Hermione seemed to have no problems going second while The-Boy-Who-Lived took the middle spot.

McGonagall nodded and led them into the Great Hall which was truly decked for the occasion. The walls were covered by sparkling silver frost and hundreds of garlands of mistletoe and ivy crossing the starry black ceiling. The House tables vanished and were replaced by a multitude of smaller lantern-lit ones, each for about a dozen people.

The students of the three schools were already seated but as their Champions entered they all stood up and began clapping. Both Saeko and Lauren smiled for the crowd and led their small procession to the top table. As predicted Hermione with Victor Krum was the biggest hit and one could practically hear the jaws dropping.

Once they reached the top table Saeko pulled out a chair for Lauren as far as possible from Percy Weasley who must've been here on behalf of Barty Crouch. Roger and Fleur took their seats beside them, near Madame Maxime.

Albus Dumbledore stood up and made a very brief speech, mostly about enjoying dinner and company of their foreign friends.

Saeko looked down at their empty plates and noted the small menu beside them and read it over. The selection was small but it still meant quite the work for the House Elves, something Hermione seem to forget as she smiled at her date.

“Beef carpaccio, please” Lauren ordered her appetizer.

“Excellent choice!” Ludo Bagman boomed from across her. The Snake gave a tight smile and watch him order the same. The ninja beside her chuckled and went to fill her lover's glass with wine and then ordered a soup for herself.

At first all the Champions were talking with their respective dates but soon, after subtle encouragement on Dumbledore's part, they got more involved.

Fleur's favorite topic of comparing Hogwarts to Beauxbatons and finding it lacking seemed to run short so she switched topics. Sort of. “So whazz it about thoze Houzez of yourrs? Why ze divide?”

“Harmless competition, it would be boring otherwise” Lauren shrugged.

“And smaller units are easier to handle” Saeko nodded.

The part-veela hummed “And what izz the criteria? Surely Ravenclaw iz not the only one to have smart students.”

Both Saeko and Roger smirked smugly and high-fived, while Lauren rolled her eyes as she replied “Of course not. The Sorting artifact simply identifies which one of the four traits is the dominant in the first-years and chooses for them.”

Davies nodded “Bravery, Loyalty, Cunning and of course Wisdom.”

“Yes, a most interesting system” Madame Maxime.

Saeko hummed “Well, it is also stereotyping at its finest. But it seems to work well enough. But it is certainly more fun.”

“Especially in quidditch” Roger smirked.

The Uchiha grinned “Indeed, but there the lines tend to blur quite a bit. Well, if you want to win anyway.”

“Which we do”

“And do oh so very well”

Lauren rolled her eyes “Do stop boasting, it's unseemly. Besides, if anyone should talk about victories in quidditch it should be Mr. Krum.”

Mr. Krum in question was deep in conversation with Hermione and seemed oblivious to the world. Everybody shrugged and returned to the House conversation. After much discussion they settled on 'do what is right', for Gryffindor, then 'do what is wise', 'do what is just' and finally 'do what is necessary' for the House of Snakes.

They were on dessert when the inevitable came and Percy Weasley had struck a conversation with the official Hogwarts champion. After he boasted about his position in the Ministry, he was mostly complaining about the American counterpart to Crouch, Piper Halliwell. To be honest, from what the former Head Boy was saying, the witch seemed much more reasonable that he. Naturally for the sake of a peaceful evening she refrained from saying so.

Finally Dumbledore stood up again when all the food had been consumed and instructed all to do the same. Then with a wave of his hand the tables rearranged themselves along the walls to make a large dance floor. Then the band 'Weird Sisters' appeared on a raised platform which caused most of the students to cheer and applaud enthusiastically.

Saeko wasn't overly happy with the choice of band but offered her hand to Lauren with a smile. The red-head took it and when the music started Saeko led them through the fist dance reserved for the Champions.

When Dumbledore with Madame Maxime joined them it was the signal for the rest of them that the Ball had officially started.

“I know the Ball had just begun, but I would rather…” the ninja began but was swiftly interrupted.

“We're not leaving” Lauren said with a deceptively sweet smile.

“Just to cuddle”

“Nope”

Saeko pouted “After giving me such great news this is downright cruel.”

“Does Konoha have balls such as this one?”

“Hn”

“Didn't think so. I like this, so shut up and dance” the red-head smirked.

“Hn” the nin shrugged with a smile.

The couple danced for another song in relative silence and then Saeko hummed “Seeing as you are now officially under Uchiha Clan's patronage and protection - the true meaning of the crest you got on your dress right now - I think we should get you some insurance.”

“Meaning?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“Well, I've got my ravens to get me out of danger as a last resort kind of deal. Reverse-summoning can bypass nearly all traps and barriers” the brunette explained, “You can get stuck by a mere anti-apparition ward so I was thinking something like an emergency portkey.”

“That sounds nice in theory but you can simply take away that portkey in question” the Slytherin shrugged, “Many people tried that during the civil war and only a handful got away once the Death Eater realized what was going on.”

“One word: fuinjutsu”

“Yeah, like no one would think to take away a weird-looking scroll”

“You did notice my nice tattoos, right?”

“Oh, no way!” Lauren shook her head vigorously, “I like my skin unblemished.”

“I do so love your skin but this is practical”

“Are you seriously going to tell me that for example my Christmas gift doesn't have some hidden ninja magic scribbled onto it?” the Brit said pointedly, “And without need for needles anywhere near me.”

“It does have a teeny tiny tracking feature, I admit” Saeko said unapologetically, “But it is also fashionable and nice, yes?

Lauren rolled her eyes “It was lovely but that wasn't the point.”

“We can revisit the issue at a later date I suppose. Let's just enjoy the dance”

The red-head's eyes narrowed in annoyance but she decided to let it go “Speaking of dance, I promised Terence one. And some other of my housemates as well, granted that was before I decided to ditch the British Isles, but a promise is a promise.”

Saeko nodded “Of course. I do have some obligations as well.”

After a few more songs the two girls parted with a small kiss. While Lauren went to the former Slytherin seeker, Saeko was quickly approached by James Cater, her keeper.

James' dance was followed by Bagman, much to Saeko's chagrin, and then her fellow Champion Krum who managed to tear his eyes away from his date for the occasion. The Uchiha followed his example by approaching Fleur. Finally she borrowed Cho from Diggory for one dance and then made a bee line for one of the tables along the wall.

“Hey, Paddy, tired already?” Saeko smiled and sat down beside her friend.

The Irishman offered her a glass of wine with a sigh “Exhausted. Rose is dancing with her brother so I decided to take a breather.”

“Smart” the girl smiled and took a sip. As she surveyed the dance floor she smiled “Helena and Graham are dancing up a storm, huh.”

Paddy chuckled “Yeah, I think they turned it into a competition. But they are the most skilled pair there. Even the Beauxbatons snobs commented.”

Saeko grinned “Be sure to tell them, Graham will be proud. By the way, you look very dapper.”

“Thanks! You too. Royal blue, huh” the man smirked, “Why am I not surprised.”

“Back home we call this Uchiha blue” the brunette smirked right back.

Caitlin that arrived just in time to hear the interaction laughed “You weren't kidding that you and your family were a bunch of narcissists.”

“Hn” Saeko winked. Then her smile widened as she spotted her girlfriend coming towards them.

The chaser noticed her Captain's stare and chuckled “You really love her, huh. Never thought I'd see the day.”

“My mind goes from genius to tree stump when I look at her” the Uchiha replied earnestly, not looking at her.

Caitlin blinked several times in surprise while Paddy cleared his throat awkwardly “That's… nice.”

“Uncharacteristically sweet, more like it” the chaser corrected.

“Yeah, are you feeling well?” Patrick chuckled.

“Hn” Saeko rolled her eyes.

“My Saeko being sweet? Did hell freeze over?” Lauren cocked her head to the side and sat down on the only chair left.

“Just might've” Paddy mumbled.

Caitlin grinned “Just talking about you two's relationship.”

Lauren smirked “Surprisingly stable, yes? Well, now that we worked some of the kinks out.”

 “Funny, I seem to recall it was you who worked some kinks in” Saeko mumbled.

Paddy nearly choked on his wine while Caitlin grinned widely. The red-headed Slytherin gave a nod for the quick wit and took a sip of her wine, deciding not to mention the self-proclaimed 'queens of kink', the Anko Yuuko pair.

“So, shall we dance?” the Uchiha smiled and offered her hand to Lauren who quickly downed her drink and stood up.

“Why yes indeed. Can't have Gifford and Grey steal all the spotlight now can we”

“Of course not”


	138. 7- 136 Freedom of Press

 

The days that followed the Yule Ball were utterly normal, only maybe a bit more amorous than the norm. The ball had been a big event but after it, it was simply vacation.

Saeko took the opportunity to return briefly to Konoha to get some missions in and to make herself seen. Lauren came as well despite her family writing her to make an appearance at Lewis estate, and instead chose to get more acquainted with her future home. The Uchiha had been slightly worried about her lover taking her decision back after being confronted full-on with Clan politics, but she needn't be worried - both Sarutobi and Itachi were thorough in their explanations and Lauren wasn't a slouch at what was basically pureblood politics either.

With the official process of becoming a Konoha citizen started, Saeko was ecstatic. Lauren was a lot less hesitant, already made peace with her decision, but that changed to annoyed when she received an exercise schedule and told in no uncertain terms that she'd be required to keep up with it despite being a non-combatant. Saeko was in complete agreement with the schedule - after all being a medic is busy work - which resulted in a brief mission to the Land of Hot Water, both literally and figuratively. Fortunately when the C-rank was over Lauren has already calmed down.

When the duo returned to Hogwarts for the second term of their final year Lauren, very reluctantly, joined her girlfriend in her pre-dinner runs. Never before was Saeko so happy that the students usually ate with their Housemates - the red-head was either tired or pissed after such an exercise.

“She's glaring again” Caitlin said airily and subtly pointed with her fork towards the Snake table.

“I know” Saeko sighed.

“Can't blame her though, it's drizzling outside”

“I asked if she wanted to go,” the Uchiha defended, “She said if she skipped even a single training, she'd never take it up again. Even after I told her two, three times a week would be more than enough.”

Helena hummed “Still can't believe it you got an Heiress to work out.”

“Wasn't my idea. And can we please change the subject?”

Catlin smirked “We could gossip, I suppose.”

“Ugh” Helena made a face, “Please don't. I already forgot who's with whom in the aftermath of the Ball. What should've been a dignified event had turned into… a dating service.”

“Don't be sour because you didn't get some” the Irish girl smirked.

“Fuck you”

“Not with that attitude” Caitlin grinned, “But you did notice Ash and Peter got together.”

“That I did” the blonde said sourly, “For one: Daniel won the betting pool, two: their fights are loud.”

Saeko sighed “Yeah, they are. I thought it would be different.”

“Me too” Caitlin nodded sadly, “But hey, lessons only started a week ago, they'll figure it out.”

“Sure hope so” Helena shrugged.

“Speaking of, where are they?” the ninja asked.

The chaser shook her head “No idea, but I saw Daniel and Alexei snogging vigorously near the Library.”

“Lovely” the blonde said dryly, “I know Patrick is doing homework for Care for Magical Creatures and intends skipping dinner which leaves Graham.”

“He said he needed to go to the owlery, but should be here in a moment” Caitlin shrugged, “And Paddy's pulling an all-nighter, huh? Guess professor Grubbly-Plank really scared him.”

“No offense to Hagrid, but I like her far more” Saeko smirked, “Sure, Skeeter and her articles suck, but it's not like it was a big surprise about Hagrid's parentage.”

“True, but I only thought him quarter-giant, not half” Helena nodded, “But the fact he's actually hiding from bad press in his hut, not teaching, only proves his weak character.”

“Helena” Caitlin said in mild reproach, “That's harsh.”

“I'm inclined to agree with Helena” Saeko shrugged, “But he got the points back by creating the skrewts.”

“You like them?” the Irish girl exclaimed in disbelief.

“No, but he created a new species by cross-breeding Kami knows what. That takes _skill_ ”

Helena grimaced “Or dumb luck. A fitting adjective if you ask me.”

Before anyone could retort Graham greeted them tiredly and sat down “What did I miss?”

“Nothing much, just Saeko being _impressed_ by the blast-ended skrewts” Caitlin rolled her eyes.

“Hey, can you do it?” Saeko crossed her arms.

“Wouldn't want to”

Graham chuckled “I don't know about the skrewts, but Hagrid got really screwed over by Skeeter. She made him sound like a monster.”

“One that sics ferocious flabberworms onto his students” Helena said, voice laded with sarcasm.

“Not everyone knows they have no teeth” Caitlin countered, “She did sound convincing in her article.”

Saeko nodded “She does but it'll blow over. Dumbledore withstood far worse so if Hagrid manages to keep it together he'll be in the clear.”

“But Hagrid is _sensitive_ ” Helena said in her driest voice.

“Stop it, you'd be distraught too” Caitlin glared mildly.

“I'd be pissed and ready to sue” the blonde pureblood shrugged, “Besides, daddy has connections in the Prophet. And if she really pissed me off, I'd destroy her. But Skeeter is too smart to go against those that would retaliate.”

“I dunno, hubris and all” Saeko commented.

The chaser grinned “Do you think she'll bite more than she can chew?”

“With the rate she's going, she's bound to cross someone she shouldn't soon” the jounin smirked.

“Like write about you?” Helena said airily.

“I actually think I'm not interesting enough for her”

“She'd make it interesting” Caitlin countered.

Saeko shrugged, Konoha had someone keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet and the other media. They wanted to keep a low profile after all. It just wouldn't do for the public to know about the dealings they had with the Ministry.

At this Graham seemed to wake up “Speaking of press, I'd be cool if you made Playwizard.”

“Don't be a pig” Helena rolled her eyes.

“I'd actually be flattered if the picture was tasteful enough” the Uchiha smirked.

The blonde snorted and rolled her eyes again. Catlin shrugged “I'm with Saeko on this one, it would be cool.”

“I bet you'd change your mind when during a work interview they'd recognize you as 'oh yeah, you're the July girl!'” Helena smiled sweetly.

“Not cool” the chaser amended.

“Hn”

“Thought so”

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

“You're very good Helena” Lauren commented when she snuck a look over the blonde's shoulder at the canvas she was painting.

The tea connoisseur smiled and took a step back to admire her work “Thank you, I have been working on it for quite a while.”

“It is very nice” Saeko hummed, “The Durmstrang ship is a great pick for a model. I'd add some fog and make it more dramatic, Flying Dutchman style.”

Helena rolled her eyes “Been talking to Graham? No, this ship is going to be frozen in port. Although, the fog is going to be there too - this winter lighting is perfect for that.”

“I wondered why you braved the cold weather” the ninja smirked, knowing too well how her friend despised the cold.

“It's not too bad today” Lauren hummed and then winked at Saeko, “Perfect for a swim even.”

“Hn” the ninja grimaced and looked at the calm surface of the Black Lake. She really wasn't looking forward to diving in for her second task.

Helena looked between the two with narrowed eyes, sensing there was something there “You know, Paddy told me he saw Victor Krum swimming yesterday.”

“I hear cold water is healthy for you” Lauren smirked.

“Up until a heart attack” the blonde remarked as she returned to her work.

Saeko laughed “Right you are. Fortunately we have an amazing healer duo in Hogwarts.”

“I'm going to miss Pomfrey” Lauren nodded sadly.

“Indeed. Now move along, you're ruining my concentration.” Helena waved them off.

Saeko and Lauren both shrugged and resumed their walk. Once they were out of earshot the Snake returned to the topic of hypothermia and everything that could be even a bit related to Saeko's impeding expedition under water.

To be perfectly honest it only made Saeko nervous so she was only happy when she spotted an opportunity to change the subject “Look, it's Cho and Diggory. It seems they had the same idea and are here for a romantic stroll.”

Lauren looked in the direction her lover was pointing “You're right. Don't disturb them though, they look cozy.”

“True, they do look like the perfect couple” the ninja agreed with a smile, “Fortunately we don't have quidditch, her mind is in the clouds during training.”

“Which doesn't mean you aren't running them to the ground”

Saeko smirked “I want the Eagles to keep winning - my legacy here in Britain.”

“Triwizard Champion is not enough?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“Well, that's hardly guaranteed, it's the early days still” the Uchiha said with false modesty.

The red-head chuckled but then fell into a contemplative silence. Saeko frowned mildly “What is it?”

Lauren sighed “Madame Pomfrey told me she could pass a recommendation to St. Mungo's for an apprenticeship. Hell, a friend of hers runs the place. I told her I was leaving and she was disappointed.”

After a beat of silence the ninja hummed “Even if you stayed, in all probability you wouldn't become a full-fledged healer. Too much work running House Lewis.”

“True,” the Brit sighed again, “But I was to be her legacy, the one she trained, and I just up and leave.”

“I doubt she thinks that” Saeko said consolingly, “Besides, did you tell her you've got a job in Konoha Hospital? Saving soldiers is valiant work.”

Lauren chuckled “I did tell her. She made jokes about us eloping.”

“See? She doesn't begrudge you anything. Besides, you will be a healer, it's just called differently and it's out of state”

“Hn”

Saeko laughed “Excellent, going local already.”

“Will I even be able to contact her?” Lauren asked sadly.

“Depends on Sarutobi-sama” the ninja shrugged, “But I know for a fact both Zake and Skygge like Pomfrey so they'd be willing to play messenger once in a while.”

“It's something, I guess”

“Oh, Kami” Saeko gulped as she was hit by a realization, “She's going to confront me, isn't she?”

“Good” Lauren grinned sadistically.

“I guess she won't take 'classified' as an answer”

“Nope”

“Any chance she'd be too busy with the Canary Creams?”

“Weasley twins' little creation?” Lauren hummed, “Those are interesting and quite amusing but hardly more than a nuisance for healer of Pomfrey's caliber.”

“Too much to ask for seven sickles I guess”

“You bought one?”

Saeko grinned “But of course, it's a very nice piece of magic. And a great prank. I'll try it on Naruto, he can appreciate a good prank.”

“Oh boy,” Lauren's eyes widened in panic, “You'll start a war!”

“Don't worry, he won't touch his onee-san”

“I did always want a sibling” the red-head sighed, “But I feel cheated on that front.”

“Naruto will be an amazing little brother”

“Then you take him!”

“No thanks, I already have one” Saeko grinned.

“I like yours better”

“Me too”

* * *

**First Floor**

The seventh year Ravenclaws were leaving the transfiguration classroom a bit later than usual, McGonagall really rode them hard. Nobody complained though, human transfiguration was a difficult and a bit scary subject matter.

Just as they turned to head back to the Tower a crow flew in from one of the open windows and dropped a scroll in Saeko's hand. The rest of the Ravens just nodded and left while Saeko sat on the windowsill and opened her mail.

The letter was brief, yet full of information. It seemed Akatsuki woke up again and made a grab for the three-tails. And succeeded. Turns out Konoha wasn't the only one to have the idea to seal up the bijuu to keep it out of Akatsuki's hands - Orochimaru's apprentice and some of his inherited goons made the trip to Mizu no Kuni as well. When the Konoha nin were busy with former Oto, Akatsuki swooped in.

Saeko sighed and ignited the paper. She kinda hoped the criminal organization would wait for her return to Konoha. This matter wasn't only critical but also career-building. Plus, the fact that Oto was still going strong wasn't good news at all.

“You got a sec?”

The Uchiha looked at Zake who elegantly landed beside her and pinched the bridge of her nose “Sure, why not. Any more bad news?”

“Just news” the raven corrected, lifting the mood a little.

“Fire away”

“Potter wrote to Black again, about the Barty Crouch thing” Zake said. Just this morning he reported about Potter's map indicating he had broken into Snape's supplies. And the fact the boy let the map out of his hands. Foolish. “I got his location if you're interested.”

“Not really” Saeko shrugged, “Leave that to the locals, we're off that contract anyway.”

“Alright. More urgently, Potter still has no idea how to tackle the second task”

The kunoichi sighed “Well, that sucks. For him. But since it doesn't consist any danger I say let him flounder.”

“Evil” Zake snickered, “Speaking of, Granger decided Skeeter is a menace and should be taken down.”

“Looking forward to the show” the Uchiha grinned.

The bird nodded “So, why were you so bummed out before I flew in?”

“Akatsuki made a move and I'm here goofing around for some fucking Tournaments that is so easy I could cry” Saeko spat out bitterly.

“Hmm, you don't have to be around for everything. And if they need you they'll call you, school or no school. Besides, you're here romancing Ren more than anything else”

“I want to be there to take Akatsuki down”

“Seems to me Jiraiya-sama doesn't have enough information yet. When the time comes to storm the stronghold I'm sure he'll consider you since you already took down Kakuzu”

“Hn”

“Cheer up, go to Ren or something. And give her my regards”

“Hn”

“There is no pleasing you today” Zake rolled his eyes and poofed away.

“Hn” Saeko grunted one more time and hopped down from the windowsill to head back to the Ravenclaw Tower.

The weather outside seemed to sense her mood and decided to mirror it - it was foggy, the rain just starting and the sun nowhere to be found. Ironically the answer to the riddle the guardian gave her was 'happiness' which made her roll her eyes.

“You look pissed, did they got to you as well?” Caitlin looked up from her magazine.

“Who?” Saeko sighed, not really interested, and sat down beside the fireplace.

“Peter and Ash” Paddy shrugged, “They are having a domestic again.”

Helena hummed “Would it be callous of me to make new betting pool?”

“Yes” Graham replied immediately.

Daniel who just came from his rounds sat down “Pete and Ashley again? And to think just yesterday it looked so promising.”

“Downright romantic” the blonde heiress rolled her eyes.

Saeko hummed “It's been around a month, I'll talk to her.”

“And say what?” Caitlin arched an eyebrow.

“To rethink the relationship and that they were better off as friends?”

Paddy sighed “Don't meddle.”

“Hn”

“I agree with Saeko” Daniel nodded, “Perhaps you two can talk to Peter?”

Paddy and Graham shook their heads vigorously. The bearded man elaborated “No way in hell. He was so happy when they got together. He practically danced.”

“Ain't dancing now” Caitlin remarked.

“Let them be” Paddy glared.

“Alright” the Head Boy shrugged.

“Two weeks till Valentine's” Saeko yawned, “This is going to be fun.”

Helena smirked “Please, they'll give each other dirt and everything will be fine.”

“They are archeologists, not geologists”

“Whatever”


	139. 7- 137 Sirens's Call

 

“You look great, dripping wet like this”

Saeko rolled her eyes and snatched the towel her girlfriend was offering “Funny.”

“Your swim wasn't refreshing enough?” Lauren smirked.

“Since it's the beginning of February and this is a Scottish loch, I'd say _too refreshing_ might even be the case” the Uchiha snarked.

Lauren's grin only widened and cast a heating charm on her lover “And how it went?”

“The Black Lake is much deeper than I expected,” Saeko said as she hastily dressed herself, “There are many creatures like _grindylows_ but the main problem is navigation and the algae. Need something that would make for better light down there. Or maybe night-vision.”

“I'll look into it as well,” the snake hummed, “And how went the new jutsu?”

“Itachi really came thought with it, I moved like a fish” Saeko grinned.

“Any problems with the rebreather?”

“Nope, it's uncomfortable but hardly the first time I used one”

“So you're set”

“Indeed” the ninja smirked, “Braid my hair?”

Lauren sighed but motioned to her lover to sit on front of her and conjured a comb. A moment later she made a dissatisfied sound and took up her wand again, this time to dry the hair.

“Looks like Krum is going for a swim too” Saeko remarked.

The Slytherin looked up to see the seeker in his trunks, ready to dive form the gangplank. She chuckled when her girlfriend waved to him happily which he reciprocated quite hesitantly. “So Krum knows the second task. What about the other two?”

“Potter still nada, Fleur I don't know. But I did notice her skipping stones once not too long ago”

Lauren brightened up “I didn't do that for ages! Give me the tie.”

Saeko took the tie she had on the wrist and handed it behind her “You want to skip stones? I was planning on a hot chocolate in the kitchens.”

“A jounin can't stand the cold or a little while longer?” the red-head taunted.

“Very well. How about we make it a competition?”

“Sure, but no cheating”

“And how exactly would I cheat?” the Uchiha asked sweetly.

Lauren smirked “Some ninja bullshit.”

“Says the witch”

“Touché” the Slytherin shrugged and bent to pick up a flat stone.

Once the girls had a few handfuls each, they started throwing the stones to jump on the surface. Neither girl managed more than three jumps, except the one Saeko enhanced with a teeny tiny amount of chakra which leaped six times. Lauren merely chuckled and shook her head, continuing with her own attempts.

After silence had reigned for a while Saeko asked “What are you thinking about?”

“World domination” was the dry reply.

The Raven laughed lightly “And here I thought NEWTs. But this does seem more fun.”

“Yes, January - the month the Ravenclaws start to panic about exams” Lauren smirked.

“Pretty much, yeah. And it's the end of January, mind you”

“My mistake. But yes, the Slytherins have started studying as well. Right after Yule professor Snape came into the common room and strongly, maybe even a bit aggressively, advised to start and not to let the 'foolishness that is the Tournament' distract us from what is really important to our future”

“He's a good Head of House” Saeko remarked.

“Did Flitwick do something similar?” the red-head asked.

“No need” the Uchiha laughed, “We _are_ Ravenclaws.”

“Of course. What was I thinking” Lauren smirked.

“HA!” Saeko exclaimed suddenly, “Four leaps and no ninja bullshit!”

“Very good” the Brit said patronizingly.

“Still better than you”

“What a feat”

“No need for sarcasm”

“Don't question the future Empress of the World”

Saeko chuckled “I most humbly apologize then.”

“You better”

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

The core of the Ravenclaw Eagles - no newbies - took it easy today, merely standing in a wide circle, leisurely passing the quaffle between them.

“So, how is OWL preparation?” Roger asked after quidditch strategy brainstorming was done.

Both Cho and Jaden grimaced. The chaser sighed “The professors are riding us hard. Tons of homework.”

“And the Tournament doesn't work as well as quidditch does to take my mind away from it” the seeker added.

“Do you know which subjects you definitely want to continue?” Saeko asked.

Jaden chuckled as he caught the scarlet ball “Care, but only if professor Grubbly-Plank is staying on.”

“Arithmancy and Runes, plus the core classes” Cho shrugged.

Caitlin hummed “Potions, heh? Really hard.”

“Eleven of you made it” James chimed in with his deep voice, “Quite high a number. In our year it was much less.”

“You're in Potions, right?” Rodney asked.

“Of course he is” Caitlin chuckled, “Mr Zen, patient and precise. Snape's dream student.”

Jaden sniggered “What's Snape's deal anyway? I'd peg him for a virgin.”

“Dude!” Rodney made a disgusted face, “Horrible visual!”

“My point exactly”

“Maybe there is some woman out there that likes greasy bats like him” Roger chuckled.

Caitlin smirked “Or man”

“Don't contaminate my nice rainbow squad with him!” Saeko joked.

“Hey Cap, how did you discover you liked girls anyway?” Jaden turned to the ninja.

The Uchiha shrugged and passed the quaffle to James “I looked at a girl and I was like NIIIIICE.”

Roger chuckled “While I'd love it if you elaborated on that, I wanted to ask how goes the preparation for the second task?”

“Yeah!” Rodney nodded, “The egg was supposed to be a clue, right?”

Saeko grinned “Everything's set but I'm not telling you anything. Wouldn't want to spoil the event.”

“Come on!”

“I hope it's as cool as the dragons were,” Jaden said eagerly.

Caitlin nodded “What I liked was that everybody used a completely different approach to the same problem. It also showed the different personalities. Krum attacked head on, not caring about collateral damage…”

“The veela tried to beguile the dragon” James quickly caught on.

“Potter tried to stay away as much as he could…” the sole female chaser continued.

“But shit happened to him anyway” Saeko laughed.

“And Cap did it quick and clean, leaving everybody none the wiser on how she did it” Roger finished with a grin.

“While showing off” Caitlin added.

“In short, typical Cap” Jaden grinned.

The Uchiha grinned widely “Oh, stop it. You're making me blush.”

Rodney smirked “You know, you've got some serious fans in my year.”

“I do?”

“Oh yeah” the fourth year nodded, “Photos, things you touched and so on... They keep an album of your quotes. And have a scrapbook.” When he noticed the frowned around him he shook his head “But don't worry, they're harmless!”

“Hn” Saeko resolved to check them out.

Caitlin frowned “Wait, three creepy girls in your year? A ginger and two brunettes?”

“That's them” Rodney nodded.

“Huh, I wonder if Ash knows. Or Daniel. They usually keep an eye on this stuff” the Irish chaser hummed.

“But that's nothing compared to Roger's fanclub” the beater continued.

Jaden huffed and nodded, clearly jealous “Yeah.”

“Or Diggory's” James remarked.

Cho huffed and crossed her arms, causing her to nearly miss the ball flying her way.

Caitlin chuckled “Don't worry, we all know he's yours.”

“How's that going by the way?” Saeko grinned.

“Well” the petite seeker tightly, a clear sign to move on from the topic of her love life.

“Monday is Valentine's, any plans?” Rodney asked looking at all his teammates as not to incur Cho's wrath.

Roger shrugged “It's Hogsmeade weekend, so the classics.”

“Who with?” Saeko asked, “I know it's not Fleur.”

“Don't know yet” the Vice-Captain smirked.

“Of course” Caitlin chuckled.

Roger smirked and then smiled charmingly “How about you join me to Hogsmeade.”

The seventh year chaser hummed and then nodded “Why not. Let's see your game pretty boy.”

“Awesome. And I'm not a pretty boy, I'm ruggedly handsome.”

Caitlin just smirked.

The team eyed each other, all quite surprised and a little bit spooked. After a beat of silence Saeko cleared her throat “And on that note I think this training is over. James, please put away the quaffle and cold you take the chest to Hooch?”

“Sure, no trouble”

“Thank you. Everybody, dismissed”

“Aye aye Captain” everybody chorused and hurried to the lockers, only Caitlin and roger training behind.

Without the need for a shower Saeko changed quickly into her regular clothes and skipped towards the Castle, not waiting for anyone else. The Caitlin/Roger date had left her speechless.

Unfortunately no relief was to be had in the Ravenclaw common room - Peter and Ashley were at it again.

“What's it this time?” the ninja asked Helena who was reading Potions.

“Ashley was hanging out with some guy from her 'band' and Peter got jealous. She accused him of being controlling and irrational. He…”

“Got it”

“Had fun in training?”

“More than you here, that's for sure”

“Most assuredly. Chess?”

“Sure”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

Things have finally calmed down after Valentine's, mostly thanks to Ashley and Peter finally breaking up. Their incessant fights caused a bit of a rift in the little poker group when the members inadvertently chose sides and then it just went from there.

After a brief period of awkwardness the two aspirant archeologists made up and decided that friends was the way to go. Much to everybody's relief.

“Ash?” Saeko asked when she entered their room after double Potions.

“Yeah?” the Brit hummed, her eyes never leaving her Herbology notes.

“Did you dye your hair again?”

“Well spotted. You might give Daniel a run for his money in auror camp”

The ninja rolled her eyes “Come on, look at me so I can admire your new color.”

Ashley put down the papers “Ta dá!”

Saeko smirked, she thought it was rather poetic her friend went from pink to black in the aftermath of a break-up and near loss of her best friend. “Suits you. But why not to go back to your natural light brown?”

“Meh” Ash shrugged, “Afraid I rock the look better than you?”

The Uchiha scoffed and caressed her thick braid “Don't get cocky, apart from Lauren I've got the best hair in our year.”

Ashley chuckled and went back to her studies. Saeko quickly changed her clothes, potions always left a smell behind, and then fished out her pipe. After unsealing a steaming cup of tea she settled behind her desk and began jotting down notes in her mahoujutsu scrolls.

After an hour or so a soft knock interrupted their respective studies. Since no one barged in Saeko called “Come in.”

Daniel peeked in and then entered fully “Hey. Me, Paddy and Graham were thinking about doing a Transfiguration study group session. Interested?”

“Not me, I tutored locusts today and I'm in no mood” the newest brunette declined.

“Sure, I'm in. Just give me a few minutes” Saeko nodded.

“I'll ask the rest” Daniel nodded as well and went to leave.

“Hey, did you ask Caitlin yet?” the ninja called after him.

“She's off with Roger”

“Anybody else disturbed by that?”

Ashley grimaced “Don't remind me.”

“I don't think it's serious” Daniel shrugged.

“You got that from the definition of 'fuckbuddies'?” the younger brunette said acerbically.

Saeko chuckled “No need to be snide. What did the locusts do to you today?”

“Just got on my nerves. Hard. And now you do too”

Both Daniel and Saeko chuckled and fell silent. The ninja went to quickly finish her wok while the Head Boy left to collect the rest of the study group.

When Saeko went down to the common room with her transfiguration notes the boys were already there. “”Helena?” she asked.

“She'll arrive soon. She's mixing some tea or something. She has quite a setup too - scales, scoops, jars” Daniel hummed, impressed, “Looks pretty wicked.”

Graham chuckled “Yeah saw that too. A bit mad scientist, but cool. Hey, Saeko, shouldn't you be revising for the second task or something? It’s the day after tomorrow.”

“Got everything ready, might as well concentrate on the NEWTs” the scarred brunette shrugged.

“Glad to have you” Peter chuckled.

“Aaah, and here comes our last member” Paddy grinned when he spotted Helena coming down the stairs.

The blonde ignored their greetings and just deposited a small teapot between them “Try this.”

“Some magical brew?” Graham smiled sweetly.

“Shut up, Graham. Try it, I want to know what do you think”

Paddy sniffed the tea “What did you do to it?”

“Just played around with it” Helena shrugged.

Daniel hummed and _accio_ -ed one of the one of the communal cups. He poured the black tea into it and took a careful sip.

“So, how is it?” the blonde heiress asked with uncharacteristic eagerness.

“Hot”

Everybody except Helena chuckled. She only rolled her eyes and huffed “Then cool it down. Just a simple spell, Head Boy.”

Saeko gasped dramatically “But that interferes with the natural cooling process! You yourself have spoken about it several times.”

“Might ruin the product” Paddy nodded sagely.

“What a barbarian” Graham shook his head in mock-disappointment.

Helena went red, nobody was completely sure if it was embarrassment or ager, but she snatched the teapot and stomped away.

Daniel chuckled, blew on the tea and took another sip “Mmm, tasty.”

“Really?” Saeko hummed and took the cup to taste for herself. “Really good!” The cup was passed around.

Graham smacked his lips “Do you think we should tell her?”

“Only if she stomps back here” Paddy smirked.

“Women” Peter laughed and shook his head.

“Pardon?” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

The aspirant archeologist shrugged “Please, like you don't agree with me.”

“…Hn”

“Thought so”

“I wouldn't mind some more of that tea though” Graham said while looking sadly at the empty cup.

Daniel laughed “Let's just start with Transfiguration. She'll come back.”

“I concur” Saeko nodded, “I don't want this to drag for too long, I have a date with Lauren.”

“Dinner is pretty soon”

“I'll be skipping, I something special sealed up. Complete with dessert”

 “Ah, t _hat_ kind of a date”

“Hn”

“Lucky bitch”

“Hn”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And we'll be dipping in the Black Lake the next chapter :-)


	140. 7- 138 Fancy a Swim

 

Saeko was livid.

Completely and utterly furious. When her lover was nowhere to be found this morning, in a panicked frenzy she sent out all able-bodied ravens with some experience in tracking to find her. Then she remembered the tracking seal she had put on the red-head, a fact they joked about before but now came in handy. The result was the reason for her rage.

_'_ _We_ _'ve taken what you'll sorely miss'_ went the poem in the egg. Well, turns out they weren't lying.

The ninja seethed at the audacity of the wizards - taking Lauren and sticking her on the bottom of the lake in the name of entertainment and some fucking quest for glory. Lauren was not only her love but someone under Uchiha protection. She was itching to show them all just how much of a mistake that was. But she couldn't. Not right now, playing nice with the Ministry and all. But Uchiha were known for being obsessive and aggressively emotional when enough was enough. Hell, their famous bloodline was based on emotions.

As she stomped towards the Black Lake several people approached her, presumably to wish her luck, but once they got a good look at her face, they backed off. Expression utterly blank but eyes shining with fury - also known as the Uchiha Glare. Not as good at the Hyuuga one, but still more than effective.

The set-up for the Second Task was pretty impressive, not that Saeko really cared at the moment - three tall wooden structures a few hundred meters from the shore and large screens like during the Quidditch World Cup. The students were expected to take the small boats that were usually used for the first years during their first ride to Hogwarts. Same as before, they simply rode without any effort on the students' part.

Saeko was greeted by Dumbledore at the bottom of the middle tower. The elder didn't seem to be affected by her expression which only made her angrier. Her mood lifted a little bit when she noticed Percy Weasley balk at the sight of her and Karkaroff to avert his gaze. Champions-wise, Krum seemed surlier than usual and Fleur looked panicked. Saeko could only wander who they kidnapped form them.

It was almost time and Potter was still a no-show. Saeko wasn't worried, Skygge would call her if he was in trouble. She briefly wondered if he found out a way to breathe underwater yet since the last report was he still had nothing.

Champions and judges waited in silence while the buzz all round them was reaching climax, everybody eager for the Task to start.

Finally The-Boy-Who-Lived arrived, sweaty and out of breath “I'm… here…”

“Where have you been?” Percy said bossily, voice tinged with disapproval, “The task is about to start!”

“Now, now, Percy!” Bagman smiled, obviously relieved he had a full set of Champions, “Let him catch his breath!”

Fleur scoffed, Krum grunted and Saeko hn-ed to complete the hat-trick.

In the brief silence that followed Saeko's eyes sought her Konoha colleague that had agreed to keep an eye on Harry in her stead during the task. The man was standing with the other guards, an auror/ninja mix. He smiled minutely and nodded. The he inconspicuously moved closer to the water and crouched. Saeko didn't really know what jutsu he was going to use, but had been assured the boy was in good hands.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen!”_ Ludo Bagman's voice boomed, “ _Our four champions are ready for the second task which will start on my whistle. They have precisely one hour to recover what has been taken from them. I'd tell you more, but I'll let you be surprised. Champions ready? On the count of three then. One… Two… Three!_ ”

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air and the stands erupted with cheers and applause. Saeko shrugged off her coat so she was only in her shorts and tank top. She placed the rebreather around her neck, not using it yet, and used the seals she had been given by Jiraiya to pinpoint the exact location her hostage was being held.

Once she knew she cast on herself a barrage of spells, mainly to keep her body temperature up and to cope with water pressure, and then she put her wand back in its holster. She didn't care she was the last one still not in the water - she had something prepared that would wow the audience, even if it now seemed so unimportant.

The water-walking chakra control exercise was pretty basic by Konoha standards, but when Saeko took off running right across the surface of the water astonished gasps reverberated though the audience.

When she reached the spot she intended, the only way forward was down. She put on the rebreather and plunged right in. _Suiton: Iruka no Jutsu_ was something some Uchiha had copied from a Mizu nin years ago and it was very much in use in Konoha ANBU. It allowed for smooth and fast movement under water. And it was amazing.

Saeko swam in a spiral, going deeper with each circle, encountering only mild opposition. It was insulting really.

Deeper down another challenge was added in the forms of giant algae in which one could easily become trapped. The Uchiha cut them down, not taking any chances. The _grindyolows_ seemed angry at their homes being destroyed but were scared of the cutting charms.

She was nearly at the bottom of the Lake when what appeared to be a small city revealed itself to her. In Saeko's previous incursions into the water she never reached this place but the layout seemed simple enough. The town was filled with merepeople, they seemed vigilant but not aggressive. Saeko kept her guard up but swam unobstructed towards the main square.

And then she spotted her.

Lauren was tied between Ron Weasley and a small girl with silvery hair who bore an unmistakable resemblance to Fleur Delacour. The last hostage was Hermione Granger.

All of them appeared to be in a deep sleep when one took a closer look, but from a distance they looked like fresh drowning victims - bloated and pale. With their hair floating upwards they made for a very grotesque picture.

Saeko gritted her teeth, cursing the wizards and witches that came up with this stupid Task. She eyed the merepeople and their spears, but they seemed content to let her take Lauren. One quick cutting charm later her lover was free.

When no attack came she nodded towards the grey-skinned creatures and slowly swam upwards. Just to be sure she cast the pressure charm on Lauren, even if Dumbledore had probably already cast it. It wouldn't do to for her to save her lover only to suffer from decompression sickness.

The journey back up was much the same as the one before, only this time she went straight up. Much to her chagrin the algae seemed to have regenerated over the short while but Saeko took care of them as before. Same with the creatures that have taken residence in them.

Finally the duo broke surface. Saeko was worried but calmed down when Lauren seemed to sluggishly wake up as soon as air hit her face.

“Hey” the Uchiha said softly, ignoring the roaring audience in the distance.

“Hey” Lauren said back after taking several deep breaths. When she looked around she sighed “Couldn't you have woken me at shore? Now I have to swim.”

Saeko chuckled and drew herself up to stand back up on the water. Then she pulled the Slytherin out as well and took her into her arms in the typical bridal-style carry. She smirked “Better?”

“Much. Now onwards, I'm cold”

“Yes, m'lady”

The Konoha nin slowly started their journey back to the middle tower where the judges were sitting. Then she suddenly laughed.

“What is it?” the red-head arched an eyebrow.

“Just that I hope someone of my friends had the presence of mind to photograph this. I look very much like the conquering hero that saved the damsel in distress”

“Well, since it's pretty much what happened…”

Saeko's grin widened but then turned serious “So, how did you end up down there?”

“Dumbledore put us under a bewitched sleep” Lauren grimaced, “It was yesterday evening, professor Snape collected me and when we entered his office the headmaster was there.”

“Hn”

“Now, now. Don't do anything rash. Everything turned out fine and we weren't in much danger”

“Hn”

“Still, it's very flattering I was what you would sorely miss”

“I would. Very much” the ninja whispered and got a brilliant smile in reply.

“In hindsight it's obvious. What they were supposed to take? Your books? Ha! Your mirror!” Lauren grinned.

“Do you want me to drop you?” Saeko chuckled.

“Nope”

A few more steps took them both back on the platform. The crowd began cheering anew and the commentating Ludo bagman officially welcome them back before returning to the happenings in the lake which could be observed on the massive screens.

Madame Pomfrey ignored it all and rushed to the two girls, muttering furiously. It seemed Saeko wasn't the only one to think this task was stupid.

The nurse did a quick check-up and then smiled tightly “Excellent use of spells miss Uchiha, you two are perfectly fine. I already know miss Delacour will have DCS and Merlin what else. And don't let me start on mister Krum! Partial transfiguration! I hope Minerva gives him the what for.”

Lauren smiled “That's great and all but could I have a blanket or something? I'm still really cold even after the heating charms.”

“Of course” the elder nodded and _accio_ -ed one for a pile nearby, “And I have some hot tea for you as well.”

“ _Oh my! It seems miss Delacour has arrived without her hostage!”_ Bagman's voice startled them, “ _The grindylows' attack has indeed damaged the air bubble miss Delacour had been using to breathe, leaving her no choice but to resurface!”_

Madame Pomfrey excused herself and rushed to her newest patient, leaving the duo huddle in the blankets with a thermos of very nice and strong black tea. They ignored Fleur's panicked cries for her sister and in turn watched the screens where Harry Potter was nearing the merepeople's village.

“Wait, Potter's hostage is Weasley?” Lauren chuckled.

“Yep”

“So gay”

Saeko laughed “He's his BFF. Who else they were going to take? He still showed no interest in girls and dating, and his family is non-existent.”

Lauren shrugged “Still weird. Slytherin is going to have a field day with this.”

“Ah. The Skeeter as well I would guess”

“Krum and Granger is a big story too. And you told me Granger pissed her off”

“We'll see I guess”

“ _Aaaaand the one hour is UP, ladies and gentlemen!_ ” Bagman announced, “ _It seems mister Krum, though already in possession of his hostage, won't make it in time. And mister Potter is still struggling as well. But no worries! The hostages are perfectly fine and there are still points to be had!”_

“Hn. Back home this would be mission failed” Saeko said in Japanese.

Lauren arched an eyebrow and shrugged, replying in kind “Not everyone does this kind of things for a living.”

“True,” the jounin acquiesced, “And I _did_ have an excellent way to track you.”

“Jiraiya came through” Lauren nodded, “So if anyone kidnapped me, you'd be able to find me quickly?”

“You bet. But don't worry about that - you'll be mostly in-village, surrounded by our ninja and thick walls. Plus you're already pretty known and easily recognizable so no mysterious disappearing.”

“You've got someone who does that?” the healer frowned.

“No system is foolproof and there might be traitor or spies here and there. After all, we do have people in other villages as well” Saeko said nonchalantly.

“Lovely. Feel safe already” Lauren muttered sarcastically.

The kunoichi bit her lip and tried to explain why exactly that statement was completely true as well as other nuances of the workings of a ninja village.

“ _And mister Potter is back as well!_ ” Bagman interrupted, “ _Aaaand the second task of the Triwizard Tournament is over!_ ”

Everybody cheered and applauded loudly. It took quite a while for the noise to calm down which didn't really matter since the judges huddled around their table to discuss the scores. Fleur Delacour had taken the time to profusely thank Harry Potter for rescuing her hostage as well. Harry still looked a bit dazed from the kiss he received when the judges separated, clearly ready to give their verdict.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. We will be giving out marks out of fifty which will be tallied with the score from the first task. Just to refresh your memory, the dragons had put miss Uchiha of Hogwarts in first place with 41 points! Followed by a tie of 40 points we have misters Krum and Potter of Durmstrang and Hogwarts respectively! Miss Delacour of Beauxbatons stands at 39 points!_ ”

“ _And now, for the scores you have been waiting for!_ ” Bagman grinned at everybody from the screens, “ _Miss Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the_ bubble-head charm _, was attacked by_ grindylows _as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her 25 points._ ”

Applause reverberated from the stands. Laure leaned towards her lover “She'd deserve zero.”

“Then it wouldn't be fun” Saeko whispered back, this time in English.

“ _Mr Victor Krum used an incomplete form of transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to arrive with his hostage. We award him 40 points.”_

_“Miss Saeko Uchiha was first to arrive with her hostage and the only one to have done so in the time limit we have set. Using a muggle device for breathing coupled with several brilliant and well-prepared spells gives her 48 points!”_

Saeko tsked. Lauren shrugged “I think the 'muggle device' lost you some points.”

The ninja growled “Wizarding bullshit.”

“ _Mr Harry Potter used_ gillyweed _to great effect. He returned last and well outside the time limit of an hour,”_ Bagman paused for dramatic effect _, “However, as we have seem Mr Potter was second to reach the hostages and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own._ ”

“Dumbass” Saeko and Lauren murmured in unison.

“ _Most of the judges,”_ here Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look, “ _feel that this shows great moral fiber and merits to be scored accordingly. We therefore award him with 45 points._ ”

Another great applause ensued, mostly because the two Hogwarts champions took solid residence in the lead. As it was Saeko was first with 89 points in total, followed by Potter with 85, then Krum with 80 and finally Fleur with 64.

Bagman waited for the noise to die down again. Feeling it was pretty much a lost cause he announced loudly “ _The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The Champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the Champions and the Tournament. See you all in June!”_

In the following applause Madame Pomfrey herded all the champions and their hostages and in no uncertain terms she announced they were all going to the infirmary for a checkup. Saeko tried to protest since she and Lauren already got one but the red-head merely chuckled at the glare she got form the nurse.

“You can entertain all your adoring fans later miss Uchiha” Pomfrey humphed.

“Hn”

Lauren smirked “You'll get sick of retelling it soon enough. Enjoy the last bother-free moments.”

“I'll just glare and 'hn', that always works”

“True. So June, huh? That's pretty late” the red-head hummed.

Saeko shrugged “It's only three tasks and they are meant to entertain us for the whole year. The gap makes sense.”

“Well at least you'll be getting precise instructions this time. What do you think it will be?”

“Another obstacle course I would wager. Maybe this time there will be more direct interaction between the champions”

“You were free to sabotage them in this task already”

“Nah,” the nin shook her head, “With the time limit on, I wanted to concentrate on fulfilling the parameters of the mission.”

“Seems you were the only one to bother”

“Amateurs”

“Indeed” Lauren chuckled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I used the setup from the films rather than the book - I liked the towers. Also, I added the screens - I mean, watching the water of the lake for over an hour wouldn't be much of a spectacle… Pretty much the equivalent of watching paint dry.
> 
> AN2: Liked how Saeko tackled the task? Really curious what you think. I wouldn't rewrite it but I'd like to know what you'd have made her do. Review please


	141. 7- 139 Songs of Fire

 

Daniel took one look at the freshly arrived newspaper and groaned.

“What is it?” Caitlin asked curiously and quickly paid her owl for the same delivery.

“ _Harry Potter's secret heartache_ ” the Head Boy read the title in a disgusted tone, “Skeeter is at it again.”

“This I gotta read” Graham smirked and put down his toast.

Helena scoffed even as she avidly read thought the article “It's garbage.”

“So, what's it about?” Saeko prompted as she dug into her cheat-day chocolate cereal.

Caitlin hummed “Well, basically Granger is a scheming gold-digger that has ensnared both Potter and Krum, probably by the means of love potion.”

“Ouch”

“That's… bad”

“Yeah. There had been some pureblood propaganda that muggleborn witches steal nice, respectable men to gain money and status” Helena grimaced, “Many parents, mainly old families, will take this seriously. Better safe than sorry, after all.”

“Poor Granger” Ashley sighed.

“She really made an enemy” Paddy nodded.

“That being Skeeter or her readers?”

“Both”

Daniel sneered “Here, look at this! Page three - early this morning another man was found killed with an ice pick in the middle of sex. Or at the end I guess. Page three! This is the third one already, marking it a serial killing, and it's on PAGE FUCKING THREE! What is wrong with the Prophet!”

“Danny” Graham said softly when his friend got loud enough to attract stares.

The Head Boy seemed on fire though and completely ignored him “Skeeter's article is fit for a gossip rag but it's on the first page! And this is far from the first time. It's sick! The fact we laud someone that lies, cheats, invades privacy not to mention…”

Saeko took Daniel by his shoulder and brought him forcefully to her side. The teen was startled and faltered in his rant. Saeko whispered “Accusing society of being rotten isn't the best way to get into the Ministry, even if only an auror spot.”

“Yeah” Peter nodded, “Walk it off, go punch something.”

“No need” Daniel huffed.

“Really? Cause I could go for a quick duel” the ninja smiled in anticipation.

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes “I said no need. I'm not some volatile thug, I just got a bit upset. Besides, we've got Herbology.”

Saeko pouted “Ok then.”

“Aww, don't be disappointed” Helena smirked, “I'm sure the plants in Greenhouse 5 will be violence enough.”

“Doubtful” Caitlin smirked.

“Now _I_ am the volatile thug?”

Everybody made a show of thinking and then nodded simultaneously “Sure!”

Saeko rolled her eyes and went back to her meal. Soon after the Ravenclaws finished breakfast without mentioning the Daily Prophet again and then made their way outside to the greenhouses. It was a beautiful and surprisingly warm day so it was no trouble. It even caused Daniel's mood to lift.

“Good morning!” professor Sprout greeted them chipperly, “I hope y'all are up-to-date with your freezing charms.”

As the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors made their way to the very back of the greenhouse Saeko began to grin widely. Several students shot her a disturbed looks but then nodded in understanding, and a little bit of trepidation, when several burning bushes came into view.

“Today's task is collecting the fire seeds” Sprout clapped her hands enthusiastically, “So, who can tell me in which potions it is used?”

A great number of hands shot up in the air and the teacher smiled widely. One by one she called them, putting together a pretty long list of potions. Next were the other uses and care - Saeko smirked and volunteered 'hatching dragon eggs', remembering Hagrid's little pet. Pity nobody got the inside joke.

“Alright, suit up” the Hufflepuff Head of House announced, “Gloves and glasses, no exceptions. And _imperviate_ your uniform cloaks. I want nobody get set on fire. This is a NEWTs class so I expect this to go swiftly, cleanly and without incident. We've got ten bushes so divide up accordingly. Put the collected cold seeds in those buckets, professor Snape is waiting on them so chop, chop.”

The students took all the necessary precautions and approached the plants. Apart the obvious danger, the work was pretty much monotonous and easy. Since talking was discouraged in class except for group assignments, it also proceeded in silence. Well, except several hisses and squeaks when the student got too close to the flames.

While her hands were busy Saeko's mind went back to the genjutsu she was working on since the Second Task. While she had encountered much worse, the oppressive silence of being so deep under water, the darkness, the shadows, the pressure, and without the rebreather the struggle to catch a breath but being unable to, was _scary_. And perfect genjutsu material. Surely Kiri had such illusions but Konoha didn't. Or Saeko didn't know anyone who used it since it just wasn't practical due to the environment of the Land of Fire. Still, it had its uses so the ninja spent the more boring lessons planning out the genjutsu scenario. And then there was the _feel_. For a genjutsu to fool anyone of higher caliber it needed to feel real - all senses must be affected, not just sight. And that took time and dedication.

Pity she would probably hand it over to T&I rather than use it in the field. Or to someone with suiton mastery. But it would also complete the set - fire and water. She was really fond of her fire genjutsu - if an enemy saw the sharingan they _expected_ fire. And the illusion of being set ablaze was positively terrifying.

“Saeko?” Graham broke the ninja form her reverie.

“Hn?”

“You looked very creepy right now”

“Hn”

“At least she stopped smiling at the fire” Ashley remarked dryly, “ _That_ was creepy.”

“Hn”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Tower**

The Ravens were divided on the matter of Hogsmeade weekends in March - some thought it was far too close to the exams and it was a waste of time. The others took it as a welcome respite from all the study sessions.

Saeko decided to stay in the Castle, living vicariously though her summons who were following Potter, this time rather than Honeydukes meeting his godfather in secret. It seemed 'Snuffles' was now a lovable stray running through the streets of Hogsmeade.

And boy, did Snuffles have a lot to say. While Black's analysis of Bartemius Crouch was no doubt interesting, he reminded her a bit of Danzo, the real information was that something was going on. Something big. With the two former Death Eaters on the verge of panic, mysterious disappearances of Ministry employees and Potter getting conned into the Tournament, Saeko was very much inclined to believe the fugitive.

She had passed the information to the Konoha spymaster, but no doubt Jiraiya was far more preoccupied with the Akatsuki situation. She had also warned Hayama who was dealing with the Ministry jobs but all in all it was the Brits' business. The only trouble was that it was somehow linked to Harry Potter.

“SAEKO!”

“Pshhhh!” came the hissing reproach from every Raven that stayed in the Tower intent to study.

“Sorry” Caitlin apologized with a shrug and made a frantic motion for the ninja to come with her.

Saeko arched an eyebrow in question but obliged. When she reached her friend she asked softly, minding her studious housemates “What's up?”

“You'll see” the Irish girl grinned widely.

“Hn”

Caitlin led them to the entrance to the school proper but before they exited she turned back to her friend with twinkling eyes “You're going to be so proud.”

“Wh-“ Saeko started but then her jaw clicked close. In front of the Tower guardian there were three sweaty, tired locusts. It was obvious they were just too exhausted to even answer the Guardian's question to enter. “Is that…”

“Our junior players” the soon-to-be-retired chaser erupted into laughter. The three replacement players didn't even look up, only Elsa Rothery, the newest chaser, managed to flip them the bird.

“That's rude” Roger chuckled as he came from around the corner.

Caitlin smirked “Our Vice-Captain took the rookies for a small training.”

The tree exhausted players groaned.

Saeko stood speechless for a little while before crying anime tears, one of Gai's prized jutsus, and exclaiming “HOW YOUTHFUL!!!!”

Roger puffed out his chest proudly while Caitlin leaned on the wall beside the guardian to enjoy the show. Elsa Rothery, William Price and Peter Watkins were much less enthusiastic.

“My student! My disciple! Your fires of youth BURN BRIHTLY! Brightly indeed, I am so proud” Saeko near-shouted in a true Gai fashion. But it wasn't mockingly, she really meant it. “Wait here! I've got something for you” the ninja exclaimed and vanished back to the Common Room.

Caitlin blinked in confusion when her friend blitzed though the still opened corridor to their Tower. Roger just smiled and shrugged. Then let his gaze fall to his juniors “Don't you want to clean up a bit?”

He got only more groaning in return.

“If they're this tired, how did they make it up here?” the seventh year asked.

Before anybody could solve that mystery, Saeko was back with a smile and something hidden behind her back. “Ta-dá!”

“Is that… green spandex?” Caitlin arched both her eyebrows incredulously.

“Yup!” Saeko nodded chipperly, “I wrote Gai-senpai about me training people and using his example and he sent me this.” At first she intended to be a gag-gift for April fools but this was better. Especially if Roger will use it to terrify the trio of newbies. And the rest of the Team, of course.

She couldn't wait.

Roger seemed to be of the same mind “Captain! What a thoughtful gift! I shall use it to fan the fires of youth of next year's Eagles!”

“Roger!”

“Captain!”

“ROGER!”

“CAPTAIN!”

Sadly there was no sunset, nor beach. But it was fun. The rookies were really freaked out. So was Caitlin which was icing on the cake. Only pity that the rest of the team wasn't there.

Once the embrace was over Saeko smiled, softly and sincerely “Thank you for carrying forward my legacy.”

“Hey, when you brought your 'fires of youth' into the Eagles, Ravenclaw started winning” the Vice-Captain smiled back, “I don’t think your method, or Gai's, will be forgotten too soon.”

The Uchiha smirked, mushy moment over, “Excellent. No, let's get these poor souls into the Common Room. Care to start?”

Roger grinned “My pleasure. STAND UP YOU MAGGOTS! GET IN THERE, GO CLEAN UP, GET SOME FOOD IN YOUR SYSTEMS AND GOT TO BED! MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT!”

Elsa, William and Peter shot up to their feet in a conditioned response and marched hastily into the Ravenclaw Tower.

“So proud” Saeko said again. Roger grinned proudly again and left behind his recruits.

Caitlin stopped leaning against her spot on the wall and rolled her eyes “Well, that was amusing.”

“Remind me to borrow Daniel's camera for our next training. I'll have to bring Gai a photo. And frame my copy”

“He's gonna wear it?”

“The jumpsuit? Of course. It'll be awesome!”

“Of dear god”

“Be glad I didn't have a jumpsuit for you too”

“…I think my life just flashed before my eyes”

“Any good?”

* * *

**Unused Classroom on 4 th Floor**

“You smell of smoke” Lauren remarked after a brief hug and kiss in greeting.

Saeko shrugged “Just got out of a spar with my brother.”

“You look remarkably uninjured”

“We went easy, it was mostly catching up”

“I still don't understand you Uchiha's fascination with fire,” the red-head frowned, “I mean, it's pretty to look at but actually using it in a fight? Drastic is an understatement. Gruesome comes to mind.”

The scarred jounin shrugged “Katon is usually flash-fire, near-instant death so no more pain than the usual methods.”

“Lovely” Lauren said dryly. “I especially like the _usually_ and _near-instant_.”

“I would like to point out all those lovely, drastic and gruesome spells, the entrails-vomiting course for example” Saeko said pointedly, “Or for a more recent example - the potion that almost ate though Granger's hands. Came in a nice envelope. From a fan, it said.”

Lauren sighed and rubbed her brow “Who in their right mind opens hate-mail.”

Taking it as an out Saeko shrugged “Especially after receiving so much of it. Skeeter's readers really took up arms. No wonder Hermione is more determined than ever to nail Skeeter.”

“Oh joy, Granger on a crusade”

“She might get her”

“I do wish her luck in her endeavor” the Slytherin dipped her head.

“Well, with the new favorite target at least Hagrid came back. Without the skrewts though” Saeko sighed.

“Forgive me if I'm not overly jubilant”

The ninja smirked and fished out her pipe. Lauren sniffed in mild disdain at the habit and returned to her papers on the table.

“What is that?” Saeko surveyed the runes work, “NEWT preparation? Because that is not homework.”

Lauren tapped her bottom lip with her pencil “I have been working on something these last few months.”

“Really?” the Uchiha arched an eyebrow, “Why am I just now hearing about it?”

The red-head shrugged “Didn't want any help and you can be really stubborn.”

“Hn. What is it then?”

Lauren seemed a bit embarrassed which only made the ninja all the more curious. When Saeko turned her gaze to the rune project the Brit cove it with a book “It's not finished.”

“And it being…”

“Well” Lauren shrugged in quite convincing nonchalance, “Since everybody in Konoha is a super soldier…”

“Is not”

“… so I looked into some protection speedier than spells. Runes can work as well as seals - got the idea from 'being Uzumaki'. I made quite a few of them, don't know how viable they can be though. Still working on it.”

“So what you got?” Saeko asked.

“Both attack and defense. Mostly support though” Lauren shrugged, “Still, it should keep me out of trouble if need be.”

The nin nodded in understanding - after all the changes that were to come Lauren had to exert some measure of control over her safety, even if Konoha and the Uchiha had provisions in place. And it was smart too, spells were just too slow to use by themselves. “Just be sure to have at least one emergency portkey in there somewhere” Saeko hummed, “And practice apparition.”

“I can do far better than that”

Feeling a twinge of trepidation Saeko smiled overly brightly “I'm sure. But you are a healer, not even a field medic. And if you were a field medic you'd still have to follow Tsunade's Directive.”

“Don't engage in combat” Lauren rolled her eyes, “I'm not stupid you know. And even if I was let out of Konoha I'd stay at the Hospital. I have zero intention of fighting anyone.” She smirked “That's for brutes.”

Saeko chuckled at the typical pureblood rebuttal “I dare you to say that in Konoha.”

“Of course not, I heard the speech about the Will of Fire”

“I wouldn't diss that either” the ninja advised pointedly.

Lauren made a face, obviously having her own opinions about the Will of Fire, but relented and returned to her runes.

“Can I look at some of your rune seals? I didn't bring anything with me”

“Can't you do some crunches or something?”

“Wow, you really don't want me to see them, huh?”

“It's my project”

“Very well” Saeko sighed, “Mind if I bring some work of my own to do here?”

“Could you bring me some tea as well?” Lauren looked up from her papers.

“Sure” the ninja nodded, “You know, I can't wait to be back in Konoha - better accommodations in which to meet.”

“Better climate too”

Saeko smiled brilliantly over her shoulder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just if there are questions after this chapter - with the Uchiha Massacre going differently, Danzo doesn’t have the sharingan sleeve, only Shisui's eye. And with Sandaime still in charge he is kept more or less in check. That said, ROOT exists.


	142. 7- 140 Obligatory Drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Something like a two month time-skip in this chapter

 

“Could my 'Claws stay behind please?” professor Flitwick called at the end of Charms.

Some of the Ravenclaws frowned - it was April already and every second counted. It was their NEWTs year after all. Already the Ravenclaw Tower was a place of madness. Many of the fifth and seventh years were on the verge of melting. Which was why Flitwick asked for them to stay no doubt.

The diminutive teacher smiled warmly when the ruckus of the other students leaving finally died down “As I have posted on the Notice Board the date of the exams has been decided. Not that it will be any surprise to you, as the NEWT part always starts on the same date. Your exams will start in the morning of June 1st and they will go according to the schedule posted in the Tower, ending Wednesday, June 8th. Then OWLs will follow and then finally regular exams. After that the third task of the Tournament will take place and then… your schooling will officially be finished.”

Solemn silence followed.

“NEWTs will be very much like your fifth year exams, so you already know what to expect” Flitwick continued, “The results will be owled to you during summer. Also, my doors are always open as are Madame Pomfrey's. If you need a calming drought or something, go to us. Don't brew them yourselves. Same goes for any and all boosters or stims. As you know, we had an incident about illegal products a few years back and the dealer had been expelled since it was his second offence. Take care of yourselves and remember, the NEWTs aren't the end of the world. Don't forget to sleep and eat plenty. You will do _fine_.”

Aaron - who had considerably less hair, chewed up nails and dark circles under his eyes - seemed to disagree. And he wasn't alone. This was Ravenclaw after all.

Seeing all that, Flitwick only sighed sadly, knowing his students all too well. After that, they were dismissed.

Following that everybody's life was consumed by the preparation for their exams. Every day was pretty much the same - eat, go to lessons, eat, lessons again, followed by an evening of cramming. Nobody went out except for more studying and all the club activities were pretty much suspended.

The teachers went in full review mode and they were all tested and retested on the most probable spells or assignments that might come up in the NEWTs.

Ravenclaw Tower was pretty much on lockdown.

Paradoxically things eased up in May. At least for the little poker group, that is. Maybe it was because they really knew they were prepared but most likely it was because of Angela's meltdown. She was on her feet two days later but her scene in the Common Room had been pretty epic. Pity her notes fared much worse - the girl just started screaming and throwing papers all over, some even ending in the fire. She tore some more papers and even a book, quite a feat, before collapsing into sobs.

Nobody wanted a repeat of that.

Much to Saeko's delight, Lauren seemed to have the NEWT madness under control. Most likely because she had a job lined up that wouldn't recognize the exam anyway. Or she just internalized better.

The Uchiha just wanted this to be over - her friends were no fun lately due to the stress, the Hogwarts Library had nothing more to yield and things in Konoha seemed to pick up again. She would miss the little poker group very much but it was time to go. Of course the situation would be different if Lauren wasn't coming home with her - then she would be infinitely sadder. Devastated even. Still, even with all the preparation and Ren's agreement, she couldn't quite believe her fortune. Hopefully once they're back in Konoha the anxious feeling will pass.

For now though, it was back to studying.

* * *

**Quidditch Pitch**

Saeko had been well aware of the changes the Hogwarts quidditch pitch - Roger had wanted to schedule a training session, to get out a bit, but he was denied by Madame Hooch. Naturally the Team went investigating, revealing Hagrid tending to ankle high hedges. The flora encompassed not only the whole pitch but also the grass expanse beyond. Roger wanted to use it for training instead of the regular pitch - ready-made obstacle course - but Saeko just shook her head. They had wanted one last training session but it appeared the season was well and truly over.

On May 24th the Triwizard Champions were called to the Pitch for their briefing on the third and last task. It was already late and the hedges, now waist high, were rustling creepily in the near darkness. Saeko guessed that was the point.

Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the overgrown area where there was a sizeable clearing. Once everybody was there he greeted enthusiastically “Welcome, welcome! Eager to know what the Task is going to be?”

The four students just shrugged, nobody really liking the man or his exaggerated cheer.

Bagman picked up on the mood and cleared his throat “Well then, these hedges are going to grow over twenty feet high by the time of your Task, which will be precisely a month from now. What do you think?”

“Maze” Saeko said in a bored tone of voice. It was obvious, especially to one that had taken her broom to fly over the formation a couple of times. And a few times by raven. And drawn a map. Although she suspected that wouldn't be of much use due to the nature of the hedges - when mature enough they _moved_. Perfect for a fear-inducing maze. Fear did seem to be the recurrent theme of the Tournament.

“That's right, a maze! But don't worry, once the task is over, you'll get your quidditch pitch back. So, a maze - the third task is really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the centre of the maze and the first Champion to touch it receives full marks.”

“So we seemply 'ave to get through the maze” Fleur arched an eyebrow.

“There will be obstacles” Bagman said happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet, “Hagrid will be providing a number of creatures, then there will be spells that must be broken, all that sort of thing. You will be entering into the maze according to your points, so miss Uchiha first, miss Delacour last, but everybody has a fighting chance. It all depends on how well you'll do overcoming the obstacles. All in all, it sounds pretty fun, right?”

“Sure” Potter said dryly when his colleagues didn't volunteer an answer.

“Very well” Bagman nodded cheerily, “If you haven't got any questions we'll go back up to the Castle, shall we? It's a bit chilly.”

Fleur nodded after a small shiver of cold and took off. Saeko looked at the two male champions who started talking and decided to catch up with the blonde veela.

“How's your sister?” the ninja asked amiably.

“Well” Fleur smiled.

“How did they even get her? I mean, the rest of us had hostages right here at school but why did they go the extra mile for Gabrielle? They could've used someone from your delegation.”

The French student frowned “Zey borrowed 'er from Beauxbatons. And nobody from our delegation iz really my friend.”

“Ah” Saeko nodded, her curiosity satiated.

Fleur surprisingly struck a conversation, even if the topic was very casual. They were almost at the Beauxbatons carriage and Saeko was about to split when Zake flew over their heads and then landed on the Uchiha's shoulder.

Saeko hastily said goodbye to her fellow champion and then turned urgently to Zake “I didn't feel my seal.”

“I didn't use it. I'm here to bring Dumbledore to the Maze. The original is still with Potter and he's racing to the Headmaster as well” the shadow clone explained.

“Ok, go, go” the summoner shooed him away. The fact he didn't use the seal meant Potter was alright, but why call Dumbledore.

Concealing herself, Saeko took off running back to the overgrown quidditch pitch. Nobody was in the maze but she could feel somebody further away, near the Forest. When she arrived she stopped abruptly and arched both eyebrows in astonishment - the only thing think of interest was a stunned Victor Krum. _But I guess if Harry was the perpetrator Zake would've told. And didn't call for Dumbledore._

Examining the scene she frowned, she couldn't feel anyone's presence. If someone other than Potter did this he was already gone. But if that was the case he must've been stalking Krum beforehand. Or simply something else must've happened.

She cursed under her breath that she didn’t ask Zake, she thought it would be evident. Now the only thing she could do was to wait for Potter and Dumbledore to come here. Saeko hopped up the nearest tree and still concealed watched over Krum. Naturally she didn't wake him up, no doubt Karkaroff would be quick to accuse her of the attack.

It didn't take overly long for the whole circus to arrive - Potter, Dumbledore, Snape and soon after Karkaroff and Moody. Although, as soon as the DADA teacher entered her range she fled, not wanting to risk his magical eye. Instead she walked back to the castle and then right up Dumbledore's office.

Fawkes greeted her with a rather shrill cry and Saeko smiled at the phoenix - pity he wasn't a summon animal, it would fit the Uchiha quite well. The fire part that is, the healing and goodness a little less.

Dumbledore joined them quite a while later. The elder sighed “I did have a feeling I might find you here.”

The ensuing explanation was rather brief and well, unsatisfactory. It was another sign that something was going on. But she guessed Dumbledore was right, she had enough on her plate with the exams, the Tournament and Potter watch. And it wasn't her business really - if needed the Headmaster could commission a Konoha team or give her more specific instructions.

Saeko was dismissed pretty quickly but she was used to it. She wished the headmaster good night and left the office. Once she was in school proper she briefly debated going back to the maze as preparation for the Third Task but she dismissed the idea - surely Moody was patrolling and she had no intention of meeting the teacher.

Instead she called Zake as she walked towards the Ravenclaw Tower. He didn't manage even a greeting when Saeko exclaimed “Why didn't you leave a kage bushin behind with Krum?”

“Eeeh, because I can't do more than one at a time?” the raven defended.

“You could've let Potter fetch the headmaster and follow just him, leaving the clone with Krum”

“Sure, but he isn't our mission” Zake said pointedly.

“Hn” Saeko relented, “You're right. I just have a bad feeling.”

“To be honest I'm pretty sick of Scotland anyway. Can't wait to go back to Konoha”

“Couldn't agree more”

“Awesome”

* * *

**Ravenclaw Dorms**

“A new Herbology project?” Ashley asked, “Or your usual pyromania?”

Saeko took her eyes off the piece of maze in her hand and sighed “It's not catching fire.”

“That sucks” the Brit smirked, obviously amused at Saeko's pouting.

“Hn”

“Well, a spot of green in our room isn't so bad. We could've decorated sooner”

“It would be better if it was on fire” the Uchiha said sullenly. She kind of hoped she could blast her way to the center of the maze but the shrubbery proved to be quite impervious.

“You would think that” Ash chuckled.

Saeko put the greenery back into its jar and turned to her friend with a smile “Finally some humor. These two month were horrible. Thank Kami NEWTs start Wednesday.”

“You just _had_ to say that” the Brit grimaced.

“No, wait! Put that smile back on! Everybody has been so depressing”

“And you have been disgustingly cheery” Ash rolled her eyes.

“Only compared to the rest of the Ravens” Saeko shrugged.

The younger girl chuckled “True enough. But that might change now - Graham went to the kitchens and appropriated a large chocolate cake. Despite being a pig he offered to share, said to cheer us all up.”

“Brilliant idea!” the ninja perked up considerably.

“His and Peter's room then”

The duo made their way to the boys' side of the Tower pretty hastily - both hungry and eager for the treat. They knocked and were let in by Daniel who was already there with his roommate as well.

“Guys!” Ash pursed her lips, “This is a pigsty!”

“We were studying for ages” Graham shrugged.

Saeko scrunched her nose “Could at least open the window.”

“Hey, do you want the cake or not?” Peter huffed.

“Of course. I'm quite surprised you haven't eaten it yet”

“Daniel said we had to share”

“Love you, Dan” Saeko grinned.

“That's why you're our favorite” Ashley nodded.

“Hey!” the rest of the boys fined offense.

“What did they do now?” Caitlin asked as she entered with Helena.

“Just the usual, plus being greedy smelly hoarders” Ash grinned.

The girls laughed which meant they had to fight for the spoons that the boys decided to withhold as punishment. When everybody finally got a piece of the chocolate treat and had their first bites Caitlin hummed “This is nice.”

“Of course, it's cake!” Graham exclaimed.

The Irish girl rolled her eyes “I meant us, here, not studying but actually having fun.”

Paddy nodded “I agree. Speaking of fun, how's the Third Task preparation?”

Saeko shrugged “I focused more on the exam. Plus the Task doesn't really require specific preparation like the first two.”

“Caitlin said the quidditch pitch is a maze now” Peter remarked.

The girl in question nodded “Yeah, when I first saw it, it was ankle high but the walls are huge now.”

“Yeah, I don't envy you Saeko” Graham hummed, “It's going to be creepy.”

“Fun for us though. I bet Delacour will shriek like a total girl” Paddy smirked.

“She is a girl” Helena chuckled, “But I think so too. And did you say bet?”

Once the little black book made an appearance everybody, except Saeko of course, made predictions about the Third Task and the four champions. Poor Fleur got the worst of it though, mostly because she was in last place and her performance during the second task left much to be desired.

“I'm glad you're our champion” Caitlin finally mused, “Fleur is last and the rest are men.”

“Potter is actually doing better than I thought” Daniel hummed.

Peter nodded “Gillyweed wasn't as cool as walking on water, still want to know how you did that by the way, but it was a good idea.”

“Probably Longbottom's” Ashley shrugged, “I heard he's a whiz in Herbology. Not much else though.”

“Yeah, for such an old family it's certainly embarrassing” Helena nodded.

“Something the poor kid has heard all his life no doubt” Graham remarked.

The blonde heiress nodded again “Madame Longbottom can certainly be… abrasive.”

“She's a pureblooded lady, of course she is” Paddy said cheekily.

“Humph” Helena huffed and let it be.

“Oh! I just remembered - Helena, could you get me some high class tea in a nice packaging?” Caitlin said suddenly, “I need a gift.”

“Who for?” Graham asked.

The chaser sighed “My uncle form the muggle side's fiancée's birthday.”

“You don't like her much, do ya?” Saeko smirked.

“Your favorite uncle is getting married?” Ashley asked with a smiled, “Congrats to James.”

“Yes and yes” Caitlin nodded, “Worse thing, now I'm next in line. The fam will try to set me up.”

“They might just tell you to choose one of your many admirers” Helena smirked.

“Wouldn't worry about that yet, fist we need to finish school” Daniel shrugged.

“Dude!”

“Not cool reminding us of that”

“Yeah, I take it back - you're not the favorite anymore”

Daniel sighed and rubbed his brow “I'll fetch some more cake then.”

“Agreed!” the rest of the group chorused.


	143. 7- 141 Eye of NEWT

 

Ashley's magical alarm clock let out a cheery tune, signalizing the start of a new day. Usually the Brit smacked it with a mumbled 'fk ff' but that wasn't the case today. Why? Well, not only Ash had been tossing and turning all night, but also because today was the first day of the exams. NEWTs. The big one.

“Are you paralyzed by fear or did you suddenly start to enjoy the alarm's music?” Saeko taunted and threw off her covers.

“Mmm” was the only reply. The ninja looked at her roommate's face and saw it pale and sweaty. And eyes wide with dread. “It's going to be alright. We got this” Saeko reassured.

“Well, we did study our asses off” Ashley said faintly.

“That's the spirit”

Ashley waved her away and stood up. Saeko smiled and quickly finished dressing and took off to the bathrooms, hoping there wasn't a crowd already.

Ravenclaw Tower was pretty silent, everybody knew that the seventh years started today plus it was an unwelcome reminder their time was almost up. Helena was the only member of the little poker group ready in the common room, sitting by a window, clutching a teacup for dear life.

“Hey”

The blonde heiress just jerked her head, not speaking. Saeko sighed, it was OWLs all over again. And she had played the compassioned, reassuring gal for a week already. She was really looking forward to this to be over.

Seeing the grimace Helena spoke “Want some tea? I brewed a pot to relax, I can't really drink it right now.”

“Sure. Thank you” Saeko smiled. After taking a sip she hummed in satisfaction “Delicious. But you really need to have some breakfast.”

“I know”

“Then drink up. Hey, Daniel!” the ninja greeted.

Daniel waved “Good morning.”

“DADA first. Is that why you're so calm?” Helena whispered.

“Maybe” the boy shrugged, “But hearing Paddy puking wasn't really reassuring.”

“Patrick?” Saeko arched an eyebrow, “He alright?”

“Sure hope so. But it seems he's feeling better now”

“Great” Helena mumbled dryly and finally took a sip of her cold tea.

Slowly the group was joined by the rest of their friends, some looking better than others but all of them a bit green around the gills. Once the poker group was complete they made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

“There's our old buddy Marchbanks” Graham said tightly at the sight of the Head of the Examiners' Committee.

“I had her for the Transfiguration practical, she wasn't bad” Caitlin remarked.

“That's not the point”

“Coffee!” Ashley exclaimed and immediately appropriated the beverage.

Paddy scoffed “We're about to write the most important test in our life and she's more preoccupied by some disgusting bean broth.”

“We're all nervous, don't take it out on us” Peter said reproachfully.

“Sorry”

After that they all ate mostly in silence - eating was effort enough. When they were more of less finished Saeko spotted their Head of House coming towards them. “Heads up.”

“God morning, professor Flitwick” they chorused.

“Good morning, Ravens” the diminutive teacher smiled at them warmly, “I'm glad to see you look alright. More or less. How do you feel?”

Patrick shot him a glare but got elbowed by Daniel. The rest just shrugged, even if their hearts weren't in it.

“Good” Flitwick nodded, “You will all do great, that I have no doubts about. It's just like OWLs, you did extremely well despite being nervous. So just like that.”

Everybody just nodded.

“Now, how's this going to work” Flitwick put on a more serious face, “The exam will take place here, in the Great Hall, at half-past eight. We'll take attendance and the test proper will start at nine. Theoreticals in the morning, practicals in the afternoon. Everything just like OWLs. You got your schedules?”

“Yes, professor”

“Excellent” Flitwick smiled, “And good luck.”

The elder wizard moved to the other seventh years and the poker group returned to their half-hearted nibbling of dry toast. Now it was just a matter of waiting it out.

Soon they were ushered out of the Great Hall so it could be prepared for the impeding exams. Most of the seventh year just stayed outside in the foyer, waiting. Or cramming last-minute.

“We're ready for you” one of the 'younger' examiners announced loudly and clearly and opened the big doors to the Great Hall.

Just as last time the students had been assigned a small table, the papers already there as well as a quill and inkwell. And just as last time Madame Marchbanks was presiding over the room from her raised podium. Next to her was the same big hourglass with sparkly white sand to count the time of the exam.

Once everybody was settled and the Great Hall fell silent, Marchbanks spoke “Hello again, this time for the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test, otherwise known as the NEWTs. You know the drill - no cheating, no meltdowns and no over-indulging in your writing habits, write only what is asked of you. Got it?”

“Yes, Madame Marchbanks” the students mumbled when it was clear the elder woman required a response.

“Excellent. The theoretical test of Defense Against the Dark Arts will last for three hours and begins… now!”

After a wave of rustling of papers the Great Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Saeko went thought the first questions rather quickly - they were meant to calm the students since all of them were pretty basic.

DADA was always a bit of a mixed bag - magical creatures, spells, transfigurations, hell even plants. The exams also focused on civic mindedness - like if you were in this and this situation, how would you react? Saeko doubted her preferred method, aka fire and explosives, was what the examiners were looking for. Those were the questions the little poker group anticipated quite well so they formulated several generic responses. When the question about legality of spells came up, Saeko had to remember Graham's fabulous answer of 'the fact that there are only three unforgivable curses must mean that every other curse is 'pretty much forgivable'. Naturally, she didn't write that.

“Fifteen minutes left!” Marchbanks said in warning.

The scribbling of quills became more frantic. When the Head Examiner called the second warning of five minutes left, the noise went up another notch. Saeko snickered when Ted Hewlett of Hufflepuff began a chant of 'shit, shit, shit, shit' next to her.

Finally Marchbanks called “Aaaaand time! Lay down your quills.”

Like during OWLs some students had to receive mild stinging hexes when they refused to relinquish their paper but in the end everything was in order and the seventh years were ushered out.

“So?” Daniel prompted, relief practically pouring out of him.

“Not bad” Caitlin nodded.

“I would venture even… good” Graham smiled.

Peter nodded “I think we might even get thought this.”

Helena smirked “Tell that again after Transfiguration or Arithmancy.”

“Bitch” Paddy's smile fell and the blonde's widened.

“So I hope lunch is soon” Ashley said loudly before they could get into an argument.

Saeko nodded “Yeah, I'm hungry too.”

“Dunno about you but I'm sprinting to the bathroom” Paddy said urgently, “Please, if you feel the need to discuss your test answers, do so when I'm gone.”

“Bathroom, good idea” Caitlin nodded.

“I'm coming with” Ashley and Saeko said in unison while Helena nodded as well.

Graham chuckled “Of course, girls always go together.”

“Of course, who knows what might happen otherwise” Saeko smirked, remembering the troll and the basilisk.

X

The NEWTs continued even during the weekend, but everybody got at least one full day to rest up. The subjects were those that only had one part such as astronomy, history or divination. From this list Runes were excluded - at OWLs translations and formulas were enough but NEWTs required a practical. It was scheduled for Monday and they were asked to think up and draw several wards on the spot.

Saeko had professor Cabot, the examiner she remembered form the previous exam that asked her to show him 'her favorite transfiguration'. This time she was asked to do several traps, two variants of a barrier, improve durability of a cloak and several other rather practical assignments. The most elaborate was a perimeter ward tied to a timed trap and a flare but since that was something Saeko found really handy during normal class work she had the system done in no time. That was an O for sure. She was very proud of that, especially since she wasn't good with classical fuinjutsu.

Potions was scheduled for the following day and it was hands-down the smallest exam - only eleven people. Still, they got the full time slot and were asked to brew two potions simultaneously - one easy and one harder. Saeko was a bit surprised about that, since usually one would do only one brew at a time, even at home. But since the hard one was supposed to simmer for forty minutes, the easy tonic could be done during that period, so it was probably alright. She did see Reid in front of her panic quite a bit but his finished potions seemed right.

In stark contrast stood the Charms exam, the last one of the set. Everybody took this one since it only needed an Acceptable OWL to get into. But while it surely wasn't the hardest of them, it still was on the level and some of the more… eh, _challenged_ students had a hard time.

When the students were waiting for their name to be called for the practical part, they were once more crammed into the smaller adjoining room due to the number of people. But nobody really seemed to care overly much - it was almost over, just one more exam to go and they were officially done with Hogwarts.

Saeko was sitting with Lauren, waiting for her turn. As her friends were called one by one she was hit by a wave of nostalgia - soon she wouldn't see these people every day. They would send each other letters, but only sporadically, until they would stop. Also, now that Saeko has sucked Hogwarts dry of any and all useful spells or other magical inventions, Konoha will probably maintain minimal contact and come only when money or supplies will run low. Naturally that would be a gradual process - they still had contracts with Dumbledore and Fudge.

“Isles, Dorothea; Keith, Janet; Kerr, Lachlan; Lerner, Dwain; Lewis, Lauren; Maher, Hadrian; Mallory, Damian”

Lauren let out a loud sigh and extricated herself from the ninja's embrace. Saeko smiled “Good luck.”

“I don't need luck” the red-head smirked and pecked her lover's lips.

“Hn” the nin grinned proudly, she always knew Ren would make a wonderful Uchiha.

Finally Saeko's name was called, leaving only Ashley behind with Patrick and one other. The smaller brunette grimaced, she hated being the very last in the alphabet. The ninja smirked and waved to her roommate who flipped her off.

After entering the Great Hall she was called over by the most unremarkable witch she has ever met. Saeko first thought was 'prime infiltrator material'. She bowed to the examiner who nodded and then spoke with a surprisingly melodious voice “If not instructed otherwise you will perform all spells non-verbally. Only if you are unable to do so, you may speak the incantation but be prepared for a lesser mark. Do you understand?”

“Hai, sensei”

“Let's start with a simple shield then”

The kunoichi bowed again and drew her wand with a slight smirk.

Halfway thought the exam Saeko decided she really liked her examiner - her face, her voice, her attitude, everything practically screamed ' _I dare you to do better_ '. And nobody worked better under those conditions than prideful Uchiha.

“Not bad” was the only praise Saeko got during the Charms exams and it was after the very last charm, “You can go. Your results will be delivered to you by owl sometime during summer.”

“Thank you, sensei” the ninja grinned and happily skipped out of the Great Hall. She didn't really get far since all of the Ravenclaw students that went before her were pacing in the foyer.

“Professor Flitwick said to wait here” Daniel answered his friend's unasked question.

“Hn” Saeko nodded.

Graham smirked “He said he wanted to say a few words before we party our assess off.”

Helena hummed “Funny thing, he isn't even joking all that much.”

“I always did like Flitwick” the ninja grinned.

“I'm really going to miss him” Caitlin sighed.

“I'm going to miss Vector” Graham smiled lewdly, “She is hm-mm.”

“Down dog” Daniel chuckled.

“And here I thought you were with me on the Deirdre train” Saeko winked.

“Of course!” the bearded Ravenclaw exclaimed dramatically, “But she left and Vikki is still here.”

“Vikki?” Peter arched an eyebrow.

Graham smirked and started a monologue on the greatness of Septima Vector, the Arithmancy teacher, but was interrupted by the doors opening once more to let out the remaining students. Once they stepped out a loud bang was heard and everybody was showered with colorful confetti.

The culprit was obvious once everybody's hair started turn ginger. Helena gritted her teeth “Weasleys. I'm going to throttle them.”

“Yep, orange is not your color” Saeko smirked.

“Look who's talking”

“I hope it will come off, Lauren loves my hair just the way it was”

“How did they know we would be here and not in the Tower?” Caitlin frowned.

“No idea”

“Well, don't you all look well today” Flitwick's amused voice was heard over the pissed murmurs.

The Ravenclaw growled.

Flitwick laughed fully “Come, let's go to my classroom.”

The small party followed their Head of House to the charms classroom, all of them wondering - usually the big speeches were given in their Common Room.

Once they settled in, mostly sitting on the first row desks, the teacher faced them and grinned widely “So, this is it. A few more weeks loitering at Hogwarts and you will be officially done with this place. I hope you will retain all the knowledge you have gained here and that you will look back at the time spent here warmly.”

“I am quite happy that your year has not given me too much trouble over the years” Flitwick said, eyes twinkling, “Quite the opposite actually - your year started off our winning streak of the House Cup, and of course I would be remiss in not mentioning the Quidditch trophy.”

The room erupted in an applause. Caitlin and Saeko high-fived.

“Yes, yes, yes” the teacher chuckled and reached behind his desk to withdraw an unopened bottle of Firewhiskey, “I thought I could make a toast.”

Graham laughed as Flitwick conjured fourteen glasses “You're the best, sir!”

As he poured the Head of Ravenclaw spoke again “You are now free to pursue your dreams. I have no doubt you will make myself and Ravenclaw proud. To a wonderful future.”

 “To a wonderful future” his students echoed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Pity the HP future is kinda dark, eh? We'll see how it goes.


	144. 7- 142 One Last Thing

 

“We're done. I can't believe we're done!” Graham exclaimed as soon as the entirety of the little poker group gathered for breakfast.

“We're adults for real now” Paddy chuckled, “I don’t feel it.”

“Wait 'til you get a job, you'll feel it then” Helena smirked.

Peter shrugged “Well, me and Ash are going to be students a while longer.”

Ashley nodded “Yep. Muggle university can last until we're 25, you know.”

“I'm going to travel a bit, maybe a year, before anything else. It's pureblood tradition too” Graham shared his plans.*

“Well, I…” Daniel started but was interrupted by a chorus of “WE KNOW!” The Head Boy chuckled “So what about you Caitlin? Travelling as well?”

“I don't know” the chaser shrugged and gave them all a glare - her indecisiveness about her future, mainly her future career, was a bit of a sore spot for Caitlin. Changing the subject she pointed at two other fellow quidditch players “Oh, look! Jaden and Cho. Scared shitless. Good.”

Saeko smirked “You're right.”

“You two are horrible” Daniel shook his head fondly, “Shouldn't you be encouraging - your friends are about to do their OWLs.”

“They weren't supportive either”

“Insolent even” the ninja agreed with a smirk.

“You already torture them in training and now you even take pleasure from their psychological pain” the bespectacled boy chuckled.

Ashley arched an eyebrow “You say it like you're surprised.”

“Not in the least, just commenting”

“Speaking of torture and quidditch” Saeko stood up, “I need to write to Jamie, Frost and Jared. Promised them a long letter after the NEWTs.”

“What, you're already leaving us?” Caitlin faked tearing up.

Graham nodded “And only a day after the exams. How cruel.”

“And without a proper goodbye” Helena said solemnly.

“Remember us!”

“Such sweet sorrow”

“Ok, enough. I'm going” Saeko rubbed her brow, her friends actually managed to make her feel bad. Not about this of course, but her leaving after school was over. Naturally the rest will part ways as well, but she was sure they would remain in contact. Being in the same country coupled with _apparition_ it was rather easy, even if their future careers will keep them busy. Only she would be pretty much incommunicado with Konoha and missions and everything.

When she first entered Ravenclaw Tower after the Sorting, she never expected to become so attached. She missed Konoha and being a field ninja a great deal, but she would also miss the quiet times with her British friends.

And again a wave of happiness and gratitude came over her for Lauren's decision to exchange this rainy country for the sunny and warm Konoha. Ok, dangerous Konoha too, but what is life without a little bit of excitement.

Speaking of excitement, Saeko gracefully evaded a wandering Luna Lovegood on her way back to the Tower but didn't escape another remark about Wackspurts and the unsettling gaze hidden behind those giant sunglasses that followed her until the ninja disappeared around the corner. The younger girl always unsettled her in a way even Gai-sempai didn't.

Once Saeko had the privacy of her own room she drafted three letters and summoned a trio of smaller ravens to deliver them. Just as they took flight, another bird made her way to her window. With a hum she relieved the owl of her message and grinned at its signature.

Deciding to get a bit of exercise she followed her ravens out of the window and scaled the walls using her chakra. Once she was at classrooms level she reentered the ancient building and jogged towards her and Lauren's favorite meeting place.

“Yo!”

“Hey” the red-headed Slytherin greeted back tiredly.

“Partied hard last night?” Saeko smirked.

Lauren rolled her eyes “Not really. It was a rather demure affair - everybody was exhausted after finishing the exam so we all went to bed early. Did the Ravens party?”

“Nope, out like a light too”

“We do have something scheduled for tonight though” the Snake shrugged, “Not looking forward to it overly much.”

“Why?”

“Aurora gets even more insufferable than usual”

“Is that even possible?” Saeko grinned.

“Bossier and more dramatic” Lauren nodded with a sigh.

The Uchiha hummed “Poor Lachlan.”

“Kerr? Why?”

“Aren't they dating?”

“It's mostly for show” the red-head shrugged, “But they do fuck.”

“Hn”

“Their families approve though, so they might get engaged”

“Ah, the beauty of politics” Saeko said with faux-dreaminess. Internally she thanked Kami Fugaku was a traitor and that Itachi was very protective of her, or this could've been her fate as well. Another reason to become S-ranked - nobody fucked with S-ranked ninja, not even politicians. Not that they don't try.

As if reading her lover's mind Lauren spoke “Itachi said he would keep me out of politics in Konoha. Sarutobi-sama was more skeptical though.”

“No offense to Hokage-sama, but he lets his advisors get too much of a say” Saeko pursed her lips, “And he is all about preserving the status-quo so he's afraid of making ways. Itachi though would put much on the line for his family. And that includes you.”

Ren smiled “Good. And this is the first time I ever heard you criticizing Sarutobi-sama.”

The scarred jounin shrugged “He's an excellent shinobi and a great Kage, but he's old. Tired even, and sometimes he takes the easy road. I did tell you about the Hyuuga kidnapping, right?”

“Yes. It scared me” Lauren nodded, “I wouldn't like to be kidnapped by Kumo, or anyone for that matter, and have my savior executed. And yes, I know I'm oversimplifying it.”

“And then there was the matter of Orochimaru” Saeko continued with a sigh, “Well, anyway, moving on. I don't like this as a topic, feels too…”

“Dirty? As a smear campaign where you want to actually win on your own merits?” the red-head said knowingly.

The aspiring Hokage laughed “Indeed. And I would look damn well in that Hat.”

Lauren looked horrified “The hat is obligatory?”

“No, but if I actually get it, I damn sure am going to wear it. At least for a while”

“Merlin help us” the Snake sighed but then turned pensive, “I did speak with Mihane on that matter, but what are your actual chances?”

“No idea”

“Really, so why do you keep saying it like it's a done deal?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“The same reason Naruto's doing it - so that people are forced to acknowledge it and actually consider it. Even for a fleeting moment. Just planting the idea” Saeko shrugged.

“I hope that is not the extent of your campaign”

“Of course not”

“Good”

“That is a dangerous sparkle in her eyes” Saeko's own pair narrowed, “What are you thinking?”

“You are eighteen right now and I heard that the Fourth Hokage was elected at twenty-two - we have four years to kick your ass into gear”

The Uchiha gulped but then recuperated “Yondaime-sama got elected after a war. And he was an S-rank ninja, an army-killer, and he had already taught a genin team.”

“Four years” Lauren grinned evilly once more, “Plenty of time. And having three students would mean you'd stay in the Village more.”

“You've got it all thought out” Saeko breathed out in part admiration, part dread.

“Of course, I'm going to be the wife of a Kage someday”

“You mean me, right?”

“Hopefully” Lauren winked.

“I can't even tell if you're joking”

“Good” the healer grinned, “But don't worry, we have already discussed it with the girls.”

“Girls?” Saeko went deathly pale.

“Yup. We've got a plan”

“A plan” the brunette sad slowly, hoping she misheard, “Suddenly I'm regretting my dream.”

“Don't be silly” Lauren said coyly.

“Hn”

* * *

**Unused Part of the Castle**

The little poker group decided to get out of their Tower and do something different now that all of their obligations were done. This evening it meant sitting around a fire, drinking and playing games. Caitlin called it 'camp experience'.

“Will Lauren be coming?” Helena asked after the sun has set completely.

“She said she would” Saeko nodded. She hoped Lauren would come - her lover was a bit more absent those days. The Brit needed to put her affairs in order, deal with the Lewis clan and her Head status, the bank, the attorneys, everything. Being free according to magical law was busy and difficult work, even if the red-head laid solid foundation for that during the year. What irritated Saeko, even if it was understandable, was that she had been left out of the loop, Lauren being adamant that she, and she alone, would deal with the matter. Not that Saeko could contribute in any manner, but it still would've been nice.

“Then why are you grumpy?” Peter arched an eyebrow.

“Hn”

“Ah, default Uchiha setting” Ash smirked.

“Hn”

“This should improve the mood” Caitlin grinned, “I brought firewhiskey!”

Helena sniffed derisively “No thanks, I have wine. Daddy sent it to me.”

“Sooo it's really pricey and you won't share?” Graham cocked his head to the side.

“Precisely”

“Meany”

Paddy nodded “That's nice and all, but did anyone think of bringing snacks?”

…

“Fuck”

“Well, at least _I_ brought something”

“I vote that anyone who hasn't brought something goes to the kitchens”

“I brought cards”

“Doesn't count”

“Maybe Lauren will bring something”

“Doubtful”

…

“Not it!”, “Not it!”, “Not it!”, “Not it!”“Not it!”, “Not it!”, “Not it!”

“Fuck!” Paddy cursed.

“I'd like popcorn” Saeko smirked.

“Good idea!”

Daniel chuckled “Just bring everything.”

Paddy huffed and got up. Graham called after him “Take your bag with you, we want lots!”

The Irish boy huffed again and left.

A moment later a certain red-headed Slytherin entered “Did I just pass a very irritated Walsh?”

“Paddy went to fetch us food” Ashley smirked.

“Hey, Lauren” Saeko greeted warmly, glad her lover's expression was calm and not tired or pissed like it was lately.

“Hey” the medic said back and to everybody's surprise openly snuggled into Saeko and laid her head on the ninja's shoulder.

Knowing full well that Lauren's doings were off limits as a topic of conversation, the little poker group entertained themselves with small talk and gossip, waiting for their caterer to come back. When Paddy returned from the kitchens with a veritable feast - the elves were always more than happy to oblige - everybody cheered and proceeded to eat even if it was meant to last them for the entire evening. Paddy refused to go for a refill.

When darkness fell completely and they had a few glasses already they brought out the s'mores.

“We should totally play never have I ever, the muggle game” Caitlin announced boisterously.

Helena grimaced “I need more wine for that.”

“You know what it is?” Ashley arched her eyebrows incredulously.

“Yes” was the simply reply.

“I don't” Lauren shrugged which prompted a quick recap of the rules. When Caitlin was done explaining the Slytherin sighed “We are getting so drunk.”

“Only if you have done… oh” Peter stopped in realization and smirked slyly at the ninja, “And now I can't wait to play.”

Saeko nodded “I will be paying for my friendship with Anko and Yuuko.”

“If you drink to the point of puking you're back to sleeping in Raven Tower” Lauren's eyes narrowed.

“Hey! I took care of you when you got smashed with Tsunade” the ninja huffed.

“That never happened”

“So did”

“Nope”

“Itachi and Mihane were there too”

“This is adorable” Daniel cooed.

Helena rolled her eyes “Sure, but weren't we going to play?”

Caitlin nodded “And I'm going to start - never have I ever slept with a girl.”

“So drunk” Lauren reiterated with a sigh and took a shot along with Saeko and the boys sans Daniel.

“Never have I slept with someone with different nationality than me.” This one line elicited a chorus of groans as four of them drank.

“Why are the questions about sex?” Peter sighed.

“'Cause it's fun”

“Yeah, those are the best questions. Who cares if you have never pranked Snape or something” Paddy shrugged.

“Never have I ever watched porn or read erotica” Ashley came up with a good one.

“Liar, you totally read erotica”

“Penalty shot!”

“Never have I ever slept with a Slytherin”

Saeko crossed her arms “Hey! I had to drink at all the questions, I'm starting to feel targeted.”

“Only now?” Helena smirked, “Never have I ever had a threesome.”

“You guys suck. And I should've never told you about that” the Uchiha huffed.

“Ok” Daniel smiled, “How about: never have I ever been nearly caught by a muggle while doing magic.”

“Boooring”

Graham nodded “Yeah. Uh! How about: never have I ever fantasized about anyone on this balcony. Which I totally did but I'm willing to do the penalty.”

“Ooh?” Caitlin smiled slyly after taking her shot, “And who was the lucky lady? Or maybe Daniel, you do like to tease him.”

The bearded Ravenclaw shrugged unrepentantly “All of you girls. Sorry Danny, not really my type.”

Daniel chuckled “Not offended.”

“And who's yours?” Lauren grinned, “You _did_ drink after all.”

“Peter”

The jaw of the boy in question nearly hit the floor as everyone cheered. Paddy clapped the aspirant archeologist on the back when Peter began to choke at Daniel's over-dramatic wink.

“What about you Helena?” the Head Boy turned to the blonde on his left.

Graham nodded “Yeah, because we all thought you had no deal.”

Helena shrugged “Saeko. Lauren too I guess.”

“Whaaat! You're into girls?” Paddy exclaimed.

“I'm not” the heiress shrugged, “But they are pleasing to the eye.”

Saeko and Lauren looked at each other and smirked. The red-head laughed and spoke to Helena's modest cleavage “I guess we could share.”

“No, thank you” Helena chuckled.

“Awww!” Graham, Paddy and Peter chorused their disappointment.

The questions and comments grew more and more outrageous each passing drink until they ran out. Unfortunately the questions ran out before the drinks did which meant they all decided another game or event was needed. After a brief debate the little poker group ventured into the silent and dark castle, 'an adventure' they called it.

“I liiiike it” Graham exclaimed, “Pity we didn't have night classes. Like vampires!”

“We had Astronomy” Daniel pointed out.

“Which sucked” Saeko declared.

“Just because you got an E in it” Helena smirked.

“Which sucked” the Uchiha reiterated.

“ _You_ suck” Ashley roared in laughter.

 “And soo well” Lauren nodded, nearly tripping over her own feet.

Caitlin and Paddy hugged the jounin as they cheered loudly. Graham wanted to laugh but that caused him to snort sake from his nose.

“You're wasting it!” Helena punched the bearded boy weakly and took the small bottle from him.

“Hey, give it back!”

“ _Accio_ sake” Daniel managed despite his state of inebriation.

“Hey!”

The Head Boy smiled smugly and took a sip. Peter laughed “Daniel, the man!”

“No, don't finish it!” Ashley tried but it was too late.

“I think we ran dry” Caitlin pouted.

“Thank Merlin!” professor Sprout startled them all. She put her hands on her hips and glowered “Mind telling me what you are doing here?”

“Dancing!” Graham exclaimed, “I'm in the mood for dancing. May I?”

Sprout stared at the bowing Ravenclaw who was looking at her expectantly “No.”

“But why?” the boy was heart-broken. His friends were in turn roaring in laughter.

“You smell like a brewery for one” the professor arched both her eyebrows, “And second, you all need to go to sleep. I understand you celebrating so I won't take House points but you all better start walking towards your Tower.”

 “No, we have sleeping bags!” Peter shook his head.

“Or well, know how to conjure them” Helena wobbled but drew her wand that was snatched by Saeko, much to everybody's loud amusement.

“Shsssh, you'll wake up the cat” the ninja over enunciated.

“Mrs Norris?” Daniel frowned.

“She's mean” Saeko nodded sagely.

Lauren chuckled “You just don't like cats. You insult Tora all the time.”

“Because he's demon spawn”

Professor Sprout sighed “Forget the cat, it's very late and you need to sleep this off.”

“Hey!” Ash brightened at the idea she just got, “Could we camp in one of the greenhouses?”

“Jungle!” Peter grinned and swayed before his childhood friend caught him.

Caitlin started humming and then loudly singing _'Welcome to the Jungle'_. Ash happily joined even if her dancing and air guitar looked quite ridiculous in her drunken state.

Sprout sighed in fond exasperation “Well, it would be better if you got to sleep somewhere you wouldn't wake up all your housemates that happen to still have exams.”

“You're awesome! The jungle is on!” Paddy whooped.

“BUT! Not in the greenhouses” the Hufflepuff Head of House said sternly, “We'll find you a nice empty room.”

“Awwww”

“Maybe somewhere near the Infirmary. Marlin knows you'll need it in the morning” the enabling teacher murmured the last part.

“My buddy Pomfrey!” Lauren exclaimed with much gusto.

“Maybe not _that_ near the Infirmary” Sprout corrected, “Come on, let's go. And you all better be glad I'm being so nice.”

Graham laughed loudly and then remarked “Well, it's not like you can give us detention anymore!”

“Don't tempt me” the Herbology professor cautioned.

* * *

**Hogwarts Grounds**

The recently graduated Ravenclaws decided to spend the day outdoors as the weather was rather warm and surprisingly sunny to Scotland standards. Caitlin brought her portable radio and everybody was listening to the quidditch match between the Pride of Portree and Tutshill Tornados. Helena who wasn't overly interested in the sport outside the betting angle had wrangled Saeko into a chess match which meant that the entirety of the group was happily lounging by the Black Lake.

“Look, Potter's out, getting fresh air” Graham pointed with his chin at the entrance to the Castle.

“He sure needs it” his best friend smirked.

Helena chuckled “Just because Skeeter wrote he's dangerously disturbed doesn't mean he is truly is.”

“Disturbed and dangerous” Daniel corrected the blonde about the recent headline in the Prophet.

Saeko - who knew about the Voldemort dream - shrugged, actually quite agreed with the reporter on that point. Well, maybe not dangerous but definitely disturbed. Not that he blamed Harry for that though.

“I dunno, he's weird” Caitlin shrugged.

“Isn't everyone?” Ashley countered.

“Don't really care” Peter waved her off, “What I am interested in is how's he going to fare in the Third Task. And Fleur. And Krum.”

Saeko sighed “I already told you I won't give previews.”

“Aww”

“But you did do some preparation, right?” Daniel narrowed his eyes, “You aren't just relying on your 'genius' to get you through.”

The ninja rolled her eyes - she was a jounin for Kami's sake - she did prepare some but there wasn't much the wizarding world could throw at her than any Konoha nin worth their salt wouldn't be able to overcome. “Yes, _mom_ , I did prepare.”

“Good”

Helena grinned and looked up from the chess board “Mate in five. Do you surrender or will you be sacrificing more pieces to save them from my regime?”

Saeko frowned and inspected the game. Then she toppled her king and glared at Daniel “Look what you made me do!”

The Head Boy scoffed “You made one move during our brief, brief exchange. I doubt I had anything to do with your loss.”

“Hn”

Helena chuckled as she reset the board “Deal with it Uchiha, I beat you fair and square.”

“I demand a rematch!”

“Of course you do. My turn being black, you start”

As the two girls started their new match Saeko fished out her pipe to help her relax after her loss. Helena was torn being chuckling at the need and disdain for the bad habit.

After Tutshill Tornados won, Graham shut down the radio. Paddy yawned and laid down on the warm grass “Leave it on, they might put some music on.”

“They overindulge in Weird Sisters” Caitlin sighed, “I mean, I like them but they don't need to be the only thing on air.”

“During Yule they put on Celestina Warbeck” Helena remarked with a smirk at the inevitable chorus of groans.

“That's awful!” Daniel grimaced.

“She should be thrown in Azkaban for crimes against music and taste” Ashley declared in a disgusted voice.

“Indeed” Peter nodded emphatically.

Graham smirked and intoned “ _I've got a cauldron full of hot, strong love and it's bubbling for you!”_

Ash was horrified “NO! Please no!

_“_ _Say_ incendio _, but that spell's not hot as my special witch's brew!”_ Paddy joined in.

“ _Don't you be afraid, come and take a sip of this steamy…_ ” Graham could not continue because he got mobbed and Caitlin stuffed his mouth with her cloak she had been using as a cushion.

“Excellent work” Helena said proudly at the swift and flawless collaboration in shutting Graham and Paddy up.

After an exchange of high-fives Saeko smirked “I vote we leave them like this until dinner.”

“All in favour say 'aye'” the blonde heiress said eagerly.

“Aye!” the group responded.

“Mhmfp!” the two prisoners protested.

Daniel smirked “Motion passed!”

“MHMFP!”

The noise attracted the attention of two very confused Durmstrang students. The rest of the Ravenclaws waved at them with smiles. Even more confused the two boys left, shaking their heads.

“They think we're nuts” Peter chuckled.

“Who cares, we'll probably never see them again” Peter shrugged.

“And we are a little bit nuts” Daniel admitted, his gaze falling onto his two restrained friends.

“MHMFP!”

“Ah, what a beautiful day” Helena said sweetly, ignoring the struggling boys.

“Isn't it?” Caitlin smiled as well and put her feet onto Graham's stomach.

“Sun, light breeze. Truly a magnificent day”

“I'd love me some margarita though”

“Beach party!”

 


	145. 7- 143 Maze Runners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Save your indignation to the end please

 

“Miss Uchiha” Flitwick skipped towards the Ravenclaw table and sought the Hogwarts champion, “After you finish your lunch I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” the ninja looked up from her meal.

“The families of the champions were invited to watch the Third Task” the Charms teacher announced with a smile.

“Nii-san is here?” Saeko hopped up from her seat with an enormous smile.

Caitlin smiled as well “Her hunk of a brother is here? I want to meet him!”

“Ditto” Ashley nodded.

“Mmm” Daniel smiled.

“He's straight, sparkle boy” Graham winked to indicate he was joking.

Paddy nodded “And engaged.”

“I wouldn't mind being his 'mistress'” the Head Boy grinned back.

Helena sighed as everybody began standing up “We can meet him later. Let Saeko go first and do the family thing.”

Flitwick chuckled at the pouts and led Saeko out of the Great Hall. The ninja smiled “They are at the Maze?”

“The Task begins in the evening, as you well now” the teacher chided, “We wouldn't leave them there for the whole afternoon.”

“Hn” Saeko shrugged, not really caring - her mind was fully on her brother.

The families were waiting for them in one of the nicer room adjacent to the Great Hall. Fleur and Krum were already there - the part-veela was talking animatedly with what was indubitably her mother and her sister, while Victor had his mother and father present. Waiting for the fourth champion were the Weasley matriarch and one of the older Weasley brothers, judging by the hair at least.

“Nii-sama!”

Itachi smiled minutely and bowed back. Then spread his arms and the younger sibling immediately went for a hug. “You look well, little sister.”

“Professor Flitwick!” Saeko called at the retreating teacher. He looked back and arched an eyebrow. “I'd like you to meet my brother.”

The Head of Ravenclaw House smiled and returned. After a brief introduction Flitwick excused himself “My apologies Lord Uchiha, Miss Uchiha, but I need to return - today is still exam day after all.”

When the teacher left Saeko turned to her brother once more and hugged him again “I missed you.”

“I did as well” Itachi smiled, “Both of us have been busy. Konoha is preparing to respond to the Akatsuki threat. It is fortuitous you'll be coming back, you'll be needed.”

“Did Jiraiya-sama find their hideout?”

“Hokage-sama has been very tight-lipped about it, but I believe it might be possible”

“Hn” Saeko nodded solemnly

“Mihane-chan says hi” Itachi changed the subject away from classified Konoha matters, “She was rather sad that she couldn't come.”

“Well, she doesn't really have the clearance. Although it would've been nice if Neji was here. Not Shika though, he would criticize my strategy too much”

“You have a strategy prepared then?” the Head of the Uchiha clan asked.

Saeko shrugged “Well, this Task is all about improvisation, so not really.”

Itachi nodded “Very well. Where is Ren by the way?”

“She'll come by after lunch. Oh and my friends want to meet you”

“I am rather curious about them as well. You told many stories”

“Prepare to be mobbed”

“Can't be worse than fangirls”

“Nothing is”

X

**Dinner time**

“Hn”

“Still thinking sitting at the Raven table was a good idea?” Saeko smirked.

“Hn”

“Really, do all Uchiha do that?” Paddy shook his head with a grin.

“Hn” both ninja replied in unison.

Helena sighed “You have already asked several times during the afternoon.”

“I thought just Saeko was weird” the Irishman shrugged.

Lauren smirked “Nope, all of them are.”

“And what that does say about you” Graham grinned.

The red-head shrugged “Well, at least they're pretty.”

Everybody nodded in mock-seriousness. Saeko and Itachi looked at each other, then turned back to the Brits and nodded in a well-rehearsed manner “Yes, we're hot.”

After the chuckles died down Caitlin smirked “Humble much?”

“They do have damn good genes”

“But I bet you can't grow a beard, right Itachi-san?” Graham asked eagerly.

The Uchiha lord nodded “Indeed I cannot.”

“HA!”

“He's still waaay hotter than you” Caitlin remarked.

Lauren hummed “Come to think of it, I haven't seen much facial hair in Konoha.”

Saeko's smile fell “Asuma had a nice beard.”

“Oh. Sorry” the healer said sadly.

Peter frowned “Who's that?”

“Never you mind” Itachi intervened, “So, do you eat like this often? While there is a great amount of food, all of it seems…”

“Not you too!” the local Ravens whined in unison.

“Hn” Itachi shrugged and returned to the meal he had just wanted to insult.

Saeko nodded “Yeah, and imagine eating that for seven years.”

The elder Uchiha shivered dramatically.

His outlook on the local cuisine improved by dessert, where Itachi took particular interest in vanilla pudding. And custard tart. And peanut butter brownies. And blueberry cobbler. Not to mention the ice-cream. But somehow the ANBU managed not to appear as a complete pig even if he ate the majority of the sweets in front of them. Saeko was a bit jealous.

Finally headmaster Dumbledore stood up and the Great Hall fell silent almost instantaneously. With his usual twinkle and smile the elder announced “Ladies and gentlemen, shortly I will be asking you to make your way down to the quidditch pitch for the third and last task of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions, if you could please follow Mister Bagman right now.”

He couldn't continue because the room erupted in cheers, whistles and laud applause. After the exams, everybody was looking forward to the entertainment.

Saeko stood up, provoking more cheers and the customary Ravenclaw caws. She bowed and turned to the exit of the Great Hall but Itachi caught her writ “Good luck little sister.”

“Thanks” the kunoichi smiled and blew a kiss to Lauren who simply smiled.

“Yeah, go win” Paddy grinned.

“Good luck”

“Be awesome!”

The brunette chuckled at Graham's well-wishing “Thanks guys.”

As she was leaving the Great Hall Saeko caught the eyes of her fellow champions - all of them were a mix of nervous and excited. Well, Krum was stoic as ever, but it was a fair assumption. Although they were in the same situation, all of the champions made their way to the maze separately, lost in their own thoughts.

The former quidditch pitch looked menacing in the diminishing light and growing shadow. The rustling of the maze walls didn't help either.

“Miss Uchiha” professor McGonagall called, already on site “This way please.”

When the four champions assembled beneath the three massive screens, presumably the same as the ones form the second task, McGonagall briefed them “You all know your objective and the task but mister Bagman will be announcing it again for the audience before we begin. There will be many obstacles in your path and if, at any moment, you feel you can't continue or you find yourself in too much danger, let out red sparks from your wand and we will come to your aid. Do all of you know the charm?”

The foursome nodded, prompting a nod from the Head of Gryffindor as well “Excellent. Hogwarts staff, as well as a ministry contingent, will be manning the perimeter of the Maze and we will have eyes on you at all times - those screens aren't only for the audience. Any questions? Concerns?”

Harry seemed to be thinking _'only for my life'_ but him and all the rest shook their heads. McGonagall nodded, wished them good luck and left.

And now, they only had to wait.

It didn't take long for the stands to begin filling themselves and the noise to get louder. Finally, when it seemed everybody was in the stands cheering, Ludo Bagman began to speak with his magically amplified voice “Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand: in the lead we have the lovely Miss Uchiha of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with 89 points. Then we have Harry Potter, also of Hogwarts, with 85 points followed by mister Krum of the Durmstrang Institute with 80 points. Bringing up the rear is Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy with 64 points.”

The stands burst into applause - Hogwarts students clapping louder than all.

“So, what will our valiant Champions face this time?” Bagman looked around dramatically, “Quite a bit actually and you will see it all on your screens. It will be most exciting, I assure you. But what is really important is the Triwizard Cup!”

The three enormous screens showed the gleaming trophy and then zoomed out to the aerial view of the maze again.

“It is placed in the very centre of the maze and it will grant full marks to the Champion that touches it first. Sooooo… LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN! Miss Uchiha, are you ready? On my mark then… three… two… one…”

Bagman blew the whistle, clear signal of the beginning of the task.

Saeko entered the maze in a brisk jog. Immediately after, the dark green walls closed behind her and all sounds from the outside cut out. “ _Neat_ ”

The maze was cold, dark and silent, save for the incessant rustling. It felt as if the walls would try to swallow you at any second. Which was actually a valid concern.

First fork in the path. Saeko chose left on a whim - she knew a map would be useless, she had crafted several but the maze just kept _fucking_ changing.

Left. Right. Left again. No obstacles yet.

In the distance she heard only one sharp sound - the whistle. Potter was in the maze.

She turned right again, trying to stay on course to the center of the maze. Not far ahead there was some strange dust in the air. Saeko frowned minutely and used her wand to cast a powerful gust of wind reminiscent of the _daitoppa_. It worked and created a path but that was rapidly closing again. She used more power this time and used her ninja speed to run though before being caught in it.

One obstacle down.

Left was a dead end so right it was. _Veering too much off course. Need left again._

Blast-Ended Skrewt. Saeko was very acquainted with the creature but it appeared to have grown considerably from when Hagrid introduced it in class. Big and menacing. But slow, oh so slow, at least for a ninja. Using the maze's wall itself she propelled herself over the creature and then simply ran away. No need to actually confront it - that wasn't the mission.

Left again.

As Saeko ran she cursed - pity the maze was so resistant to chakra. It would've been useful to blast through it, burn it or simply walk over the walls. This was getting ridiculous, it was as if the maze itself was determined to keep her off her chosen path.

Right. _Finally!_

Water instead of ground. Saeko briefly examined the liquid and found it benign, truly only water, not even a creature within. With a smirk she water-walked to the other side just as she did in the Second Task.

Right again. Dead end. _Ksō._

Dead end again. No wait! Not the maze but a simple dirt wall. Saeko plowed though with a _bombarda_.

Turning right Saeko spotted Victor Krum. He didn't hesitate to fire a stunning spell. The ninja dodged with ease and fired one back.

Krum predictably evaded as well - he was Durmstrang's top dueler after all. Usually Saeko would relish in having a capable opponent but she was on a schedule here, so used the exchange of spells to get closer. Her sharingan made her see the best path though the barrage and to Krum which she stunned with a well-executed kick to his head.

He went down. The Uchiha fired a stunner, just to be sure, and then let out red sparks to get her opponent out. He was a decent bloke and ending as skrewt food would be a pity.

Before she left the downed quidditch star she noted an irregularity in his chakra system. Err, nope, force of habit, his magical… system? But it was gone almost immediately. Saeko shrugged and continued onwards.

Another fork in the path but this time Saeko staggered. She felt the tendrils of an _imperio_ trying to get ahold of her. She shrugged it off, just as she would a genjutsu, and chose the path on the right, wondering about the legality of that particular obstacle.

Another skrewt. Saeko used the same strategy as the last time, the only difference was the speed. She really needed to get moving to win this thing, it has already taken too much time. It was all those damned dead ends!

Left. Left again. Right. Reorient. Left.

Saeko screeched to a halt -there was a light blue barrier in her way. Runes, no doubt. A quick inspection of the borders of the barrier revealed four rune-engraved rocks that generated it. The ninja simply knocked one out of alignment and the path was free.

Right. Left. And faster, faster, faster! Saeko was seriously tempted to go full ninja-speed.

Illusion instead of hedge. Saeko passed right though.

_Finally!_ The Uchiha rejoiced. A clearing. THE clearing. The one with the golden trophy in the center.

But that would've been too easy.

Two massive spiders stood guard over the Triwizard cup and their eyes, all sixteen of them, zeroed onto Saeko. Surprisingly fast the arachnids attacked.

The Uchiha's standard reply - kill it with fire!

The conjured flamed spooked the acromantulas but it didn't last. Deciding to amp it us, Saeko sheathed hr wand and resorted to fire jutsu - much more potent flames, plus her brother will corroborate it was a Konoha method of magic if need be.

“ _Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!”_

The fireball took the first spider head on. The aromantula shrieked as it caught ablaze, causing it's brother to launch itself at the nin in retaliation.

Saeko grinned like the true fire-lover she was and inhaled deeply to repeat the same jutsu. Then she nearly choked as she spotted movement behind her spider opponent.

_“Can't be, can't be, can't be”_ she chanted internally as Harry Potter paused, seemed to consider helping but then turned to the Cup.

Why did she have to be so damn efficient! If she looked weak or in danger, the brat with the bleeding heart would've helped her and not run for his victory.

As the second acromantula crumpled into ash, Saeko's eyes went to the gleaming trophy in the middle of the clearing. Potter was already there, not even a step away from it. She felt a wave of bitterness at the sight and her leg muscles tensed in preparation for a sprint.

Too late.

Saeko only caught the proud, awed smile of the fourth champion before that turned into confusion. And then Potter and the Cup vanished.

“ _A portkey!_ ” was the ninja's first thought. It did make sense - transport the winner back to the entrance of the maze so he could be praised.

Her bruised pride provided another thought - they said the one to touch the Cup will receive full marks. Maybe, just maybe…

Saeko closed her eyes and felt for Lauren's location. And then the stands were only a _shunshin_ away.

She arrived in a swirl of leaves and immediately knew something was wrong. The-Boy-Who-Lived, and now Triwizard Champion, was not there.

The Konoha nin saw Dumbledore's panicked expression and cursed - her first thought had been for herself and being a sore loser, not at the now probable danger her charge was in. In hindsight kidnap by _portkey_ was very clever - not even a raven could follow.

Yet another aspect in which she failed today.

“What happened!” Dumbledore half-asked.

Minister Fudge was hot on the headmaster's heels “We saw on the screens that Harry touched the cup and then he disappeared! What is going on?”

Saeko straightened her posture even further “I do not know, sir. I thought it was a _portkey_ and it meant to transport the winner back here.”

Fudge shook his head and brought his hands to his face “That wasn't supposed to happen!”

“Someone must've manipulated the Cup” Dumbledore reasoned with a frown.

“Pierson!” the Minister turned to his escort, “Round all the aurors, I want to know who handled the Triwizard Cup last!”

“I think it was Perry, sir”

“Fetch him!”

The crowd grew restless - they knew something was wrong but nobody was telling them anything. Both Fleur and Krum were with Madame Pomfrey now, which meant Potter was the only champion unaccounted for.

Dumbledore grabbed Saeko by the shoulder and whispered “Do you know where he is?”

“No sensei” the kunoichi shook her head in shame, “My raven didn't get taken by the _portkey_.”

“This was very well planned then” Dumbledore said sourly, “Well, go get checked out my Madame Pomfrey, we will handle the situation.”

“But sir…”

“I will have my staff, the ministry's and your colleagues from Konoha, you get checked out”

“Hai” Saeko gritted her teeth at being dismissed. Even if the elder was right - it wasn't like she could really help.

She stayed only a few seconds more to hear Fudge call “Auror Perry! Did you have the Cup last?”

The rattled man stammered “I, I.. did but I gave it to someone. I.. I don’t remember who.”

“Goddamn morons!” Alastor Moody gruffed as he limped to the Ministry group, “Constant vigilance! You got yourself _confused_ or _obliviated_.”

Saeko nodded to herself and after catching a glare from McGonagall, she obediently went to the medical tent.

“You did a number on Krum” Pomfrey greeted.

“Huh?” was the distracted reply.

“Leave the search for Potter to the professionals” _I am a professional!_ “and let me take a look at you” the nurse ordered.

“I'm fine” Saeko shrugged, “Nothing touched me during the entire task. And Krum is just stunned.”

“Your kick gave him a concussion”

“It happens”

“So it does”

“Hn. So, am I alright?”

Pomfrey pursed her lips at her glibness “You are. Lauren will be glad to know that.”

“She here?” the ninja looked around.

“She's with the audience. Nobody is allowed to go anywhere”

“Hn”

Everybody that wasn't a Ministry or Hogwarts employee was stuck where they were, not permitted to leave. Saeko really wanted to join in on the search, to redeem herself, even if this disappearing act wasn’t really her responsibility. Instead she passed the time talking with Pomfrey which was actually quite nice.

“LOOK, POTTER!”

The shout caused everybody to pause and look towards the maze again. The screens which were still stuck on the cup clearing now indeed showed the missing Boy-Who-Lived. The boy was dirty, bloody and delirious but he was still clutching the trophy.

Everybody with an official title, such as auror or professor, immediately ran towards Potter, the maze opening before them. The feed from the screens cut out.

It didn't take long and Harry was admitted to the medical tent, Dumbledore, Fudge and several aurors following but Pomfrey was having none of it “Everybody get out! OUT! I need to see to my patient.”

Saeko had been thrown out along with everybody else. Both the Minister and Headmaster frowned and went to argue somewhere in private, but only after giving their men the order to escort the crowd back to the school.

“You were right” Itachi hummed when his sister reached him, “Potter got in trouble.”

“Hn” Saeko rubbed her brow.

“Come on, let's go. Your friends want to talk to you”

“Hn”

X

**Zake P.O.W.**

The raven was disappointed with himself - he was supposed to follow Potter. Potter was his responsibility. More so during the Task as his summoner had been busy. He fought for this assignment, his mother was the more experienced one but he insisted he was ready. Skygge wouldn't have lost her charge and botched her mission.

He watched as Pomfrey patched up the scrawny boy. At least he wasn't dead. Although his tale of Voldemort wasn't reassuring in the least. Zake hoped Potter was just confused, he really wanted out of this place.

“Potter, with me” professor Moody growled as he entered the medical tent.

“Oh, alright” Harry nodded and hopped from the examination table.

“And rest, mister Potter” Pomfrey cautioned with a deep frown, “No more adventures today.”

“Yes, Madame Pomfrey”

Moody marched the boy to the Castle at surprising speed considering the limp. Then, once they were in the school proper, he steered them towards his office.

As soon as they sat down, the scarred teacher asked “Tell me everything.”

Harry started his recounting. About Voldemort. About Pettigrew. About the Death Eaters.

“How many? How many of them showed up at the graveyard?” Moody leaned forward eagerly.

“I… I said nothing about any graveyard” Harry said softly, dread creeping into his voice.

Moody smirked but then his head snapped towards the door. There was a knock.

The door opened immediately to reveal Daniel who spoke urgently “Professor Moody, they are calling everyone to the Great Hall. I saw you leave with Harry so I thought I might fetch you…”

“Not now, boy” Moody growled.

“As Head Boy I was tasked with…”

“I said not now!”

Harry breathed out in realization, ignoring the byplay “You! You are the Death Eater at Hogwarts.”

“What?” the seventh-year frowned in confusion and turned to Potter.

Moody whipped out his wand and pointed it at the Daniel “ _Avada Kedavra_!”

Daniel's body seemed to drop in slow motion. Finally it collapsed on the ground with a dull thud. Like a marionette whose string had been cut.

Zake tugged at his summoner's seal - this was bad. Very, very bad. He failed again. Why Daniel, just why Daniel. He was supposed to be with the other students, not playing Head Boy when Hogwarts was full of adults. He liked the guy. And Saeko would never forgive him for this.

“I see you little spy. _AVADA KEDAVRA_!”

_“Fuck magical eyes”_ thought Zake as he tried to dodge.

After that, his world went dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yeah. Double kill. Please don't hate me.


	146. 7- 144 Phoenix Lament

 

Saeko just stared at the two lifeless bodies while Itachi had Mad-Eye Moody subdued and silent.

“Nee-san”

“Just… just summon a crow and get Dumbledore here”

Itachi nodded and softly said “Ok.”

Daniel and Zake. Why did it have to be two of the people closest other heart. Zake was supposed to be concealed, almost invisible, yet he was taken down. And Daniel. He was with the group but he split and insisted on helping with the chaos.

Ninja die, she was used to that - as callous as it might seem - but Daniel wasn't a ninja. He was a civilian with big dreams and a bright future. And today was practically their last day. It just wasn't fair.

And summons usually dispel before they get injured too much. The killing curse prevented that.

“Oh my” McGonagall exclaimed when Dumbledore, Snape and her arrived at the scene.

Saeko's head shot up from the corpses for the first time since she arrived. She growled and with a long step she was in Dumbledore's face. She shoved him. Hard. “Don't you do fucking background checks! You said Moody was an ally!”

“Control yourself!” Snape took her by the arm but the ninja nearly broke it in response.

 “I don't think this is Moody” Dumbledore said solemnly.

“Mister Potter, come with me” McGonagall said to her shaking Gryff.

The Headmaster shook his head “No Minerva. He needs to hear what this imposter says.”

“Nee-san, you go” Itachi ordered, “I'll fill you in later.”

“Brother!”

“Go”

Saeko nodded reluctantly. She did gently pick up Zake's body though - the Brits would treat him as a mere dead animal. She would return him to his family in the summoner's realm.

She walked away from the office, suddenly not wanting to be anywhere near. Instead she summoned her favorite messenger “ _Kuchiose no jutsu_.”

Lykke appeared in a poof if smoke “Yo, summoner, how's it han… Zake?”

“Yes” the girl said hoarsely.

“What happened?”

“A.. a traitor” Saeko said tightly, “Killed him in one shot.”

After a beat of solemn silence Lykke said “Let's get him home then. Are you coming?”

“Yes, please”

“Good”

X

Saeko was still in the summoner's realm when she got briefed about the entirety of the happenings of that evening - Itachi has come to her as soon as he was able and then Skygge, who decided to honor her son's memory by continuing their work, came to inform them abut Potter's side of the story since the beginning of the Third Task.

To think Moody had been replaced by a Death Eater - convicted Death Eater mind you - since the very beginning was mind-boggling. The fact that it meant Saeko had no reason to suspect him since he wasn't behaving any different during the entire school year, and therefore she wasn't really, responsible, wasn't much of a consolation.

To add insult to injury, Daniel had adored Mad-Eye Moody, or his equivalent, and often went to him with questions about his future auror career. Maybe that was why he went to his office to fetch the teacher and Harry. Maybe if he wasn't so brown-nosing to his idol he would've…

Bah, that was an unproductive line of thought. And insulting. And a poor excuse.

Deciding that human warmth, as opposite to raven warmth, was needed, Saeko got herself returned to the human plain.

Immediately she sought out Lauren who was still awake in her bedroom in the Slytherin Dungeons. Once she made herself known she wordlessly snuggled into her lover.

“What happened?” Lauren asked, confusion and worry stark in her tone.

“They didn't tell you?” the Uchiha frowned.

“Nobody told us anything” the Snake said angrily, “We were all assembled in the Great Hall but they sent us to our dormitories. It was chaos at first since _something_ has obviously gone wrong, the Ministry people ran around like headless chicken trying to contain it but then they simply sent us away with no explanation. Supposedly we'll get some answers at breakfast.”

“Hn”

“That's not helpful at all” the red-head gritted her teeth.

Saeko sighed, the long day taking its toll “Turns out that Mad-Eye Moody hadn't been Moody at all and was a Death Eater under polyjuice. He fiddled with the Cup and arranged it so Potter touched it first which brought him to his Death Eater pals. Voldemort somehow got resurrected as a result. Potter wasn't supposed to make it back but being the resilient bastard he is he did and fake-Moody wanted to know what happened.”

“What” Lauren's mouth hang open in utter disbelief but Saeko wasn't done yet.

“Daniel being the helpful shmuck he is went to collect his favorite teacher and The-Boy-Who-Lived but since Moody wasn't Moody he killed him. Poof, just like that.”

“Daniel?” the red-head breathed out.

“And Zake got himself killed too since the impostor had that Kami-forsaken magical eye!” the Uchiha finished her angry tirade with a punch to the floor. Which prompted the need to cast a _reparo_ on said floor.

“Oh” was Lauren's only reaction.

“That's all you can say” Saeko exclaimed furiously, tears springing into her eyes.

Knowing that was just the anger talking Lauren stayed silent and only tightened the embrace. The silence stayed for a while until Saeko, against the ninja code, began to cry.

The embrace tightened further

* * *

**Great Hall**

At first the room was deathly silent. That was followed by angry shouts and loud demands.

How this could've happened? What had actually happen? And the simple: What the fuck!

The seventh-year Ravenclaws reacted in much the same manner but that was further tinged with denial. Denial that their friend was dead. No, he was simply… somewhere else. Busy. Maybe doing his Head Boy duties. Or flirting with Durmstrang students. Or anything else. But not dead. Things like this simply don't happen.

Yet the empty spot at the table remained.

Then denial shifted to anger.

“Dumbledore was supposed to be Moody's friend, just how didn't he notice he wasn't himself” Peter gritted his teeth.

“Or maybe he noticed and thought it was under control - you heard him, he believes You-Know-Who is back,” Graham said grimly, “Maybe he wanted to spy on the spy.”

“Dumbledore wouldn't do something like that”

“Wouldn’t he?”

“You-Know-Who can't be back for real, can he?”

“No way”

“The Death Eaters around and active, that I can believe” Helena nodded, “Many skated out on a technicality.”

Caitlin crossed her arms and said coldly “Plus we have the Death Eaters in Azkaban. Convicted Death Eaters. In prison. Where they were supposed to stay and not impersonate DADA teachers!”

“Can't believe Crouch…”

“Yeah”

“Bastard. It's all his fault!” Ashley thumped her fist on the table, “What was he thinking, releasing his lunatic son.”

“What I can't believe is Dumbledore telling us all that. I figured it would be swept under the table”

“A student is dead. He can't” Saeko spoke for the first time.

“He could” the blonde heiress countered quietly.

After that the group fell silent once more. Again digesting Daniel's death. It was still quite surreal.

A small paper plane landed on Saeko's plate and unfolded itself to reveal a message written in the Headmaster's handwriting. _Come to see me in my office._

“Our genius and savior is calling for you?” Caitlin remarked venomously when she peeked over the ninja's shoulder.

“Hn”

“Give him hell for us” Paddy said harshly.

“For Danny” Graham added.

Saeko simply nodded. He friends were angry and she didn't blame them. At all. After all she was angry too, most of all at herself though. If she had kept watch on Potter, personally, none of this would've happened. In her quest for glory she had doomed Zake and Daniel.

That said she also blamed Dumbledore. Moody. Fake-Moody. Fake-Moody's father. Voldemort. Potter. Daniel too. Pretty much everybody.

The gargoyle that was guarding the entrance to Dumbledore’s office moved out of the way as soon as the Uchiha came close. Silently, the girl jogged up, surprised not to find any ministry official on the way.

“Come in, miss Uchiha”

Saeko hand that was poised for a knock dropped and the girl walked in “Dumbledore.”

The elder eyed her without his usual twinkle, his posture weary “I trust your brother briefed you of everything?”

“He did”

“And Harry's side of the event?”

“Heard it”

“Then we can move directly to the Ministry's stand on the matter” Dumbledore sighed, “which is, as you might have guessed - nothing happened. A stray Death Eater that wanted to take revenge on The-Boy-Who-Lived for killing his master. Mr. Fairbanks as an unfortunate casualty and the perpetrator had been punished by the _dementor's kiss_. Matter closed.”

“Hn” Saeko gritted her teeth but refrained from commenting.

Dumbledore nodded solemnly “But there is much more to that of course. Voldemort is well and truly back and yesterday's events were a mere prelude of things to come. I expect a war, just like the one fifteen years ago. And the Ministry is of no help. Minister Fudge will cling to his belief that everything is fine till the moment Voldemort himself pats him on the back.”

The ninja nodded “People believe a lie because they want it to be true or because they're afraid it might be true.”

“Wise words”

“Not mine. Terry Goodkind”

“Wise man then” Dumbledore hummed and returned to the matter at hand, “Since the Ministry won't act, someone else must. Tell me, has Jiraiya spoken to you about the Order of the Phoenix?”

Saeko’s gaze shifted to Fawkes who flapped his wings and let out a short cheery song. “Yes.” More or less - the sannin has referred to them as vigilantes who were surprisingly competent for civilians.

“Excellent” the elder nodded, “Now that Voldemort has been resurrected, the Order will be as well. Maybe even better than before if Konoha lends us some manpower.”

“You wish to issue a new mission?”

“Yes. A small team that will work with the Order. Recon, safe-house protection and similar.”

“Why not straightforward assassination?” Saeko frowned.

Dumbledore shook his head “Voldemort is a particular case. I have my suspicions about him but I need to do more research into his past. I'd rather keep an assassin in reserve and not alert Voldemort we have someone with the ability to come close enough to kill him.”

“Ah. Glad you have not dismissed the sudden death option” the ninja nodded to herself.

“I'm afraid we're past that”

“Good” Saeko said vindictively, remembering Daniel's lifeless gaze and Zake's still body.

“When can I expect the team?”

“I'll talk to Sarutobi-sama as soon as I'm in the Village. He will evaluate the mission, assign a rank and payment and select ninja for this special taskforce” the jounin shrugged, “But it shouldn't take long.”

Dumbledore turned his gaze to Fawkes, suddenly more tired than before “I'd like you to be part of this 'special taskforce' as well. You know some of the members and have been native for seven years.”

The Uchiha hesitated - she really didn't want to, no matter how sweet revenge sounded “That will be up to Hokage-sama. We have a possible war brewing as well and I have already been drafted for one mission to prevent it.”

“Very well. Also it would be very much appreciated if the missions issued by the Minister wouldn't compromise our operations. Proven Death Eaters, such as Lucius Malfoy, are too close to Fudge and could move against us”

“We do not have much interest in missions now that I graduated but we will keep our commitments. Working against Voldemort was one such commitment. You needn't worry about us switching sides even inadvertently”

“Good” Dumbledore sighed, “Once the team arrives have them contact me. I'll bring them to the safe house myself.”

“You already put things in motion” Saeko didn't bother to phrase it as a question.

“Indeed. After I got all the information from Crouch Jr. and Harry I immediately contacted past members.”

“And activated the telephone tree” Saeko finished for the headmaster with a nod.

Dumbledore chuckled “Something like that.”

A beat of silence later, checking if there were more instructions or demands Saeko bowed minutely and went to leave. With one hand on the door handle she turned “My friends, keep them out of this.”

“You mean the soon-to-be war that will encompass the nation as a whole?” the Headmaster said lightly, touching on mocking.

“Yes. Don't you dare use Daniel's death as a rallying point” the Uchiha said in a positively freezing tone.

“… Very well” Dumbledore relented, “I won't ask. But I can't guarantee they won't find their own way in the conflict. It will be inevitable.”

“Hn. We'll see about that”

* * *

**Hogsmeade Station**

It had been weird to see their rooms completely bare for the first time - usually they left posters and some other things behind when they left for home, after all they'd be back. But not this time. This time they were leaving for good. And that was reflected on their luggage.

As the graduated Ravenclaws were waiting for the trains that would take them to London, they were taking in the scenery for the last time. Mostly in gloomy silence. Usually the seventh years were overtaken by melancholia or excitement at the beginning to of the new era of their lives, but this year was touched by tragedy and it will take some time to adjust.

Finally the scarlet locomotive came to life and the students boarded. The little poker group was joined in their compartment by Lauren who would be following Saeko to Konoha without any delay. Her things from Lewis Manor have been sent ahead, packed by a Konoha nin as a C-rank mission, as a way to minimize Lauren's interaction with her family. Ren had been most grateful, already she had to meet them at Gringotts' Bank and at the Ministry for Magic.

“So, cards? One last time as Hogwarts students?” Peter spoke up when the Castle disappeared around the bend.

“Sounds good”

As the game progressed the silence broke even if the jokes were a little forced. It would take a great deal of time to things to go back to normal but as they approached more urban areas further south the conversation flowed more smoothly. The mood plummeted again when the train entered London.

 “So, this is it”

“Yeah”

“Let's at least try staying in contact. Maybe a meet after the summer?”

“Good idea”

Turn to Saeko and Lauren “I presume you two will be a no show?”

“We'll see” the ninja said sadly, “I won't be completely in charge of my own time.”

“Military, phe”

“Hn”

Speaking about arrangements, Lauren looks sadly out of the window

“Missing England already?”

“Not really but that will probably come later. I was thinking how I don't wish the family to be in King's Cross”

“Why would they, you're officially emancipated form them”

“To gloat?” gritted teeth, “They were insufferable when I saw them last. They _won_.”

Saeko stayed silent for a beat - when it came to the Lewis clan she never really know how to respond, the epitome of touchy subject.

“Forget it,” the red-head forestalled any comments, “After today I won't think of them ever again. I'll have a great job, one I adore, friends, a new family. And I will be called _-sama_ because of my skills and not status. And I _will_ earn it. Quite looking forward to it actually.”

“You're amazing” the Uchiha said in slightly awed tone.

“Are you two going to make out now?”

Saeko glare at the interruption but widened he distance

“Didn't say I would mind it”

“Pig”

“I hope everything will work out for you two”

“Yeah, Saeko can be an insensitive ass at times but she's not bad”

“I'm aware” Lauren chuckled.

“You were supposed to defend me” Saeko mock-hurt look.

“You'll live. Plus it was the truth” the red-head shrugged, “Mihane told me that being insensitive asses is in the genes. She had to train Itachi too. Now he's even romantic at times.”

“Joy” was the dry response.

“Do try to write, I'd love to hear how that goes” Helena smirked.

“Hn” the Uchiha was unamused.

The group chuckled. Peter was first to stop and sigh “I'm going to miss you all.”

“Good” Helena nodded, refusing to be brought down by Peter's melancholy, “We are pretty memorable.”

Caitlin nodded “Yup, me and Saeko even have the team photos proudly displayed in the Trophy Room to that effect.”

“Humph” Graham huffed, “It's not like anyone ever goes there. I went like once, when I was in second year.”

“Don't be jealous” Saeko smirked.

“'m not”

Paddy chuckled at his best friend’s mumbled reply “We will be all unremarkable with you.”

“Speak for yourself” Caitlin flicked her hair.

“Indeed, just you wait, I'll be Minister for Magic soon enough” Graham announced dramatically.

“I'll find so many ancient artifacts there will be a museum named after me” Peter joined in the bold declarations.

“Model” the chaser nodded imperiously.

“I'll reign over the magical world” Helena topped them all.

The little poker group started at her, mouth agape, only Saeko and Lauren smirked. The red-head asked “Why stop there? Saeko has an army at her disposal.”

The blonde made a show of thinking “Let's start small. We can always expand later.”

“Well, I did promise you to be your right-hand woman two year ago” the ninja shrugged with a grin.

“Yup, we're fucked” Graham said cheerfully.

“The world's fucked” Peter corrected.

The group amused itself by painting the scenario of Overlord Helena all the way to King's Cross where their train came to a stop. A most definitive stop that also ended their conversation.

Reluctantly they collected their things and descended to the platform. It was seriously overcrowded - concerned parents wanting to ascertain their progeny was fine after all that had happened - the Ravens plus Lauren found a small place for themselves to say their final goodbye. Well, not _final_ final. Just as classmates.

After a group hug and some sniffles the group split up and went to their families who were understanding but also quite impatient at this point.

“Ready?” Saeko asked her lover when they were the only ones left. Out of her jacket she fished out the modified portkey that would take them to the Elemental Nations and held it before her.

Lauren took one more look around and the sighed “I am. Let's blow this joint.”

The brunette chuckled and when the Brit took hold of the feather she spoke the activation word.

This time they appeared directly in one of the underground chambers of the Uchiha Compound rather than a clearing outside the village. It wasn't glamorous at all, it was dark and the only distinct feature was the Uchiha crest on the banner over a small shrine. But at least Itachi and Mihane were waiting for them.

Saeko grinned so wide it hurt and turned to her lover “Welcome home.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Aaaaaand done. Well, the main story. Now the only thing left are the epilogues. Yes, plural. They will take care of both endings - Naruto and Potter. And maybe one more epilogue chapter as the complete aftermath.  
> Any other things you might want to read about in UoR universe will be either a one-shot or a different story. Do write any ideas you might have. I have only been toying with the idea of Saeko's genin team so far.


	147. Epilogue I - Battle of Ame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: First of the three epilogues. Enjoy.

 

“Ame? Akatsuki's base is in Ame?” Shikamaru groaned even if he usually held back in front of the Hokage.

“Awesome, let's go!” Naruto exclaimed eagerly.

“We can't just walk into a foreign nation and start killing, this could spark another war” Saeko rolled her eyes.

“Right you are” Sarutobi said somberly, “Quite fortunate Jiraiya-kun had the _restraint_ not to attack head on after he obtained the pertinent information. That would've been quite an _incident_.”

Jiraiya glowered “Indeed. The fact that I not only know, but thought, the two main members of Akatsuki is not _incident_ enough.”

“Regardless. Kumogakure's jinchuuriki of the eight-tails, also known as the Raikage's brother, has been taken and A has decided to do something about it” the Hokage continued.

“Finally” the gama sennin murmured.

“Indeed. While Konoha and Suna had recognized the Akatsuki threat and had allied to confront it, Kumo only now acknowledged the danger and seeks retribution” Sarutobi said blandly and then signed heavily “We have contacted Iwa and the rest of the nations but it is highly possible the consequences of the mission you have been called for will be felt in the form of a larger conflict. This mission is to eliminate Akatsuki.”

After a beat of somber silence the Hokage continued “Konoha, Suna and Kumo have tentatively allied for that very purpose. This mission is S-ranked and it will be shared between those three villages. It has been agreed, reluctantly might I add, that Jiraiya will take the nominal lead.”

Jiraiya nodded “We will meet with the Suna and Kumo teams outside Ame proper - once we set foot in the country Nagato will be notified immediately. He already knows that there is an attack imminent, no need for extra warning.”

“So this is why all of us are here, all of Ame will be up in arms” Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed.

“Hopefully not, we'll be taking the infiltration route” Jiraiya countered, “That said with a group that big, things can happen.”

“Yes, but you all here can take on an S-rank or have invaluable support skills” Sarutobi spoke up again, “According to Jiraiya-kun's information, you and the members of the other teams, will be needed.”

“I'll brief you on the road and then once more when we meet up with Suna and Kumo” the toad summoner announced, “We leave in six hours.”

Kakashi, Itachi, Saeko, Gai, Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji and Shizune all nodded and left the office.

The blond chuunin was the only one excited but his mood was damped by the gloominess of the others. They were professionals, but an S-rank was an S-rank. Then they simply nodded and trailed away.

“If I die so soon Mihane is going to kill me” Itachi dead-panned when he and his sister were the only ones left.

“At least Mihane didn't leave her country for you, it would be way more awkward if I died” Saeko countered.

“Hn, you're right”

“Gee, thanks”

/

Konoha's anti-Akatsuki team was the last to arrive at the meeting point and they were most definitely the largest delegation.

“Ah, yes, tree-huggers and their teamwork” the lead of the Kumo team said derisively.

Jiraiya replied dryly “Raikage-dono, what a surprise.”

The massive man crossed his arms over his bare chest “I wanted to see in person this so-called Akatsuki. If Konoha is talking shit I want to avenge my brother myself.”

“Akatsuki is very real” Gaara interjected in his usual monotone.

“We'll see. And f this leads to war you can expect me on the front lines again, on which side depends on today” A smirked.

Jiraiya didn't resist rolling his eyes “Let's just rehash the plan and make the teams. We know there are four Akatsuki members for sure, but one of them has more than one body…”

When the briefing concluded the Raikage was still apprehensive but rather excited, eager for a fight. The rest of his delegation were B's students, a big leap power-wise but the only other contestant for S-rank, Darui, had been left behind to hold the fort. Similarly since Gaara was leading the Suna team, Temari had been left behind, while the man himself was accompanied by Kankuro, Baki and another ninja that hadn't been introduced.

“Let's just go” A said impatiently, “S-rank or no, with this little army you thought to bring we should be home by dinner.”

Jiraya smacked his lips in annoyance “The rinnegan…”

“You people are way too impressed by blood limits” the Raikage scoffed and started walking in Ame's direction, his entourage following.

“That went well” Kakashi commented.

“Unsurprising” Gaara commented.

“Convenient though” Saeko reached into her flak jacket and retrieved a fistful of rings and handed them to the Kazekage, “Here, they are for emergencies - should your vitals drop to a near-death level this will bring you to Konoha Hospital.”

“Fuinjutsu?” Kankuro took one ring and examined it.

“Close enough”

“Yes, also after the mission we will be taking them back, no hard feelings” Jiraiya shrugged.

Gaara nodded, put one of the rings on his index finger and passed the rest along. Then he took off after the Raikage, Naruto right beside him, intent on conversation.

“They do know we're taking the summons in, right?” Shikamaru rubbed his brow.

“When we get closer” Shizune shrugged.

“The impatience of youth!” Gai said cheerfully.

“Hn” Itachi and Saeko chorused, Neji nodding sagely.

/

“Why are we on the roof?” Saeko asked lightly, “It's raining.”

“It's Ame, it's in the name. Here always rains” Itachi shrugged, “And we're on the roof because our assigned Akatsuki ran over here.”

The girl hummed “Yeah, I see. Hot lady, pretty wings.”

“Can't help but notice the paper wings don't get soggy at all” the brother nodded.

“Bummer that”

“Let's try fire?”

“Are you done with this double act?” Konan asked dryly from up above the Konoha ninja.

“ _Katon: Gōka Messhitsu!_ ”

A massive stream of fire was expelled from Itachi's mouth, widening in a cone-like fashion to engulf the entire area around the flying Konan in a red hot blaze.

“Nope, not fire either” Saeko remarked when the Akatsuki woman reformed herself, wings included, from her origami papers - completely unharmed. “Pity, with us being Uchiha and all.”

“That'd be too easy” Itachi once more displayed a surprising sense of humor.

“I like easy”

“But you have Lauren now”

“Ha ha, very funny”

Both Uchiha were caught in an enormous paper hurricane, penetrated only by two long lances made of hardened paper. Saeko gripped Itachi's shoulder and apparated them away. Pity that the only place away from the technique was off the roof.

_“Kuchiose no jutsu!”_

Saeko and Itachi landed on a large raven that appeared in a poof of smoke. The elder Uchiha didn't waste any time and a retaliatory lance of lightening struck the roof, causing an electric storm upon impact.

“Genjutsu?”

“She's careful” Itachi shrugged, “Summon me a ride, my crows are not built for this.”

“Sure”

The two ravens had to evade a series of shuriken made of exploding notes and then a tsunami of the same.

“Split up?”

“Sounds good” Saeko nodded, “Just be careful, I'll be using Fiendyfire.”

“Just hold-off on any Mangekyō techniques”

“We really should've exchanged eyes”

“It's gross”

“Better than be blind”

Without further ado both Uchiha flew in the opposite direction in the classic pincer maneuver. Saeko and Unndra tipped to the right, entering into a fuuton charged, gatsuuga-like spin. This enabled them to get closer to their mark without getting blown up.

“ _Confingo_ , _Bombarda_ , _Confudo_!”

Konan arched an eyebrow when her left wing unfolded and the small papers were blown away. Then in an instant her entire figure dissolved into paper as another blast of fire was headed to her back, courtesy of Itachi.

Deciding to explore if the papers were of limited supply Saeko fired several _vanishing_ spells that worked on the chakra paper, as opposed to fire, delighted in the resulting frown.

The reply was a barrage of spinning paper shuriken reminiscent of buzz-saws. Saeko waved her wand again, _vanishing_ them all. In that split-second distraction Unndra took the lead and dodged the paper bird attacking them from below.

Suddenly a big explosion shook the Ame Tower and water started leaking from around the tenth floor. Konan didn't react outwardly, only her papers gained speed. Maybe an effort to end this quickly.

“Kisame?” Saeko hummed and tapped her raven.

“I don’t know, the Raikage can be messy” Unndra hummed right back, depositing his summoner back on the roof.

The papers formed a big tornado all around the top floor, making it too dangerous to fly, especially since most of those papers were marked as explosives. Agreeing with Konan that the tentative, feeling each other out, stage was over Saeko brandished her wand again and unleashed the most potent of magical flames.

Fiendyfire ate thought the paper, much to Konan's surprise. It a pre-emptive measure she detonated all the tags.

Saeko once more apparated into free fall, the shockwave throwing her much further than anticipated. This time she decided against a summon and instead she unsealed her gunbai fan and used one of Suna's prized techniques to make it float. She sent a quick mental thank you to Temari, from whom she copied the jutsu, and observed the dust settling.

_“Hypocrite”_ Saeko thought tiredly when a purplish outline of a skeleton could be seen among the smoke and redirected the Fiendyfire to get a better look. Konan had managed to blow off the entire roof and the last two floors.

Konan reformed her wings. From high above Saeko used a wind technique that caused massive pressure, preventing the woman's flight. Itachi capitalized on that and combined it with one of his fire jutsu, creating an inferno.

The Ame kunoichi didn't even blink and used the persisting rain to form a water dome over her, letting her paper self do the rest. Saeko just sicced the Fiendyfire on her again, thinking up a new plan. So far there had been far too much ninjutsu for her liking, but fighting Konan in close quarters wasn't too good of an idea.

Then again, no one could really escape Fiendyfire for long.

Just as regular techniques didn't work on Konan's paper, regular techniques couldn't touch Fiendyfire. Certainly not water jutsu. On the downside the curse was very taxing on concentration, something that Konan was trying to disrupt with her papers. One such explosion almost caused her hair to catch on fire. Not fun.

While the serpent-like flames played whack-a-mole with the winged Konan, Itachi had enough, deciding to go over-kill.

“ _Totsuka no Tsurugi_ ”

And just like that it was over.

The Susanoo's flaming sword pierced Konan. The sealing sword. Konan tried her paper trick again but she was slowly but inevitably being sucked into the sake jar that served as it's sheathe.

 Konan screamed and then she was no more.

After a respectful beat of silence Saeko laded next to her kneeling brother and whacked him on the head “Baka, baka, baka, BAKA! What did we say about Mangekyō!”

“You saw her, she surely had this whole tower rigged to blow. We have people inside” Itachi said faintly, holding his face, rivulets of bright blood dripping though his fingers.

“We just needed to kill her in one shot, not to give her time. Fiendyfire would've burnt her to a crisp - she was already tiring” the kunoichi sighed.

“But now we can assist in the other battles”

Saeko took Itachi's right hand, the one with the portkey “No way. Maybe if you weren't such an idiot.”

“But…”

“Bye!”

When Itachi was taken by the portkey Saeko sighed. “Baka” she growled again, childishly stomping on the rubble that was the remainder of the top of the tower.

Saeko took a soldier pill to replenish her chakra - she hadn't actually used too much as opposite to her brother, magic was less taxing - but if he was to help her team she would do so fully charged.

Carefully she made her way inside the tower, listening for signs of battle. After inspecting the interior she was actually very much surprised that the so-called Tower of God was still standing. On the other hand there were some nice changed in décor - for example a destroyed mechanical… somebody in Akatsuki robes baring the tell-tale marks of Gai's brand of youthfulness.

Feeling something Saeko unsheathed her tantō but it was only Jiraiya who looked relieved at seeing her “You got Konan? Good. Burn her body, one of the Pains can bring people back.”

“That won't be a problem” Saeko shrugged and watched the elder immolating the aforementioned machine pieces.

“Uchiha of course. Fucking pyros” the sennin a bit sadly - Konan had been his pupil once upon a time.

“How did you lose your hand? And who are those toads?”

“Doesn't matter. The portkey has already taken Kakashi and Gai in our team and we need another heavy hitter. Naruto went after Nagato but I still have two Pain bodies because I can't get the regenerating one” Jiraiya growled, “Good news, he doesn't have anyone to regenerate anymore.”

“The rest?”

“I know Gaara crushed Kisame's partner and went to help against the plant man, the Raikage and entourage are still downstairs playing aquarium”

“ _Banshō Ten'in!”_

Both Konoha nin were sized by some unseen force and were pulled towards Pain. It wasn't instantaneous so Saeko had time to apparate behind the body. Deva path kicked her away but not before scoring a deep gash on the Akatsuki's leg.

“Get the regenerator!” Jiraiya yelled as the kunoichi rolled away.

Saeko nodded and turned the corner, believing in the might of the gama sannin. Behind her she could hear a god-awful melody that sounded like the tads were actually singing.

The Naraka Path wasn't actually that far behind, obviously there to catch his compatriot should he fail and bring him back.

_“Can't let him catch me_ ” Saeko thought back to her mythology. Getting touched by the 'King of Hell' didn't seem to be a smart idea.

Then the obvious solution presented itself - if Fiendyfire had a sentience, and Saeko wasn't sure it hasn't, it surely would feel cheated on the Konan kill. Naraka would do as replacement.

It was almost anticlimactic after Konan's deft evasion of the same curse.

She was just taming the cursed flames when the Tower shook again. Cracks appeared on the walls, clear signs the building just had enough. “Uh-oh” Saeko said out loud and with a crack apparated back on the roof.

The Tower came slowly tumbling down, still providing a rather nice view of Amegakure. It wasn't a pretty sight - half the city was under water and the other half ablaze.

_“No way Iwa is going to take this laying down. We practically obliterated a Hidden Village. A small Village to be sure, but still a shinobi village”_

Then the Tower exploded.

And once more Saeko was in free-fall.

She eyed the bright arterial blood spurting from the thigh that had been hit by a sharp piece of rubble and swore. Then the portkey whisked her away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This was tough, you know I'm not overly fond of fight scenes, but I hope it came out alright.
> 
> AN2: In chapter 29 I wrote that there will not be all that Tobi/Madara/Obito mess. I started this before the manga finished and I kinda like ending it here Akatsuki-wise. All that coming back from the dead and heavenly rabbits is not doing it for me. If you were looking forward to that part, I am sorry.


	148. Epilogue II - the Battle of Hogwarts

 

“Professor McGonagall is an… utter… badass!!”is what coursed though everybody's heads as the elder woman stood in defense of Harry Potter when he confronted Severus Snape, headmaster of Hogwarts and supporter of the dark Lord, and pushed the man into retreating. Through a window.

Only pity Snape knew how to use his wand and his head and took off flying.

Still, it was _badass._

Even better, she took out the two Death Eater teachers that stood with Snape. The Great Hall that had been filled with the entirety of Hogwarts population erupted in cheers of pure, unadulterated glee. After a dark year where hope was scarce, this was a source of courage. And a sign for the revolution. Fear would come later, but now the Hall was shining bright - Potter has come, his followers have come and the teachers finally banished the blight from the School.

As the students cheered the teachers and the adult newcomers huddled to discuss strategy. Finally they all agreed - first they would send all Slytherin students away. Voldemort wouldn't care about hostages and it was distasteful. Plus they would risk a potential spy or saboteur in the building.

Second: evacuate all the students but allow those of age to stay and fight if they were willing. Everybody was surprise just how many did indeed decided to stay  - a handful of Ravenclaws but also a good chunk of Hufflepuff and nearly all older Lions.

Thee: barricade the school and increase its protection. You name it - ghosts, barriers, moving suits of armor, plants, traps, Hagrid's menagerie… Anything that would help detain, kill or maim an attacker. Or at least slow him down.

Four: call for reinforcements. This was to be the last stand. No more waiting around, any and all that oppose Voldemort and his minions and had the stomach to fight would be welcome. And sorely needed.

As everybody busied to accomplish their designated task an icy voice that seemed to permeate the entre castle spoke “ **I am Lord Voldemort**.”

Many of the younger students screamed but they were shushed by their elders. In the ensuing silence the voice continued **“I know you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood.”**

Silence reigned. The happiness, that was in the Hall before, completely vanished, leaving only dread. No, that was not true - people were scared, yes, but also determined. Determined to follow through until the end. Whatever that might be.

**“Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded.”**

**“You have until midnight”**

…

“Well, since we are not complying, please return to your duties” McGonagall said dryly.

Some people chuckled but everybody started moving again. They all had a job to do. To prepare for a siege.

The small contingent of teachers followed McGonagall, their vice-principal, into the yard in from of the entrance to the Castle proper. Illuminated by the nearby fires the woman cut an impressive figure now that she stood proud with her back straight and raised wand. “ _Piertotum locomotor!”_ she intoned with a strong voice.

For a beat nothing happened. Then as one all the statues, all the gargoyles, all the suits of armor in the entire School and grounds came to life. They jumped from their pedestals or perches and went to fulfill their duty - to protect the school. It was an impressive spectacle.

“Amazing” Flitwick said breathlessly.

“It is, but it can't hold” Sprout said brusquely, her mind already formulating plans on how her specialty could help with the defense.

“It can slow Voldemort and his army down” McGonagall replied, “Plus, I have got another line of defense.”

Flitwick couldn't hold his breath of relief “Which is?”

“Albus left it for me. Said to use it if Voldemort was to march against Hogwarts” the Scot explained.

“He was always remarkably accurate with his predictions” Sprout said in admiration.

When McGonagall withdrew a small scroll from her robes and unrolled it Flitwick perked up “You know, this actually reminds me of… oh. Really?”

“Really” the now-headmaster pursed her lips, obviously not overly happy with the idea.

“What?” Sprout frowned.

“Mercenaries” the Charms master supplied.

“Mercenaries” McGonagall confirmed, “Now, how does this work. Ah!”

Usually the seal would convert magic into chakra, then send a signal both to Sarutobi's monkeys and Saeko's crows, which would then prompt a Konoha ninja, probably Saeko if she wasn't on assignment, to check what was needed and what was the situation. Very complicated - Jiraiya was extremely proud of his work.

BUT! Since Hayama and his small team that had joined the Order of the Phoenix as Dumbledore's last commission were already on site AND have signaled ahead…

Smoke enveloped a large part of the courtyard. Many jumped back, afraid of an attack, but the Transfiguration teacher reassured that all was well. Better than actually as the clearing smoke revealed twelve figures in uniform.

“Miss Uchiha” Flitwick exclaimed in glee while Sprout did the same in surprise. “And miss Lewis!”

Saeko smiled at her favorite teacher but then her gaze turned to McGonagall “Our mission?”

“Protect Hogwarts. Protect the students. Just… just help” the proud teacher finished faintly.

“We accept the mission” Saeko said formally, “Let's talk defenses.”

/

It was quiet, quiet before the storm. Everything was ready and everybody was in position. They only had to wait now. Wait for the assault. Already the army of dark supporters and dark creatures was at the edge of the conjured barrier that the teachers put up. Waiting for the countdown to come to zero.

Saeko had her ninja take command of small groups all around the castle. Ninja were more prepared for the battle that was to come and their abilities and cool heads will be rallying points. Especially to those that were still students here. Also ninja had no qualms about killing, something their side was lacking. Not all of course, but many Brits would hesitate to take a life and that might just cost them theirs.

They would hold the line.

The eleven ninja Saeko chose to accompany her on this mission were chosen well beforehand. There was Saeko and five of her Uchiha pupils. At first, when she had returned to Konoha, she wanted to take on a genin team but the Uchiha elders protested and wanted her to concentrate her teaching to the Clan. As a compromise she postponed her becoming a jounin sensei for a year and trained up fresh Uchiha chuunin in magic. Five stuck with it and used it frequently in conjunction with their own techniques. And those five came with her - Uchiha Akira, a tokujō in genjutsu. Uchiha Kana and Uchiha Rie - two sisters that wanted to show up their father who was vocal in regretting daughters instead of sons. Uchiha Shirou, who became an amazing ninja without ever awakening his sharingan. And Uchiha Hiroshi who was in comparison completely normal and without issues.

Nara Shikamaru was the team's strategist - he already knew that Saeko's magic wasn't really chakra so it was easy to bring him up to speed. Even if it was 'troublesome'.

Hyuuga Neji was another member of the team - he had glared at Saeko, and much more politely at Sarutobi, until he was allowed and read in.

Lauren was somebody Saeko really didn't want to bring along but the choice was taken from her. She bet on Sarutobi denying Ren's request to return to Britain for this battle, and lost. At least her role of designated medic would keep her from majority of the fighting. Plus she had a guard - Saeko didn't care which of her little Uchiha took the role but was adamant that she would skin them alive if any harm came to her lover.

To complete the team there was Yamato - excellent at crowd control and large scale destruction, Rangiku, a traps and demolitions expert, and Niwa Takashi a taijutsu/doton user. Those three were in the category ex-ANBU which meant top of their fields.

Long story short - this team could hit _hard_. Well, and Shika would point them where while Ren healed them afterwards.

And then the wait was over.

Just like that.

A multitude of spells impacted the barrier. The dome rippled but held. But the onslaught never ceased. Still, it held but it was clear it would not do so indefinitely.

Saeko stood on a small balcony that provided her with a good vintage point but was still close to the ground - after all, fire in tight space was not that smart, especially with undisciplined allies. At her back there was a small group of Brits - some seventh years she didn't recognize plus Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

“They burned the quidditch pitch” Alicia remarked sadly after a while.

“We'll fight fire with fire” Saeko's shrugged even as her eyes lit up.

The former Lions looked at each other and chuckled. Katie smiled, even if that smile was tinged with sadness, as was everything at this point “I did hear about your perchance for fire.”

“Just aim it at them, not us” her fellow ex-chaser added.

“But of course” Saeko said chipperly. The parameters of this mission allowed her to let loose - no more following and guarding Potter, no. Just doing what she did best - large scale destruction. And yes, she knew she had issues. What ninja didn't.

“You think we can take them?” one of the younger Brits asked in a tremulous voice. His courage left him when the relentless pounding on the barrier started.

The Uchiha turned to see if the question had been aimed at her. She looked in those large hopeful eyes and shrugged “Potter has some plan so we're mainly buying time for him. No idea what it is though.” _If I don't have to follow him ever again it will be too soon._ “But I wouldn't worry too much,” _a blatant lie_ , “Me and my team are professionals. Mercenaries you could say.”

Kati and Alicia seemed really interested in that but before they could ask, the barrier broke. At first it was just one piece, then a second, and finally the whole dome crumbled.

“Time to dance” Saeko straightened up. That declaration was followed by a series of large explosions, the unmistakable sounds of Konoha-grade exploding seals going off. And yes, those had a distinct sound.

Loud and agonized screaming followed. The Dark army didn't even enter the castle and they were already suffering. Good job defenders! Even if she was pretty sure that had been Rangiku's handiwork. But they were defenders too, so it counted.

“That's good for us, right?” one of the Brits said hesitantly as if reading the ninja's mind.

“Yup, that's one my cute subordinates” Saeko grinned. The group behind the Uchiha didn't know if they were scared, creeped out or grateful for Konoha presence. “But they are just sending canon-fodder first so no great victory. Oh, and here come the werewolves. Hm, if I remember correctly they hate silver and fire?”

“I take it you choose the fire option?”

“Oh yes”

The fire dragon of _Katon: Karyuudan_ took flight and crossed the rather long distance between them and the charging crowd. The werewolves who were running in their beast form were obliterated in an instant while those who actually had their wands managed to last longer thanks to hasty shields. Only few of Greyback's pack managed to escape and even those had their fur on fire.

“Hn” Saeko said proudly when she cancelled the technique. Ok, it was only around thirty assailants but they counted among the most terrifying so good for morale.

The brunette looked back at her provisionary team and grinned. The Brits seemed more scared than happy though. Saeko turned back and sighed _“Hippy civilians.”_

Alicia Spinnet was first to regain her voice and it was only thanks to an emergency “The courtyard! They are being overwhelmed!”

Saeko surveyed the situation - there was a pair of giants wreaking havoc in the courtyard, shattering the stone guardians while the defenders shot spell at them, a seemingly futile effort.

The Uchiha smirked “Niwa has it covered.”

“What do you mean?” Katie asked. The former Ravenclaw didn't bother with a reply as she sensed a small tremor, tell-tale signs of a powerful doton jutsu. True to her prediction, two massive earth spikes shot from the paved courtyard and impaled the giants, right through their bodies and into their skulls.

Alicia gulped “No wonder you were brutal in quidditch.”

“PERIMETER BREACH!”

Saeko smirked, quite flattered at Alicia's statement “Comes with the brand. Now, I'm going to move, you hold the fort.”

True to the warming the Death Eaters made it inside - quite predictably they used the distraction their non-human allies provided to get into the Castle and play it guerilla style. But the ninja were quite good at it as well, as punctuated by the small forest that sprouted on the third floor.

Since Yamato had this part of the school covered, she ran towards the stairwells to see where her skills would be most needed. The two surprisingly slight and gangly Death Eaters she killed along the way were more of an insult than anything else.

“Aaaaaah!” a scream echoed loudly in the empty hallway that led to the Transfiguration classroom. Saeko immediately changed course.

“ _Crucio_! _Crucio_! Hahaaha!” a big Death Eater was amusing himself in torturing two boys in Ravenclaw uniforms. Saeko wasn't amused in the least and flashed behind the man. In one swift strike of a wind enhanced blade she pierced the wizard's heart. Normally she would go for a decapitation but she didn't want to traumatize the student more than they already were.

“Saeko!”

The familiar voices caused her to turn “Caitlin? Graham?”

“Oh, thank Marlin you're here” the former chaser exclaimed.

Saeko was speechless - she didn't really expect to encounter anyone from the little poker group because Hayama told her Dumbledore honored her request and didn't try to recruit them for his vigilante group. But of course that didn't mean the ravens wouldn't get involved on their own. Wait… “Are those Ministry uniforms?”

“Yeah, but don't worry!” Graham said hastily, “We're on your side. Against You-Know-Who that is.”

“Let's walk and talk. W can't afford just to stay and catch up “Caitlin urged them.

The duo nodded and they all took off, trying to find trouble. But Saeko was still curious “I heard the Ministry was in Voldemort's pocket.”

Graham grimaced “Yeah, we figured that out. Later that we should've though.”

“Yeah” Caitlin nodded as she cautiously looked around the corned. Saeko was briefly reminded on how their group played paintball during one of 'the exciting thing of the year', “We stayed on though, we were n a position to help.”

“Really? What department? Those look like field uniforms. Don't tell me…”

Graham grimaced “Aurors? No, that was Daniel's shtick. Obliviators.”

“But I would've never thought to apply if not for him though” the ex-chaser said sadly.

“ _Fuuton: Shinkūgyoku_!” Saeko used rapid fire of air bullets to dispatch of another attacked, even if it was too late to help his victim. Caitlin and Graham worked excellently in tandem to take out his Death eater partner.

“It's been tough though. We had to pretend to lap up all the propaganda” Caitlin continued their previous conversation as if they weren't interrupted.

“Like muggles are a blight to society and needed to be purged. How muggleborns are stealing magic and so on. Anybody who isn't a pureblood had to be vetted” Graham spat venomously.

Anymore questions were postponed as the trio happened into a big fight on the first floor. Several Death Eaters and what appeared to be Caitlin and Graham's _evil_ colleagues were in heated battle with the members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Saeko side-stepped an emerald green curse and went right to work. Both sides were in bunkered down behind improvised covers which would usually mean a prolonged fight. But not to a ninja. That goes double if that ninja is capable of genjutsu.

When the attackers screamed in agony at the illusionary fire on their person they left cover in panic and were swiftly taken care of. Mostly stunners though. Saeko turned to the apparent leader of the fighting group, a large dark mal with a shiny earring, she just arched an eyebrow.

“We won't sink to their level” was the reply at the unspoken criticism.

“Good for you” the Uchiha shrugged and motioned to her friends to follow her to the ground floor that seemed to take the brunt of the assault judging from the sounds.

“Wait, Lauren's here?” Graham exclaimed when he slid behind cove to recover his breath after a particularly heated exchange of spells.

Saeko took out his opponent with a well-aimed kunai that sailed thought his shield unimpeded and nodded. When she noticed what her lover was doing she growled “She is. She was supposed to heal only though.”

“Watch out!”

Another tremor cold be felt and many of the assailants fell due to the very localized earthquake - another of Niwa's techniques. The following response of the defenders meant all of them could take a short break.

“So, you were saying?” Saeko prompted and gave her friends two ration bars while biting into one herself, “Not-purebloods had to be vetted? But you're half, right Caitlin?”

“But from a really old family” the Irish girls shrugged and gratefully took the offered water-battle, “But notoriously light so me and Graham said we were dating.”

“I'm a pureblood and my family's neutral” Graham shuffled uncomfortably.

Saeko surveyed her friends for a while and then smirked slyly “Pretending?”

The bearded _obliviator_ couldn’t resist an adoring gaze to the former chaser who blushed.

The brunette smiled widely but as the duo before her seemed skittish, she changed the subject “So, where's the rest?”

Caitlin latched onto the new topic “Peter and Ashley left the country when things got dicey.”

“Helena is on an _extensive_ tour of the tea plantations” Graham supplied, “And Paddy had to disappear when he got caught housing muggleborn fugitives.”

Saeko was relieved everybody was alive “That's good to hear. Hey, let me just check on Ren. Maybe you could join the defenders here?”

“Ya, ya, ya” Caitlin grimaced, “We know we can't keep up with your speed. Oh and by the way, we will be talking about your weird techniques and other stuff later.”

“Yeah, you're like a ninja! Super fast. Wham, bam, boom!” Graham made pseudo-karate motions.

The jounin sniggered but nodded. She left her friends to walk up to Lauren but was interrupted half-way though by one of her Uchiha pupils. “Sensei!”

“Kana? What happened?”

“I just need to get checked out by Ren-sama, but the east wing needs reinforcements” the chuunin reported.

“Hn” Saeko nodded and sped in the suggested direction.

/

“Taichō” Hayama's Hyuuga got Saeko's attention.

“What is it?”

“The enemy seems to be retreating. They are regrouping in the Forbidden Forest”

“Hn” the Uchiha frowned, “Let's regroup ourselves, ninja only of course, and let's discuss mounting an… expedition to the Forest. Meet in the Foyer.” The Hyuuga bowed minutely and disappeared in a burst of speed to collect their fellow Konoha nin. Saeko in turn headed to the Great Hall where triage was being held to check on Lauren.

Surprisingly there weren't too many injured defenders despite the scale of the attack. Of course that might just mean that those missing from the hospital beds were simply dead. Quite probably actually.

“There you go, all fixed” Lauren was saying to her patient when the scarred jounin approached her.

“Thank you” said a very dirty and tired Neville Longbottom. Saeko didn't even recognize his at first, not that she had been paying attention to the boy during her Hogwarts year but he was part of Potter's year. He was taller and somehow excluded an aura of competency. He also had eyes of a soldier.

When the seventh-year Gryffindor left Saeko approached her lover “Glad to see you're unharmed.”

“I did have a close call but one of your Uchiha buddies, Hiroshi I think, practically dove in front of me and took the masked bastard out” the red-head said knowingly and wiped the sweat of her face.

“Good” the kunoichi said in deep satisfaction.

“Do I want to know what you ha threatened them with?”

“Nah” Saeko smirked, “Plus it's just common sense - remember Tsunade's guidelines? Protect the medic and the medic doesn't fight?”

Lauren rolled her eyes “I know, you had repeated it enough times.”

“Sorry”

“But I do get it” the healer sighed, “One could see it now more clearly than ever - I mean I saw Niwa take own twenty wizards and two giants with two B-ranked jutsu. Didn't even need to pull out the big guns. With Konoha here the outcome is clear, it's just a matter of collateral damage.”

“Lots of that I'm afraid” Saeko sighed as she looked at the battered defenders and all the rubble around them.

“Yeah, the pureblooded population is going to be severely depleted”

“Any chance you met anyone of House Lewis? Preferably on the opposing side?” the brunette asked with a sparkle in her eye.

“Unfortunately not” Lauren sighed. Since settling into Konoha Ren had been much more willing to discuss her former House, even joke about it now, but she still harbored quite a bit of resentment and she would be ecstatic to viciously lash out at anyone with the surname Lewis.

“Pity. Now, I need to go, Voldy has everyone gather in the Forest so we might want to do something decisive”

“Have fun”

Half of the Konoha contingent was already in the foyer and Neji was bringing the rest. Noticing that there was something going on McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt approached them decisively to get up to speed.

“If they're all there we can just burn the Forest down” Uchiha Rie went with the typical Uchiha solution.

“Yeah” her sister Kana nodded, “They tried to burn us too - Fiendyfire.”

“Fiendyfire?!” McGonagall exclaimed in panic.

“Mendokse” Shikamaru rubbed his brow, “Speak softly, we don't want to incite panic.”

“Besides, I handled it” Kana huffed, “Fire is our specialty, even magical ones.”

“That is and well but…” Shacklebolt started but was interrupted.

“I have movement!”

“What do you see Neji-san?” Hayama asked urgently.

“They are coming, but slowly. A march, not an attack” the Hyuuga frowned.

“Maybe they want to surrender?” Rangiku arched an eyebrow.

“They could just apparate away” Shikamaru shook his head.

“A trap then”

Saeko shrugged “Let's get closer and form a defensive line. We'll wing it then.”

“Mendokse”

It didn't take long for the rest of the anti-Voldemort forces to note the lull in battle and the general change. And when the Death Eater brigade came into better view, the still body of Harry Potter in Hagrid's arms. By the way the half-giant was bawling, it was clear the corpse was a genuine article.

Murmurs started in the 'light' crowd, followed by shouts of disbelief interspersed with crying. The fact they lost the greatest hero and symbol took all the fight out of them. Something Voldemort anticipated and relished in as he came in person to address the defenders.

“Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you this body as proof your hero is gone” the Dark Lord spoke clearly with his magically amplified voice, “You fought valiantly but there is no need to continue. This battle is won.”

“Only if this was chess” Saeko mumbled to Shika who rolled his eyes.

“Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared” Voldemort continued after his dramatic pause, “Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”

Silence followed his words as more and more people came to look at the downed Harry Potter.

“Shouldn't we attack?” Uchiha Akira murmured.

“We're here to help, not take charge” Hayama said in a bored tone. No doubt he had to repeat those words many times during his tenure in magical Britain.

“Hn” Saeko shrugged, “Just wait, there will be some heroic declaration and we are on again.”

“NEVER! We will never join you!”

“Told ya” Saeko smirked.

Neville Longbottom broke though the crowd and boldly stared at the snake-like wizard.

“And who is this?” Voldemort said in amused condescension.

His right-hand-woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, grinned maniacally “This is Longbottom, my Lord. The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble. The son of the aurors.”

“Ah, yes. I remember” Voldemort said airily, “Come on closer boy. Come, don't be shy. You are pureblood, aren't you brave boy.”

Neville who indeed crossed into the no-man's land lifted his chin defiantly “And what if I am?”

“You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, young Longbottom.”

“Never!” Neville reiterated. Then he half-turned to the defenders and shouted “Dumbledore's Army!”

Saeko rolled her eyes - she did like Braveheart's _'FREEDOM!_ ' more. Also, bravery was one thing, stupidity another. Did he feel now that Harry was dead, the magical world needed a new symbol? Or a new martyr.

Voldemort was a bit displeased but not surprised “Very well. If this is your choice, we revert to the original plan. On your head be it.”

The only thing that prevented the entirety of Voldemort's entourage to be impaled on earth spikes and subsequently burned to a crisp, was a loud shrill sound which turned out be Fawkes phoenix. Saeko was reminded of the Basilisk situation several years ago. She made a motion to her team to wait - she was really curious and Dumbledore did insist he got everything planned.

She was glad she did so because at ensued was really quite surprising - it involved the Sorting Hat, again, the Sword of Gryffindor, again, and a decapitated snake, again. Well, the basilisk wasn't decapitated but whatever.

In the mayhem that followed, the Konoha ninja sprang back into work, taking out anyone with a mask. As Saeko moved to another Death Eater, her blade dripping with blood, she thought back at what Lauren had said - there really were culling the pureblood population. If these guys were indeed pureblooded. Besides, there were not too many magicals in the first place.

When Saeko unceremoniously shoved Ginny Weasley out of the way so she could get a direct shot at Bellatrix Lestrange, she noted that Neji was having a surprisingly hard time with the Dark Lord himself. Juuken hits were landing but the snake-man was still standing.

“Curious” Saeko hummed as Bellatrix caught ablaze like the witches of old.

Voldemort roared as he saw the death of his most faithful follower. Neji took the opportunity to land a truly crushing his right to the heart but once again it only served to enrage to wizard more. The frowning Hyuuga retreated, letting somebody else try.

McGonagall, Shacklebolt and a really fat wizard took his place and engaged Voldemort in a duel. Since pretty much the rest of the dark supporters were already dead, captured, stunned or otherwise out of the way, the crowd formed a large audience around the duelers. It was quite a spectacle.

The Dark Lord was truly proving to everybody that he truly was a genius of Dumbledore's level, maybe even greater, as he was effortlessly keeping at bay three very good fighters.

The crowd was silent, reluctant to hope even if their enemy had been reduced to a sole person. And then it came. Just as Voldemort used some kind of shockwave to throw his opponents back Harry Potter shimmered into view.

Harry, fucking, Potter.

“Tsk” Saeko frowned.

“What?” Shika arched an eyebrow as The-Boy-Who-Lived started his speech among the cheers of the crowd.

“This is just like Jiraiya's novels. The big entrance for the big hero. And we're what? Chopped liver?”

“Don't be jealous”

“'m not”

Yamato interrupted her pouting “I thought he was dead.”

“He got better” Rangiku shrugged.

“Sir, why aren't we interfering?” Uchiha Kana asked irritatedly.

“Read the room” Saeko sniffed disdainfully, “This is an epic moment guaranteed to go into British history. It wouldn’t do for us to do it.”

“Ah”

“If Potter gets himself killed, _then_ we burn Voldemort to a crisp”

“Ah” Kana said in a much more satisfied manner.

Neji grimaced “He must have some kind of protection, because _juuken_ didn't seem to work at all.

“That must be a first, no?” Rie asked.

The Hyuuga shook his head “Not really, some doton masters can use a technique to harden their body in such a way that our taijutsu is less than effective.”

“Useless, you mean” Niwa grinned, one such master.

“Shsssh” Lauren silenced them all, “I want to hear he speech. This is the moment when the hero explains it all and everything that has happened starts to make sense.”

“You read too much” Saeko chuckled.

“Hush”

Obeying the red-head, the Konoha contingent focused their attention to the duel that actually hasn't even started yet. Despite Saeko's skepticism Potter did seem to relish in a summary of his quest and the greatness of Dumbledore and Snape.

“Hn, I liked Snape better when he was a bastard” Lauren remarked.

“He was still a bastard, just an obsessive one” Saeko shrugged.

Neji sighed “I can't believe Ren used 'Hn' in actual conversation.”

“We try” all the present Uchiha chorused.

“Wait, they're finally going to fight!” Rangiku waved them away, “I bet on the skinny kid, everyone else does.”

“ _AVADA KEDAVRA_!”

“ _EXPELLIARMUS_!”

Nobody could even utter an 'oh boy' at the choice of spell, when a canon-like blast echoed around them and some very epic-looking golden flames erupted between the two as the two jets of light collided.

Against all odds Voldemort's Elder Wand went flying towards Potter while its owner fell to his knees and then unceremoniously sprawled on the ground, dead.

“Boring” Niwa mumbled.

He was by far the only one to think so as the Brits erupted in cheers. Forget quidditch, forget the Triwizard Tournament, this was happiness on a whole another scale.

“Ren, Akira, check if he's really dead” Saeko instructed.

“And not pulling a Potter?” Kana smirked.

“Hn”

The duo obeyed without question and went to check on the corpse as the majority of the crowd was preoccupied with their victor - The-Boy-Who-Won.

When the healer confirmed that Voldemort was indeed no more Saeko sighed in relief “And that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen. We'll be staying a little while longer but don't bother with any clean-up, the Brits will manage.”

“Oh, good” Shikamaru replied, as if he'd actually considered doing more work than was needed.

“Once everybody calms down, I'll be checking over injuries again” Lauren announced.

“Ok” Saeko nodded and pecked her lover's cheek.

Shikamaru hummed “Aren't those your people? You seem awfully unaffected.”

“Not my people anymore” Ren shrugged. Then she quickly surveyed the ninja “I assume none of us in injured?”

“Just what you fixed already” Niwa shook his head with the rest of his colleagues.

“Had worse fights with genin” Rei said cockily.

Saeko arched an unimpressed eyebrow at her student who looked down at the scolding “Let's all just get some rest.”

“Why don't we just go home? You said we got paid already” Uchiha Hiroshi asked.

“It would be impolite plus I have friends here with whom I'd like to catch up”

“Aright” Rankigu sighed and then turned to another ex-ANBU “Yamato-kuuun, be a lamb and make us some chairs, would you.”

/

“I'm glad you're alright” Saeko said tightly when she found Caitlin, “Is Graham?”

“He's alright” the former Raven smiled, “He's with Shaklebolt, schmoozing.”

“Shmoozing?” Saeko was surprised.

“And making sure everybody knows we were on the right side of the Ministry”

“Huh” the Uchiha said in an impressed tone.

Caitlin nodded at the unspoken question “He really changed after Daniel. Really assertive and responsible now.”

“Attractive qualities” Saeko remarked with a grin.

“Shut up” Caitlin blushed, “He's actually pretty great.”

“I'm glad”

“You and Lauren still going strong?”

The Uchiha beamed “Better than that. Konoha is good for her. Us.”

“Great” Caitlin smiled, “On that note, you really should've come back sooner. Three years and only handful of letters?”

Saeko looked down and mumbled “I was really busy.”

“And we weren't? Just look around - does it look like a fun time?”

“I know, I know. I'm sorry”

The former chaser rubbed her brow “It's ok, you came back for the big one. But promise you'll visit when things calm down. A full meet of the poker group.”

“I will. It sounds amazing” Saeko smiled. It really did sound amazing. Plus if she asked Helena nicely enough she could get tea that wasn't only utterly delicious but also a nice bribe/gift to Sarutobi-sama. He was still holding out on selecting his successor.

“Saeko!”

“Graham” the ninja smiled and embraced her friend, “Caitlin tells me you're moving up in the world.”

The bearded _obliviator_ grinned “This will be a major boost for our careers. And we can finally breathe easy. Our team leader and our section chief were both with Voldemort. Or Chief might've just been _imperiused_ , I don't know. The Ministry is in dire need of an overhaul.”

“He really did shape up nicely” Saeko turned to Caitlin with a wink.

“Mine” the ex-chaser grinned.

Graham beamed. Then he turned back to the ninja “Oh, and Lauren looks well. And she's really confident in all that healer stuff. She fixed by arm in a blink.”

“She's well regarded in Konoha Hospital” the Uchiha boasted.

“There wasn't a doubt about that” the man grinned. The in a flash his smiled disappeared “But we ill got a lot of deaths. I hear that Lupin died. One of our DADA teachers, the werewolf - remember?”

“I do, he was good” Saeko nodded sadly, “How many casualties in total?”

“They're still counting” Graham sighed, “But quite a lot but many had masks. You Konoha guys really made a difference.”

“Yeah, you were incredible” Caitlin frowned, “I feel kinda betrayed though.”

“Yeah! You never said you could do all those things!” the man agreed.

“I implied it” Saeko countered weakly. She did feel a bit bad about it after all, but it was necessary.

“Not enough” the Irish girl said without much venom.

Graham shrugged “We love ya anyway.”

“Hn” the Uchiha smiled widely.

“Hey, Cap, I think Flitwick is calling for you” Caitlin looked over the ninja's shoulder.

“Oh good, I really missed him”

/

“It's time”

Lauren turned to look at her lover “We're going home?”

“Yes,” Saeko nodded, “How come you're not inside, this sight is highly depressing.”

“And inside is better?” the red-head arched an eyebrow, “Besides, it's a nice night. Warm but with a nice breeze.”

“That helps with the stench of the blood?” the ninja remarked overly-sweetly.

Lauren rolled her eyes “Funny.”

“I try”

“Not enough apparently” the healer smirked, “Pomfrey's alright by the way. And so is O'Shea and Gifford since they talked my ear out.”

“I know, I spoke to them too. They're together now if you can believe it”

“Good for them” Lauren shrugged uninterestedly.

Saeko stayed silent for a while, also enjoying the nice evening, battle excluded. Then she hummed “How does it feel to be back?”

“Back at Hogwarts or back in on the Isles?”

“Either”

“Hmm, I feel nothing special” the red-head shrugged, “The fight though, that was intense. Well, at least for me - I'm not a crazy ninja, I just heal them. But Britain? It's strange, but I didn't miss it at all.”

The brunette smiled widely but said nothing. Lauren sighed and narrowed her eyes “I you dare tell me 'I told you so', you are going to be sleeping on the couch for a long time.”

Saeko just smirked minutely and stayed silent - she knew damn well Ren doesn’t make empty threats. It wouldn’t be a long time, but enough. Why risk it. But it was pretty tempting…

“Good. So let's go home. I want a bath, a small drink and then to bed” the red-head announced.

“Sounds like a plan” Saeko nodded, “We can sleep in too, I think nobody really expected this to take so little time.”

“I'm sure Sarutobi won't rush the briefing, Hogwarts really doesn't have any ramifications to Konoha”

“Hn. Oh, and Shirou told me you were great in a fight. That you might've even saved his hide once” the jounin smiled.

“That s nice of him but I'm afraid he exaggerates. About his hide I mean, other than that I was pretty good” Lauren winked.

“10 point to Slytherin!”

“Still can't believe you got sorted into Ravenclaw, with your ambition and willingness to tangle with politicians, you were meant to be a Snake” Ren shook her head.

Saeko put a hand to her heart dramatically “But my dear, tangling with politicians is necessary as I am one myself. I'm part of a committee and everything!”

“I know” the red-head grimaced.

“And you're as well! The medic that knows best of what magic can do and the supplies you need”

“I know” Lauren said again, “Tsunade settles me with most of the paperwork.”

The Uchiha hummed “I thought it went to Shizune.”

“She likes Shizune too much for that”

“Ah, makes sense”

“But she does bring sake on occasion with all the papers. Good stuff too”

“Let me guess - she drinks it with you and drinks the majority of it”

“Spot on. But hey, it's something I can lord over Sakura”

“You really don't like her, huh?”

“Do you?” Lauren arched an eyebrow.

“Not overly” Saeko shrugged.

“There you go”

“Saeko! Ren!” Neji's voice made them turn, “Shikamaru is asking what's the hold-up.”

The girl looked at each other and chuckled - that was typical, Neji would be too polite to tell them to get a move on but he'd willingly throw Shika under the bus.

“We're coming!” Saeko waved him off, “Ready?”

Lauren shrugged and without a backward glance she followed her lover inside.

 

* * *

**Omake**

“Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you this body as proof your hero is gone” the Dark Lord spoke clearly with his magically amplified voice, “You fought valiantly but there is no need to continue. This battle is won. I…”

**“DYNAMIC ENTRYYYYYY!”**

…

…

“Is he… is he dead?” McGonagall was the first to regain her voice.

“Yup” Saeko sighed, “That man just can't read a room.”

“He… kicked Voldemort's head right off!”

“Yup”

Harry Potter stood up, proving to everybody he was just faking “Hey, you stole my thunder!”

“Our bad” Saeko shrugged, “Come on people, we're done. We'll owl you the bill. Laters!”

 

* * *

**Omake 2**

Naruto was smiling - he was part of a mission that would save an entire country, his favorite. This might be Saeko's party but he wouldn't let himself be out-shined! “ _Kuchiose no Jutsu!”_

The Toad boss Gamanbunta appeared in a gigantic poof of smoke. He landed with a small thud and immediately looked around “Where's the enemy, whelp?”

…

“Why are you staring at me?” the summon frowned.

“You squashed him! You weren't supposed to squash him!” Naruto exclaimed, “There was supposed to be an epic battle!”

“Whatever” Gamabunta shrugged and took a small leap back to inspect Voldemort and his entourage's mangled bodies.

“He squashed him” Naruto repeated in disappointment.

“Baka” Saeko came up behind him and slapped the back of his head.

 

* * *

**Omake 3**

“Miss Uchiha,” professor Flitwick approached his once-student, “Where is the Forest?”

“What forest?”

“The Forbidden Forest” the teacher said dryly, “The one that I'm very sure was there yesterday. Right there - where all that ash is blowing from.”

“Hn” Saeko shrugged, “I wouldn't know about that, but on the other hand I can safely tell you Voldemort and his posse are dead.”

“That two being completely unrelated”

“Of course” the katon-user grinned.


	149. Epilogue III - Life is a Battle Too

 

“Uchiha” Naruto greeted cheerfully when he joined the small group of jounin waiting outside one of the classrooms in the Academy.

“Uzumaki” Saeko greeted back with a nod.

“Not surprised at seeing me here?” the blond asked.

“Not really” the woman chuckled, “I knew that as soon as you heard that I'll be getting a genin team you'd ambush Sarutobi-sama and ask for the same, fresh jounin or no.”

“Got my own Team 7” Naruto grinned, “You?”

“Team 9” Saeko said proudly - seven might be the most magical number according to Arithmancy, but nine was her ravens' number.

“Mine will make chuunin first” the jinchuuriki was quick to challenge.

“How about we just do friendly matches between them and not bet on events that can cost their lives, huh?”

“How suddenly adult”

“I'm teacher and future Hokage”

“Not if I have anything to do with it”

“Weren't you taking over for Jiraiya? And there was talk about you being a diplomat” Saeko arched an eyebrow.

Naruto smirked “I wouldn't say no to the Hat.”

“How surprising”

The sound from the classroom rose by a degree and Iruka opened the door. The jounin sensei candidates straightened up and trailed into the room.

“No big spectacle?” Saeko whispered to her rival.

“Not in the mood for toads and dancing”

Once the jounin lined up in from of the classroom Iruka smiled at his students “Here are your jounin senseis. Best of luck to you all.”

“Team One, with me” a long haired Uchiha said in a bored voice and turned to leave.

“Team 2”

“Three”

When it was Naruto's turn he winked at Saeko and announced “The super special team of awesomeness, otherwise known as Team 7! You guys are mine.”

Three recent graduates looked mildly terrified while the rest snickered.

“Come on, let's go, dattebayo!”

“He is actually really good ninja. And he has experience in teaching” Iruka said soothingly.

“Team 8” another jounin announced, intent on moving things along. Naruto collected his charges that finally approached him and instructed them to meet him on the roof. Then he disappeared in smoke, showing he was only a shadow clone.

“And Team Nine is with me” Saeko said neutrally, maintaining her Uchiha mask even if Naruto's antics amused her. When the trio of youngsters reached her she eyed them coldly “Meet me at Training Field 44 as soon as you're capable. That means run.”

With that she apparated away with a medium loud _crack_ for effect.

She smirked once she found herself in front of the Forest of Death, today extra loud thanks to Anko who owed Saeko a favor.

_“This is going to be fun!”_

/

“Hello, Ayane-san, is my Ren free?” Saeko asked the Hospital's receptionist.

“Uchiha-san” the short-haired brunette smiled “Ren-sama is currently with Shizune-sama.”

“Yo, brat!”

Saeko turned to smile at Tsunade “Hime, what a delightful surprise.”

“Stalking wifey again?” the blonde smirked, “She's giving Shizune a chuck-up.”

“Why aren't you the one doing it?”

“She says she doesn't want my 'grumpy' vibes infecting the baby” Tsunade rolled her eyes.

The brunette chuckled “I could see that. Hopefully our newest Uchiha is alright.”

“Let's get a drink”

Seeing the grimace Saeko smirked “Still not happy Shizune is an Uchiha now? It' been years. And he's good to her.”

“Whatever”

“My new genin are more mature than that”

“Oh, did the Clan let you do teach outside of it, how gracious” Tsunade said dryly.

“Hn. The Clan does take care of their own. And don't worry, once Uchiha Dan is born, we will take care of him too”

“Uchiha Dan” the Senju chuckled mirthlessly, “Sweet sentiment but it somehow sounds wrong.”

“I thought you weren't into the Senju/Uchiha feud overly much”

“The Senju line ends with me, hardly the time to keep a feud” Tsunade shrugged.

“That's not really an answer but I'll take it”

The older woman rolled her eyes and poured herself a drink while sinking in her office's chair. Saeko did the same and sat opposite her.

“You going to do the bell test?” Tsunade asked with only mild interest.

The two kunoichi conversed lightly, mainly drinking and waiting on Lauren and Shizune. The other medics came soon enough, Shizune immediately zeroing of the sake bottle and started berating her mentor while the red-head sat onto her girlfriend's lap.

“Hey”

“Hey” Saeko smiled, “You free for a late lunch?”

“Is Itachi cooking?”

“Yes” the scarred jounin nodded - her brother was in-village more now that he took the post of ANBU Commander. Saeko was really glad since it meant Itachi had a longer life expectancy. The Clan council was ecstatic as they have been urging their Head to quit field work. This wasn't exactly it, but good enough, especially since they weren't supposed to know about it. Also in his new position he could keep a good eye on Neji who entered ANBU ranks not so long ago. Itachi had also been nice enough to get him the Eagle mask, the one coveted by most Hyuuga.

“Great, you can get out of my office then” Tsunade made a shooing motion.

“What Tsunade-sama no doubt means is Ren-chan, take the rest of the day off” Shizune said with a deceptively sweet smile.

“Why?” the blonde grumbled.

“To celebrate Saeko's position as jounin sensei?”

“Why would anyone celebrate being stuck with three green brats?”

Lauren smirked “Thank you Tsunade-sama, I'll take the time off.”

Saeko chuckled, Shizune bossing around her mentor was always a treat, one that happened more often now that the younger woman was pregnant - nobody yells at a pregnant woman. “Bye, bye, ladies. See you around.”

“Brats”

Both magicals chuckled and slowly made their way out of the Hospital, only swinging by Ren's office to shrug off the white cloak.

“So, how was it?” the red-haired healer asked, “The brats?”

Saeko smiled “Not bad but I was really reminded of our first year of Hogwarts.”

“Tiny people, big dreams and bratty attitude?”

“Pretty much, yeah”

“Is it wrong that I don't miss it?” Lauren hummed.

“Liar”

“Ok, so I miss Pomfrey. Some of my friends too. The food. Surprisingly Snape, and his particular brand of humor” the Slytherin admitted.

“He had some?” Saeko asked with interest.

Lauren chuckled “He did. And house elves were handy too.”

“I do love you for lying though” the jounin smiled and kissed Ren on the neck.

“We're in public” was the gentle admonishment-

Saeko rolled her eyes “They call you Uchiha-san on occasion. I hardly think our relationship is a secret, nor would I want it to be.”

“That's sweet. Still though”

“I'll behave then”

They nodded to the two Uchiha clansmen near the gate of the Compound that were serving nominal guards and proceeded to the Head's house - Saeko brought up getting a house of their own but Mihane and Lauren grew quite close and they enjoyed the feel of a big family. Saeko and Itachi had lived together for all their lives so it wasn't an issue. Plus Itachi was eager to trade his cooking for eventual babysitting.

As Itachi, Mihane who was fresh off an A-rank, and the two witches sat down for the celebratory lunch Saeko couldn't help but grin. The only thing missing was the Hokage robes.

“Saeko, you here?”

The raven summoner snapped out of her daze and grinned “Just thinking this was the perfect day.”

“It's not even five” Mihane arched an eyebrow.

“Don't ruin it”

///

///

///

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all folks!  
> Yeah, really. I might do some selected one shots of Konoha life post Hogwarts like the genin team and so on, but not soon. But if you have ideas, I'll gladly take them!  
> I mean that, I totally would welcome that. I don't want to let this story go completely ;-)


End file.
